Archive for the 1983 Category

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The Minx – Real Minx

Posted in 1980s, 1983, new wave, post-punk, punk, the minx, US on February 26, 2026 by Frankie Teardrop

Please excuse me as I attempt to post four times today again…

Here’s an extra rare full length LP from 1983 by The Minx, a US-based post-punk/new wave hybrid band from Southern California, I believe.

There once existed another band with a similar name from the same general area who called themselves The Real Minx, perhaps as a reaction to this band and LP (confusing!). This is not that band however, but instead is a similarly four-piece, female-fronted band who plays rickety guitar wave with some chirpy organs in tow. Their first single was a little more caustic, along the lines of Action Pact! or early Fuzzbox, while the LP softens the edges a little bit and includes a re-recorded version of b-side “Prisoner.” Some touchstones for the LP include Young Marble Giants/Weekend, The B-52s, Fall of Saigon, Suburban Lawns, and so on.

I love this LP, even if it falls a little outside of my usual fare. Hope y’all enjoy it, too.

The Minx – Real Minx LP
1. Tides
2. Ira
3 .Prisoner
4. Leg Show
5. Starlines
6  I Can Hardly Wait
7. New York Song
8. Static
9. Time To Myself
10. Deity (The Last Days)
11. Band Of Gold
12. Vision (Good Night)

*download it here*

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Native Tongue – Native Tongue 12” + YOWL LP

Posted in 1980s, 1981, 1983, boston, Native Tongue, post-punk, US on January 28, 2026 by Frankie Teardrop

Boston, MA was certainly a hotbed for guitar driven post-punk. Naturally, bands like Pixies, The Lemonheads, and Mission of Burma get the lion’s share of the attention, but in those early days, Native Tongue was heavily active and well known in their hometown scene, especially for self-coining what is known as the “Revere Beach” sound, which features double layered vocals and jagged post-punk rhythms. This three piece recorded several demos, one EP, and one LP before calling it quits, also contributing a Christmas tune to a local scene compilation that also features Jeff and Jane Hudson and a few demo recordings to a 2007 Boston-based compilation. The band would reissue most of their catalogue in 2008, but the compilation is only on vinyl as well.

Currently, both Lee Leffler and Michael Frackleton are active in psychedelic post-punk band Dream of a Man in a Top Hat. You can read an interview with them both here and check out some of their newer material. They also share some stories about recording the Native Tongue material, which is a great read.

Some touchstones for Native Tongue include Gang of Four, early Public Image Ltd. and Wire, and For Against’s more driving material. Very jagged and angular guitars, powerful vocals, big hooks, and the kind of fast paced energy that really captures my attention around this time period. While rips of their material have been floating around for a bit, here’s a couple of fresh passes on both their 1981 EP and 1983 album.  As a bonus, I’ve included their 1983 Christmas cover – never too late for a little cheer I suppose?

Hope y’all enjoy!

Native Tongue – Native Tongue 12” (1981)
1.  Speaking In Captions
2. All Wronged Up
3. No Sense
4. Carving The Future From Soap

Native Tongue – YOWL LP (1983)
1. Hoodwinked
2. Blame It On Gravity
3. Pencil Point
4. Ali
5. Thieves At Night
6. No Bush Beat
7. Bit Part
8. Do I Bother You?
9. Fluffy Thing
10. The Cake

Various – A Boston Rock Christmas (1983)

2. Native Tongue – Do You Hear What I Hear?

*download it all here*

 

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The Psalms – No Great Cathedral K7

Posted in 1980s, 1983, Doug Hopkins, indie, jangle, the psalms on January 3, 2026 by Frankie Teardrop

Happy new year, everyone. Much love and best wishes for 2026!

I’m pleased to kick off this year with an ultra rarity that just arrived in my mailbox yesterday. I’ll keep this short and sweet, but here we have the second (and final) release from Tempe, Arizona jangle-pop/indie/new wave band The Psalms, which features the guitar work of Doug Hopkins from Gin Blossoms. This highly coveted EP, released on a single-sided cassette in 1983, has been something I’ve been looking forward to hearing in full for years now, and after all the buildup, it certainly does not disappoint.

