Dead Finks New Plastik Abyss

Dead Finks, the long-running "post-punk" project based out of Berlin, are on their way back with a fourth record, one that maintains their trademark blend of hysterical cynicism and strident earnestness. Their unique position on the spectrum between sarcasm and sincerity has, for a while now, gained them scraps of attention within the underground. They carve an odd niche in their home city especially; Berlin isn’t known these days for guitar-driven music, and at its worst, the city often feels like it can’t decide whether it’s a giant club, a dysfunctional commune, or a content farm for a venture-capital-backed start-up.
But the Finks are nothing if not tenacious, and forging ahead for an unlikely fourth time has resulted in their strongest and most accessible work to date; New Plastik Abyss, an album teeming with ideas and bristling with a nervy, colourful confidence.
The propulsive, often abrasive sound of their previous records has been tempered somewhat by shimmering guitars, hyper-melodic vocal lines and an increased emphasis on clarity and dynamics that absorbs classic pop songwriting, shoegazy textures and avant garde art-music into their canon.
But it all still hits like a piston, with the conviction and vitality characteristic of a band evolving beyond their roots. Dead Finks have sharpened their edges and their gaze in what feels like a breakthrough.