hygiene: private sector

Having released a slew of singles and an LP on various DIY labels in the US and the UK at the turn of this decade, London post-punk stalwarts Hygiene return from hiatus with their sophomore effort, Private Sector. Where their debut LP Public Sector (2011) reflected a nostalgic longing for an unrealized socialist modernist utopia, Private Sector finds them confronting the grim realities of the present, Hygiene rail against the neoliberal madness of utility cartels, tax havens, and privatized railways, seizing the moment as the current period of interregnum sees the old ideological certainties come into question. Proving nostalgia to be an inescapable trap, the band continue to hearken back to the kind of post-punk that existed before anybody knew to affix the "post" prefix. Private Sector has the signature Hygiene sound, mixing brooding melodies with a choppy, aggressive approach, and a restricted pop sensibility. However, this ever-so-slightly-more mature record finds the band taking advantage of the musicianship of their friends, mixing in the odd viola, glockenspiel, piano and keyboard. Recommended for fans of Real Ale, British Rail Class 55 Deltics, Euston station, and Jeremy Corbyn. Edition of 500.