Album Review - The Ninth Wave - Heavy Like a Headache

There are millions of Joy Division influenced bands. Millions? Probably not. Still maybe? There are of course some who became favorite bands of mine - the obvious (Editors, Interpol) to a variety of others (as varied as Sweden’s synth outfit Holograms to Los Angeles hardcore punks Cemento to dark wave favorites She Wants Revenge). U2 would certainly fall in this category, as would the shoegaze movement. All goth bands surely from and including Xymox, Sisters of Mercy and Christian Death on. Also come to think of it, a full list of industrial bands (Psychic TV wrote “IC Water” after all.) Like the Velvet Underground, it might be easier to list bands not influenced by them. A band as distinct as Arcade Fire or Sea Power may have mixed other influences but inevitably call to mind Ian Curtis and crew. Maybe a band mimics the umm… atmosphere of “Atmosphere” or “New Dawn Fades” or maybe it’s the Punk pulse of Disorder and She’s Lost Control. Glasgow’s The Ninth Wave are one of the latest to be painted by the Joy Division brush. Their second album Heavy Like A Headache could be their last as it was released simultaneously as the band announced a hiatus. The reviews generally have not been kind to this album, which seems a disservice. I can guess at the reason. The band splits vocal duties between its two members - Haydn Park-Patterson and Millie Kidd. Additionally, songs might rotate from inward looking Goth ballads to soaring arena anthems. Particularly on the anthemic songs, they have peaks that stand far above other tracks. It’s the kind of thing that will annoy record critics. That said,if the sound appeals to you, you might want to stay around for the whole thing. If you are not a huge fan of the genre, you still may find a few songs to cherry-pick for playlists. “What Makes You a Man” was in the Umbrella Academy and a couple others sound ripe for soundtracks. 2022 - Distiller Records