With its collision of ’60s pop harmonies, garage rock chords and feedback monsoons, The Raveonettes’ debut EP, Whip it On, proved irresistible to critics and fans alike, but with their next two albums, the Danish duo scrubbed the muddy edges right off their sound. At first this worked as Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo tweaked the Dogme-inspired songwriting restrictions they’d followed and found success in a major key with Chain Gang of Love. Then on 2005’s Pretty in Black, the crucial fuzz was almost completely gone as they did their best imitations of Phil Spector pop.

This time around it’s exciting to hear how they’ve taken only the best parts of what they’ve done before and, as the title might forewarn, The Raveonettes are cranking things back up. The band’s always been proud to display their influences, but this time they’re incorporating more than imitating, and they finally deliver on the big promise everyone saw in what they might do with the raw sounds of that first EP.

The dark mood is set early with opener “Aly, Walk With Me’ riding the strength of a brooding bassline and unwavering drums as Foo’s haunting voice floats on Wagner’s crashing feedback. On “Dead Sound’ “Blitzed’ and “Blush’ bright harmonies are grounded with tiers of focused noise, to create the balance found throughout the disc. It’s this place between sharp and smooth where The Raveonettes set up shop, and bring the best of themselves and their influences.

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