Particles, The – 1980s Bubblegum LP

The Particles formed at the height of the punk movement in Sydney,Australia in 1977, and spent their early years hanging out with punklegends The Saints. But by their first recordings in 1979 they weresomething else entirely-pioneers of infectiously melodic, playfullysubversive indie pop. They deserve to be held up alongsidecontemporaries such as Orange Juice or Television Personalities,and1980s Bubblegummakes a strong case for this with the firstoverview of their sporadic recording career.Guitarist Peter Williams and vocalist Astrid Spielman were the coreof the group, surviving numerous lineups until the band dissolved inthe mid 80s. Other bandmates include members of Chapter DIYheroes The Cannanes and fondly-remembered indie pop band TheLighthouse Keepers. The Particles only released three seven inchEPs and a handful of compilation tracks, but their scant recordedwork is laden with inventive, irresistible pop hits.After self-releasing two EPsColour In(1980) andAdvanced Colouring(1981), their final EPI Luv Trumpet(1983)was the second ever releaseon iconic Sydney label Waterfront Records. This makes TheParticles unlikely labelmates with the likes of Nirvana, L7 andHenry Rollins, who all went on to release records via WaterfrontinAustralia in the 90s.On1980s Bubblegum, Chapter Music presents every known recordingby the Particles, including digital bonus tracks from a 1983 live radiosession on Sydney station Triple J. The LP features extensive linernotes based on interviews with bandmembers.Astrid Spielman tragically passed away from a brain haemorrhage in2015, but the sheer joyful magic of her and Peter's music lives onwith1980s Bubblegum.
(Chapter Music/ 2023)

Tracklist:
A1 Driving Me
A2 Apricot's Dream
A3 Zig Zag
A4 Truth About You
A5 (Bits Of) Wood
A6 Remington Rand
B1 The Trumpet Song
B2 Dresses And Shoes
B3 Observations
B4 Family Life
B5 I Know A Place
B6 (Bits Of) Wood (Early Version)