To read more about the band, please check out my previous post from 2020 as well as the official Doug Hopkins tribute page, which is an incredibly thorough resource on one of the more tragic figures in the 80s/90s music scene.

Without any further ado, hope y’all enjoy…

The Psalms – No Great Cathedral

1. 100 Summers
2. Procession
3. Monique LeShea
4. Where The Grass Once Grew

*download it here*

3 Comments »

Blue Mathue – Perfect Pictures 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1983, blue mathue, clockwork orange, minimal, minimal synth, norsk, norweigan, synthpop on July 22, 2025 by Frankie Teardrop

Jumping across the ocean for the next two posts. This one was also a HUGE DJ staple for me over a decade ago that also lived in my record bag most weeks… This 12” is three tracks of dance-driven minimal synth perfection from Norway’s first synth pop band. Most folks will be familiar with the killer “Perfect Pictures” via the absolutely essential Maskindans CD compilation that collected dozens of equally amazing tracks from the Norsk scene. The second track on this 12” also appeared on the similarly excellent Burning the Midnight Sun compilation in 1984, which also featured tracks by Svart Klovn, Popul Vuh, De Press, and the underrated Fra Lippo Lippi. The third track here is exclusive (for now), and deserves an updated rip along with the rest of them.

While this was the only release by this duo, Jan Berg would quickly form Clockwork Orange, whose track “Sensation Boys” is another stellar gem from the era, Our good friend Nick from Crispy Nuggets was kind enough to share their lone 7” many years back, so be sure to check it out if you missed it.

Moving right along, hope you enjoy!

Blue Mathue – Perfect Pictures 12” (1983)
1. Perfect Pictures
2. In Our Dream
3. The Vision

*download it here*

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Factual – Full Discography

Posted in 1980s, 1982, 1983, 1984, actuel, minimal, minimal synth, nashville, post-punk, US, warm dark pocket on July 22, 2025 by Frankie Teardrop

Moving south-east here for the second of four posts today, this one collecting the full vinyl discography by Nashville, Tennessee band Factual, whose track “Psychotic Romance” is an underrated minimal synth gem from this rare neck of the woods. That track must have appeared in the majority of my DJ sets back in NYC’s Wierd party where its driving post-punk rhythms and buzzing synths made for a regular foggy dance floor killer. I haven’t heard the track in some time, and fell in love with it (as well as the similarly excellent tracks “Your Way” and “Wire and Chrome”) all over again when re-ripping these for y’all.

This band was otherwise a four piece, and vocalist/synth player Robb Earls also played in similarly like-minded bands Actuel (whose lone album Monuments is a sublime slice of moody Factory-inspired post-punk, maybe I’ll re-post that one soon as well) as well as Warm Dark Pocket, who released one killer 12” that I also should get around to re-ripping soon… Guitarist Skot Nelson would also join caustic industrial/post-punk project Dessau after Factual’s demise.

Here are all three Factual releases, all well worth your time. Enjoy!

Factual – Your Way 7” (1982)
1. Your Way
2. Think to the Beat

Factual – Psychotic Romance 12” (1983)
1. Psychotic Romance
2. Institutions
3. Wire and Chrome
4. Standing Alone

Factual – For the Song 12” (1984)
1. For the Song
2. Psychotic Romance (Remix)

*download all three here*

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Dream 286 – Scars 7”

Posted in 1983, new wave, ohio, post-punk, US on October 4, 2022 by Frankie Teardrop

Happy to share this one-off 7” from 1983 by Dream 286 – fresh off the needle and into your eardrums.  This four-piece band hails from Cincinnati, Ohio and has an excellent dark new wave/post-punk sound that I can never get enough of. On paper, the band reminds me quite a bit of UK-based punk band Action Pact!, but with more synthesizers in tow. Otherwise, from what I can tell, the band was fairly active throughout the midwest, playing a slew of shows throughout the area, including a prominent gig opening for Factual, whose track “Psychotic Romance” is worth hearing for those unfamiliar. Sadly, these three tracks are all that were released to the general public, but I hope there’s some more material floating around out there somewhere…

After Dream 286 called it a day, bassist Randy Cheek would also play in local band The Libertines (not the UK revival band) with drummer Joe Hamm. Cheek would go on to form indie rock stalwarts Ass Ponys, while synth player Doug Hallet remained a fixture in the scene, also performing with Latex Theatre, Danse Macabre, Ubu Roi, and Tesla Coil. He is currently active in The Science of Deduction. Vocalist/guitarist Janette Pierce Davis also performed with Latex Theatre.

