ACCORDING to the PR blurb this band combines dense dance-rock with graphic scenery. Certainly there is classic heavyweight Euro synth on standout tracks Wicked and Serial Immortality, not to mention spiky guitar on Midnight Freaks.

But then up pops Peter Hook and it all turns into New Order. To add to the Madchester feel, Happy Mondays’ Julie Gordon features on backing vocals and the sessions were recorded in Mytholmroyd. DeStijl released their concept album The White Stripes in 2011, which proposed a crossover concept, between Depeche Mode and Joy Division. That vision is now a reality, but does it work?

When Hooky is on board it’s plain sailing, but when he’s not, the going becomes moderate to fair. The original De Stijl was a movement of Dutch artists who embraced a highly focused abstract, pared-down aesthetic. This one is still work in progress.