There are probably more 21st century bands inspired by '80s post-punk than there were actual '80s post-punk bands to begin with. But if you were to question them, the vast majority of the style's modern-day practitioners would probably reject the "revivalist" tag, if not deny any association outright. But listening to Strange Bruises, one gets the impression that Canadian band Mode Moderne have no qualms about coming to terms with their '80s influences. There's no question that Mode Moderne have spent some time soaking up the sounds that came out of early-'80s music hubs like Manchester, Liverpool, and Glasgow -- Phillip Intile's vocal style could be triangulated somewhere between Morrissey, Ian McCulloch, and Orange Juice's Edwyn Collins. And when bassist Clinton Loftkrantz locks into a particularly New Order-esque bassline on the record's title track, or Rebecca Gray's keyboards creep up on an especially Teardrop Explodes-like moment, it's easy to imagine the sounds of Mode Moderne being embraced by the likes of John Peel in Thatcher-era England. But the very fact that the band wears its inspirations on its collective sleeve is the thing that makes Strange Bruises work so well, while peers who try to play hide-and-seek with their '80s influences fall short. By embracing the aforementioned aesthetic, Mode Moderne manage to capture some of the same sort of magic that probably made them want to make music in the first place.