Delusive Relics - The Blind Owl (DO IT Records)

New Hampshire’s Delusive Relics is a dark electro pop project by duo Farhood Nik and Anis Oveisi. Originally from Iran, the pair craft moody, gothic post-punk inspired by the likes of Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, and Gary Numan, and they recently released their latest album The Blind Owl. The record is inspired by the classic Iranian work of literature, The Blind Owl, by author Sadegh Hedayat, and the album perfectly matches the macabre and strange tones of the novel, following the story of the original text.

The group is at their best replicating the Industrial and atmospheric piano ballads by Martin Gore on songs like “Come With Me Now,” but they expanded what were commonly interludes on Depeche’s greatest albums from the 80s and brought them front and center. The vocals are far more extroverted as well, the pair weaving their styles flawlessly on the EBM of “Inner Man” and the pure classic-era Trent Reznor -ness of “Push Them Away.” The mix occasionally becomes a little crowded from over production, but by and large the album is a fantastic collection of dark ambient synth pop that works with or without knowledge of the source material and will appeal to purist fans of the genre. The Blind Owl is out now on DO IT Records.