With “Candy Mountain”, Manchester’s Inca Babies breathe fresh life into a song first heard on their 1986 record “This Train”. Back then, it was a raw, hypnotic live piece built on a relentless bassline. Now, nearly four decades later, the band reimagines it for 2025 with a slicker, more atmospheric approach, without losing the grit that made them such a cult post-punk force. The new version opens the upcoming album “Reincarnation”, a collection where old tracks are re-recorded and re-shaped for the present day. On “Candy Mountain”, that means pulsing electronic sequencing, sharp studio layering and a groove that feels both retro and modern. Harry Stafford’s vocals cut through with the same cool detachment he carried back in the ‘80s, while the band — Jim Adama (guitar), Dave Carmichael (bass) and Rob Haynes (drums) — give the track a heavier backbone, mixing death-rock swagger with a touch of industrial polish. The accompanying video, directed by Stafford, captures this blend of escape and unease, swapping city streets for wide open landscapes. It reflects the music’s mood perfectly — restless, searching, always pushing forward. What’s striking is how relevant Inca Babies still sound. Instead of simply repeating the past, they’ve reshaped “Candy Mountain” into something alive, urgent, and stylishly sinister. It’s dark, but with a pulse that keeps it from feeling stuck in nostalgia. As the opening statement of “Reincarnation”, “Candy Mountain” shows why Inca Babies deserve their cult status. It’s proof that post-punk’s edge doesn’t dull with time — if anything, in the right hands, it cuts even deeper.
♦ 8/10
Dimitris Zacharopoulos
