Systems of Romance

Fresh from the needle to the internet – it’s been a while since we’ve had a bonafide minimal synth record, so here’s one from 1981 that features all the great touchstones – rickety, loud synths, some post-punk guitars, and DIY vibes through and through. Passing Smiles were a US-based project that only released this 7” to my knowledge. John Ross, pictured on the back of the sleeve, is the main musician, playing all guitars and synths, while Bill Miles played drums and Brian Leech played piano on side B. Based on this, I might go so far as to say that this was a one-man project with help from some friends…

The A-side is the “hit” so to speak, while the B-side offers a more reflective, somber mood. Both tracks are excellent and certainly touch on the frailty of existence and the balance of life and death, even going so far as to feature a biblical quote (Philippians 2:8) on the back cover.

Without any further ado, enjoy!

Passing Smiles – Life 7”
1. Life
2. Death

*download it here*

This entry was posted on May 10, 2024 at 4:58 pm and is filed under 1980s, 1981, minimal, minimal synth, post-punk . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.