Take some of the greatest English post-punk bands from the late seventies and early eighties: The Cure, Joy Division, Buzzcocks, Wire, Gang Of Four. Take elements from each, put them together, and the result becomes Swedish quartet Holograms.

On their self-titled debut LP, Holograms take sadness, aggression, and controlled chaos from the early English post-punk scene and make it sound new, fresh, and completely their own. The album's opener, 'Monolith,' comes on with full fighting force; a blast of energy that makes an intense impact right at the start of the album. While it's easy to tell they wear their influences on their sleeve, the added use of synthesizers on select tracks adds a unique texture to the album, especially on tracks like 'Chasing My Mind' and 'ABC City,' the latter of which sounds like Peter Hook from Joy Division and Colin Newman from Wire banded together to make the most infectious and slam dance-inducing post-punk anthem ever recorded.

The album also features tracks like 'Transform' and 'Stress' that really sound reminiscent of early Wire and Buzzcocks material, both of whom happen to be two of my favorite bands from that era of music. With repeating all these bands' names, it could be easy to assume that Holograms is nothing but a revivalist act. However, I do not believe this was Holograms' intention. The band takes the classic post-punk sound and makes it relevant for 2012 audiences. Their emotions are real and their song topics are not to be regarded as simply fiction for effect.

'You Are Ancient' closes out the record; a five-minute driving groove that definitely calls back to early Joy Division as well as The Jesus And Mary Chain. While there are certainly facets of the old, Holograms fits in with the new perfectly, stylistically being able to be associated with Iceage, Sunshine, and even Ceremony, who showcased some of the art-punk and post-punk qualities on their latest LP, Zoo.

Clocking in at about thirty-eight minutes, Holograms' debut LP gets everything it wants to get done in perfect time. It's a release that should be recognized and spread around, and it becomes very easy to want to put it on again and again one time after another. Holograms has certainly made their mark in the post-punk family, and I'll be pleasantly expecting what they do next.

Holograms is available now on Captured Tracks Records.