Let’s get one thing straight. As a subgenre, modern dark wave’s chief aim is to bow at the altar of New Order. The scene’s aesthetics pay homage to the British new wave pioneers with unflinching fidelity.

Throughout their career, Cold Cave has always been one of the most devout pilgrims. But nowhere is that more clear than on Fate in Seven Lessons, an album that, from the sonic palette to the album art, is largely a celebration of New Order’s classic second album Power, Corruption, and Lies.

Don’t get me wrong though: this isn’t derivative schlock. While it’s clearly referential (and feels like it was intended to be), enough of Wesley Eisold’s own voice comes through for it to be a rich and rewarding disc.

Fate In Seven Lessons almost seems to exist in an alternate dimension where Ian Curtis never died, but Joy Division still became New Order. While Eisold’s singing voice sounds much more like Curtis than Bernard Sumner, that’s not the only reason. There’s a brooding sensibility that feels more like the Joy Division segment of their career more than the New Order portion.

However, the songs are performed with a synth-heavy sonic palette that feels more New Order-y. This is especially present on the dark “Psalm 23” and “Honey Flower” which drive through minor progressions with a robotic drum beat and undulating bass synths. “Promised Land” features a dry piano line, synth leads, and some flourishes of minor acoustic guitar. If you take away Eisold’s vocals, it probably wouldn’t take too much convincing to believe it to be an outtake from an early New Order album, or even an abandoned B-side for “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” Album opener “Prayer From Nowhere” is especially convincing, thanks to an overdriven bass riff that sounds like it was endowed by Peter Hook himself.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. There are some charming—and almost cheerful—moments. The dancy “Night Light” is buoyed by its major key, bouncing synths, and digital strings (it also sounds the most like a New Order track). “Love Is All” is largely accompanied by a heavily-reverberated acoustic guitar, with some flashes of synth strings and chimes. Both tracks land right on the same mood as tracks like “Dreams Never End” and “Age of Consent,” which were the most notable signifiers in New Order’s early career of the poppier direction they would take.

Again: don’t mistake the fact that I’m constantly using New Order as a measuring stick to mean that Cold Cave lacks any inspiration of their own. Because 1), Cold Cave brings plenty of their own voice to the table, and 2), we could always use more convincing New Order soundalikes. And where a number of New Order tribute bands feel like they’re little kids wearing the new wave pioneers’ baggy trenchcoat, Cold Cave wears it like a perfectly tailored suit.