Here’s another winner from Melbourne artist Cong Josie, the frayed nerve endings of ‘Cong! The Singer’. It’s an urgent and insistent sound, shrouded in electronic anxiety and the sweaty palmed fever dream delivery of Alan Vega from Suicide. Psychobilly meets cold wave art pop.

Cong Josie is the moniker of Nic Oogjes of Heat Beat ensemble NO ZU and his new album Cong! is a raw, mind melting trip into his psyche, conjuring up the ghost of The Cramps, Gun Club, Sigue Sigue Sputnik and a future Elvis. Swampy post punk in a claustrophobic basement club. He hits his marks perfectly too. So often attempts at this kind of collision of sounds come off as pastiche and shallow reinterpretations but Oogjes knows how to keep things taut and minimal, much like the musical approach of Sleaford Mods and the way rhythm and simple components drive the music. You’ll hear 80s synths, dark and gritty bass-lines, hip thrusting sax solos, reverb heavy howls and exhortations and the striking of plenty of musical poses.

Cong Josie’s new album Cong! is out now via IT Records and he’ll be launching the album at The Curtin on Nov 26th in Melbourne and Dec 18th at the Enmore Hotel in Sydney.