SAINT AGNES

The phrase "alternative rock" has become almost entirely redundant over the last 20 years, thanks to a relentless stream of bands and artists with clear commercial intentions, and to a rock / metal media that is often hell-bent on getting really cozy with the pop world. But don't let other people's feeble-minded acquiescence to the mainstream put you off listening to the new SAINT AGNES album at very high volume. Both an aggressively box-fresh departure from the bland norm and an invigorating throwback to the days when bands like GARBAGE and CURVE scored huge indie and pop chart hits while still shoving sticks of dynamite into the major label system, "Your God Fearing Days Are About To Begin" is a furious and gleefully subversive triumph for these London-based mischief-makers. Led by the ferociously charismatic Kitty A. Austen, SAINT AGNES certainly have no shortage of big, bold tunes, but on their third album, they make sure that even the shiniest of pop-metal bangers leave gnarly, gaping scars.

This is simply one of the best-sounding and most dynamic alt-rock albums in recent memory. SAINT AGNES were a formidable force on their first two albums, but their third represents a huge leap forward, both in terms of songwriting and of its fiendishly inventive, quasi-futuristic production. Rooted in the electronic fervor of industrial and EDM, but underpinned by gritty rock sensibilities, these songs have been designed to be all impact, wholly resistant to the concept of filler, and noisy and riotous enough to evoke the likes of ATARI TEENAGE RIOT, SEXTILE and SPECIAL INTEREST, rather than anything remotely conservative or polite. "Good Boy" is the perfect starting point: a lurching haze of post-NINE INCH NAILS loops and crunching electro-metal guitars, it gives Austen the ideal backdrop for her spiky, confrontational lyrics and hits harder than even the band's most ardent admirers will be expecting. More importantly, "Good Boy" is exciting, in the fearless, no-fucks-given way that typifies the best modern (alt-)pop. This is music that demands to be played as loud as humanly possible.

SAINT AGNES write razor-sharp tunes with balls and brains in abundance. "The Ghost" is an instant anthem that brims with hooks, heart and glitchy, distorted decoration; "The Father, The Son and The Holy Beast" is an untamed eruption of abrasive electronics, Gary Numan-esque keyboard fog and immaculate melodies that linger like toxic paint fumes; and "The Beast" snaps from brooding, synth-noir to a pulsing, high energy onslaught, with Austen's elegantly vitriolic vocals bursting through the digital architecture like custom-made truth drones sent from some isolated, humanist outpost.

As doggedly devoted to the cutting edge as it clearly is, "Your God Fearing Days…" is also undeniably punk as fuck. Songs like "Song For Mia" and "Gods of War" harness the most effective trappings of alt-rock past and present, but SAINT AGNES never seem interested in evoking some pre-approved formula. Relentlessly smart and sonically ingenious, this is the sound of a band that would be filling arenas in a less idiotic world and may yet do exactly that anyway. From the thunderous beats and frantic synths that introduce "Everything You Denied", to the raging robot-rock that underpins "The Blood Beat (Angel in the Marble)" , this is so full of exhilarating moments that its obvious commercial potential becomes secondary to its visceral, subversive appeal. The fact that SAINT AGNES execute it all with such immense style and charm makes the sum of these parts even more fascinating and irresistible. Utterly distinctive and insanely entertaining, this is one of this year's most satisfying surprises. Your SAINT AGNES-worshipping days are about to begin!