Knifight is not the type of name you’d associate with a synth-pop group. You’d probably think of a rough-and-tumble bar metal band with a name like that--cargo shorts and Mesa stacks abound. Vocalist John Gable did grow up in the hardcore scene of Tyler, Texas, where he saw bands like Hatebreed and Brutal Truth. Perhaps that’s where the tough name came from. Knifight started as an industrial project of Gable, and later keyboardist/saxophonist Patrick Marshall would become part of the group’s nucleus. They performed as a noise duo, eventually finding their way into Austin, and formed into a full synth-pop band, rounded out by guitarists Nick Garrison and Roland Roberts, bassist John Hetherington, and drummer Matt McClellan. Knifight may be the only group who has played a noise fest and opened for Future Islands and Duran Duran in 2014, and dipping in both of those worlds has worked in their favor.

They recently released their album, V, in February of 2015, which is their first album with live drums. Last year’s Dark Voices saw them heading in a murkier direction, and while this record is clearer, it ups the darkness in many ways. They’re less focused on pop structures, stretching out so Gable and Marshall’s synths sound more brooding and gorgeous. “A Perfect Day To Die” sounds like it was commissioned for a James Bond film, right down to the title. “Buttons (Slow)” has echo-laden growls from Gable that suggest his metal past isn’t entirely behind him. Knifight haven’t gone completely doom and gloom on us, though. John H dials in some bouncy bass lines throughout, especially evident on the brief ray of sunshine in the form of “Broken Feeling.” This still has all the hallmarks to make the goth club go up on a Tuesday; the weekend’s too bright, after all. Dance floors are staging areas for all sorts of desires and danger, and Knifight are reflecting that with this new record.