The label Speedy Wunderground is really on a roll. Led by producer Dan Carey, the label has been reliably presenting a whole new exciting generation of English musicians, artists like Squid and Black Midi who often exist on some kind of post-punk/art-rock spectrum. But now there’s also PVA, another buzzy up-and-coming act that’s doing something similar to their peers but also tapping into a slightly different history.
Like Squid’s “The Cleaner,” PVA’s new single “Divine Intervention” is like a mash-up of the past. In its synths there’s new wave with serrated edges, in Ella Harris’ deadpan delivery there’s an art-y no wave tint; it feels indebted to early ’80s Europe and mid-’00s Brooklyn in equal measure. PVA took all of that and crafted an addicting track that balances danceability and meditation. Its name might allude to godliness, but it’s a song about coming to a new realization of yourself after — fittingly enough — sifting through the past and memories. And while there’s no big climax, no one moment of revelation, the insistence of “Divine Intervention” tells the story well — a process steadily pushing forward towards a matter-of-fact self-renewal. According to label co-runner Pierre Hall, “It reminds me of Patti Smith fronting Factory Floor,” which is pretty spot-on.
PVA are Ella Harris, Josh Baxter, and Louis Satchell
The Fat Angel Sings 