Exhibit A, your honor, is the groups pièce de résistance, the "Distance EP" from 1980; where our teenage chums go synth pop, like an even wimpier Depeche Mode.
The stand out track is the wobbly minimal synth Indie crossover classic, "Platform 6", which gives a strong indication as to the direction Matthew Matrices /Vosburgh would take next.....ie Solid Space.
The title track is a kind of melodic Indie space pop, and it all ends with a charming peon to the uses and benefits of 'Bollards'; I've always thought Bollards have had rough press over the years.
An absolute classic, flowing with charm and innocence from the cusp of adulthood.....with cheapo synthesisers.
Although, where a few 15-16 year olds got the money to buy a couple of synths and release a vinyl record from I have no idea?....a paper round?..... selling drugs?.....or bourgeois parents(i'm picking this one)?
I'm the same age as these boys and the best my teenage band could muster, until we got on the dole, was a few plastic buckets for drums, a knackered acoustic guitar with two strings, and a mono cassette deck.
It was the same with the 'punk' groups, they were all supposed to be skint, but had brand name electric guitars, drum kits, amplifiers, expensive biker jackets, and the odd designer t-shirt. Us real people still wore high waisted flares, flowery shirts and v-neck jumpers.....with NO instruments.As it said in 'Sniffin' Glue'....Here's three chords, now go and form a Band. Which we all promptly did, but with no instruments,and consequently zero chords. This is a primary reason for the appearance of lots of Industrial acts, where having no instruments was a positive advantage.
Tracklist:
A Distance
B1 Platform 6
B2 Bollards