Without any further ado, here’s the single:

Dream 286 – Scars 7”
1. Scars
2. End of the World
3. I Don’t Believe

*download it here*

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Again & Again & Again – Dreams Are Never Enough / Forever 7”s

Posted in 1980s, 1982, 1983, new jersey, new wave, post-punk, US on October 20, 2021 by Frankie Teardrop

I’m going to attempt a DOUBLE post today, so bear with me, folks. Here we have two obscure 7”s from New Jersey-based post-punk band Again & Again & Again. Just you try and Google that name, I triple dog dare you…

This four piece released these two singles in 1982 and 1983 respectively. The first single has a bit of a power pop vibe for the first track, which may be appealing to some of y’all. I vastly prefer the b-side of this one overall, though your mileage may vary. The second single is my preferred offering from this band, as both tracks have that early, rickety post-punk sound I tend to go wild for in general.

Both singles were released on Public Records, who were based out of Pittsburgh, PA. In general, it’s always great to hear new US-based bands with this style/sound. With that in mind, here’s the download/rundown:

Again & Again & Again- Dreams Are Never Enough 7” (1982)
1. Dreams Are Never Enough
2. Hello Angel

Again & Again & Again- Forever 7” (1983)
1. Forever
2. A Cold Place

*download both here*

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Zon 6- Som En Tiger 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1983, elegi, minimal, minimal synth, post-punk, swedish, zon 6 on September 20, 2021 by Frankie Teardrop

I’ve been obsessed with the title track from this 7” for many years now, and just last year decided to pick up a copy and make a fresh rip of it. Too weird to be a hit, too good to be an obscurity, this is the only single from this Swedish five piece, released in 1983 on MNW. The project is an offshoot of Elegi who released a similarly jazzy but more upbeat post-punk record in 1981.

The a-side here gives me chills, though the b-side is still quite a good listen. The a-side truly ticks all the right boxes for me: female vocals, spastic NDW-esque rhythms, bubbling percussive synths, bleating sax, and plenty of dark driving post-punk edge to keep things sounding sinister. Recommended for fans of Christiane F.,  Mona Mur, Malaria!, and the like…

Not much more to be said, so happy listening!

Zon 6- Som En Tiger 7”
1. Som En Tiger
2. Allt Nu

*download it here*

4 Comments »

Nikola Eugene- Longest Revolution 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1983, new romantic, new wave, synth, synthpop on February 18, 2021 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s a more romantic/synth pop flavored single from the UK, released in 1988. Thanks to Goutroy for the rip on this one! Really couldn’t tell you too much about Nikola Eugene or the label America First Records, but here’s two tracks that should be welcome for fans of things like Anna Domino, Toyah, ‘Til Tuesday and things in that vein with plenty of dreamy new wave hooks but a fair amount of cold guitar mixed in for good measure. All in all an excellent little slice of obscure wave. Hope y’all enjoy!

Nikola Eugene- Longest Revolution 7”
1. Longest Revolution
2. More Than a Prayer

*download it here*

6 Comments »

Soft As Ghosts- Mystified 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1983, post-punk, soft as ghosts, uk on November 13, 2020 by Frankie Teardrop

I had a little bit of extra time this week, so that means you get an extra post! Thanks to Goutroy for sending this one over some time ago. Here we have two tracks of cold, moody post-punk that reminds me a bit of mid-period Adrian Borland recordings (Heads and Hearts, etc.), especially on the A-side. Nice chunky bass, airy synth, catchy chorus, and dreamy, if but a little nasally vocal. The B-side is a bit more frantic, but no less captivating.

So it goes, there’s not much information to share about the band. This is their only release, which came out in 1983 in the UK via Rondelet Music & Records. If anyone knows more about this band, feel free to fill in the gaps in the comments! Otherwise, enjoy!

Soft As Ghosts- Mystified 7”
1. Mystified
2. Facets of Love

*download it here*

4 Comments »

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