Delphic - so much for the hype, what's the record like?

Acolyte it is called, and many a wag has said "ooh, it's obvious who they are acolytes of, being from Manchester and all that", and to be fair, I reckon they quite like a bit of Hooky and co. This is not a bad thing in my book though, and it is a bit of an easy label. Red Lights (track 4) could be from Technique, mind!
The opening track is really good, though. It starts, um, a bit New Ordery..., but then it kicks into gear and goes all epic in a way White Lies can only dream of, before slamming to a halt - all in less than 3 minutes. To my old ears there are hints of Bloc Party in there too - as there are on a few songs, like Doubt (track 2), which really reminds me of, you guessed it, New Order as sung by Kele.
Track 3 - "This Momentary" has hints of perhaps Underworld mixed with a bit of Hard-Fi, of all things. It's OK.
The title track (track 5) is full on 9 minutes of stadium rave, and will be heard all year in clubs from Ibiza to Ipswich. I quite like it, which is probably not a good thing.
Counterpoint (track eight) is another highlight, it is simply brilliant - I love its breathless icy synth riff, its almost cheesy guitar riffs, those Bloc Party echoes again, the whole thing. One to play loud.
The album closes with the lush groove of 'Remain', all a bit Beloved and chilled.

So all in all a good record. Yes Delphic wear their impeccable influences on their sleeves, and this is music that looks back more than it looks forward, but all the same I've enjoyed listening to Acolyte. I look forward to seeing them live, they are supposed to be excellent.

Listening now via Spotify (link here). Very enjoyable so far (up to track 4 'Red Lights'). In a way it's almost too listenable - nothing really musically challenging. But that's not a bad thing!

It's funny you mention New Order and Bloc Party, I've always lumped them together anyway as they both have an instantly recognisable sound and are very good at doing upbeat songs in minor keys. So it makes sense that Delphic have echoes of both as they're quite similar in a way.

Proper review later, if I can be arsed.

Heard Counterpoint yonks ago and really liked it and XFM have hammered Doubt a lot recently, which has grown on me. They supported Doves recently but didn't make it in for them.

Despite a band that sound like Bloc Party and New Order, I'm not overly eager to seek out any more of their material.

Might be Mr K mentioning those dreaded words 'White Lies' haha ! only joking.........

A few more listens, and at times it really feels like the best bits of other bands, melted down and remoulded into a sleek, beguiling new thing. In addition to the bands mentioned in the previous post, I'm now getting flavours of Dirty Vegas, a bit of Neon Neon, and a strong essence of Orbital.
They are a bit like Rocky Road - a whole load of yummy stuff mixed together. It is tasty, and you get a kind of artificially induced high but after a while I suspect the gag reflex may kick in. I'm still gorging for now, though. And Counterpoint IS truly magnificent.

P.S The White Lies thing was just a snide little swipe at them - they try SO hard for an arena filling epic sound, whereas Delphic just seem so effortless in comparison.

Had this on repeat most of yesterday and your Rocky Road simile is spot on - "a whole load of yummy stuff mixed together" indeed.

As well as New Order and Bloc Party I can hear a definite Underworld influence in the production (particularly Counterpoint and This Momentary), and even hints of Marc Almond and Brian Molko in the singer bloke's voice (to my shame I don't know what he's called).

I thought I'd get bored with it as it's almost too accessible - like a load of my favourite bits of the last 25 years of music rolled into one - but so far I haven't wanted to take it off.

I love Counterpoint.

And I am going to see them live in Feb.