The Electro-Futurism of PVA

PVA is a fairly classic trio at first glance: synth, guitar and drums, with a girl and a boy (Ella Harris and Josh Baxter) sharing the mic. The Londoners were first noticed with Divine Intervention, their 2019 single that offered an updated version of new wave, which caught the ear of Ninja Tune. The prestigious English label first gave them carte blanche for an EP on its sub-division Big Dada, Toner in 2020, towed by the heady Talks, splendidly remixed (twice) by Mura Masa. With their first album on the flagship label, PVA has the opportunity to clarify an identity that is diluted between post-punk, acid house or indus, but clearly nostalgic of the 80s and 90s.

This record, Blush, confirms this tendency, between new wave passages (Bad Dad), Prodigy like ambiences (Untethered, The Individual) and winks to Miss Kittin (Hero). We are not surprised either to learn that Bunker was one of their first songs as a group. The rolling bass, the acid gimmicks, the dark vocals, the heavy drums; it’s all there, forming a wave that's hard to contain when played live. Elsewhere, the hyperpop finale Soap signals an interesting direction for the band who clearly have plenty left in the locker. Audacity at its finest!