Album Review: A Way Forward by Nation of Language

As of last year's Introduction, Presence, the Jersey-to-Brooklyn synth-pop trio Nation of Language seemed engineered for a certain type of indie fan. Singer Ian Devaney sounded uncannily comfortable in a familiar register of pure melancholy, murmuring self-indulgent sweet nothings with the brassy ice of the best New Romantics: Start with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, add one part Robert Smith, two parts Depeche Mode, stir in Kraftwerk-flavored sprinkles. On their latest album, A Way Forward, Nation of Language start to shed some of the trappings of synth-pop comfort food, foregrounding their melodic elasticity and narrative charm to explore a broader emotional palette than the formal polish of their debut.

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