Twenty minutes before Nation of Language took the stage at the Mohawk, the floor was already packed tight. I spoke with a few fans near the front who said they were there for one thing: to dance. Looking around, it was hard to imagine movement in a space that crowded. But when the band played “On Division St.,” the stillness cracked. Bassist Alex MacKay called out, “If you’re here to dance, come down to the front,” and from that moment the set never lost its rhythm.
Nation of Language are touring in support of Dance Called Memory, released on September 19, 2025 through Sub Pop. Produced by Nick Millhiser of Holy Ghost, the album expands their sound without losing the emotional directness that has defined them since their debut. Recorded in New York City, it carries the pulse of their home borough of Brooklyn as much as it does the shimmer of early synth pop. That mix of precision and pulse places them in a lineage that runs from OMD and Kraftwerk to Holy Ghost and LCD Soundsystem.
Onstage, the trio performed with quiet control and conviction. Ian Richard Devaney moved with fluid precision, channeling the intensity of Ian Curtis and the charisma of Sam Herring. Aidan Noell shaped waves of synth around him while MacKay’s basslines kept everything grounded. The sound was familiar but never derivative. You could hear the echoes of their influences, but the delivery was distinctly their own.
Devaney has said that hearing OMD’s “Electricity” as a kid sparked the idea for the band, and that influence remains at its core. Yet Dance Called Memory shows how much they have evolved. The songs merge analog texture with modern clarity, pulling together the post-punk stiffness of the past and the energy of the present. It is music built on restraint but propelled by emotion.
Songs like “Weak in Your Light” and “In Your Head” hit harder live. The synths shimmered through the open air, the percussive bass echoed across both levels of the venue, and Devaney’s voice carried a conviction that felt both urgent and unforced. Before leaving the stage, Devaney thanked the dancers and called Austin the best crowd of the tour. For a band defined by control, the most human moments came when the structure loosened, when the music took over, and the Mohawk dissolved into color, sweat, and sound.
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Review and photos by Victor Gonzalez