Nouvelle Vague return to wreak havoc on some of the most beloved new wave classics of the 80s, only this time they trade in the bossa nova flavor for a Caribbean twist.

On the heels of the unanticipated worldwide success of Nouvelle Vague's eponymous, self-titled debut album in 2005 comes Bande A Part. On the first album, they re-arranged the greatest, but rarely covered early '80s post-punk numbers in an original and personal way and this second album continues the tradition. However, in place of the bossa nova-inflected chansons are songs that are set in the Caribbean between 1940 and 1970. Imagine a young Jamaican with his acoustic guitar singing Blondie's “Heart Of Glass” in his Kingston township suburb and you got it.

The album moves musically between Jamaica (birthplace of ska, rocksteady, reggae), to the Calypso Isle of Trinidad via Cuban salsa, Haitian voodoo, and eventually back to the Brazilian coast. The arrangements and orchestrations are very colourful: A lot of percussion and acoustic guitars topped off with sensual, feminine voices, accordions and steel drums. As with the first album, there are some key bands Nouvelle Vague has explored like Bauhaus and Echo The Bunnymen, and a few forgotten marvels like The Wake and Lords of the New Church. Songs originally sung by 80s staples Yazoo, Visage and New Order have also been re-visited. The sticky, intense heat of summer can be heavy on the soul so the season calls for breezy music and Nouvelle Vague is sure to cool you off.