Formal Sppeedwear 
It might be impossible to approach the debut from UK trio Formal Sppeedwear without mentioning Talking Heads. The band evokes the Heads’ earliest incarnations, ducking out from their latter-period dalliances with Afropop for something that chews on the rawest nerves of post-punk. Sppeedwear is primed on propulsive rhythms and explosive vocals, zig-zagging across guitar lines and quicksilver synths with the kind of kinetic energy that coursed through a similar cross-section of synthwave from The Units to Starter. The band’s definitely spent a little time honing in on the hackles of the early ’80s, and they distill the the hinge from punk to synth into a riot of sharpened guitars, malleable bass, and high energy hooks.
It’s clear that the band is having a great time doing it. Despite their buttoned-down demeanor, it’s easy to feel a band bouncing off of every hook, skipping through each click of the stick, and draping their aesthetic with a barely tamped down glee. Like collectors meticulously corralling with a completists eye, the band recreates their vision of the ‘70s/‘80s divide, discarding the excess for a sound that’s lean and limber. I’ve been a fan of ‘90s leaners doing the same with their own nostalgia, whittling away the fat with a choose-your-own-adventure vision of the past. Punch Card becomes a jagged joy that, while not plowing new fields, is definitely getting yields out of the seeds planted years ago.