Independent Project Records is once more diving deeper into the Los Angeles underground to once more find rare examples of Post-Punk in the L.A. morass of Hardcore and Hair Metal. I love having my biases eliminated by heretofore unknown sounds; this time courtesy of the band Afterimage. Once described om the Los Angeles Times as “L.A’s answer to Joy Division,” the real story is a little more nuanced than the lede.

The new reissue captured the eight full studio tracks the band released in their debut single and the six track “Fade In” EP and abets the package with a selection of live tracks and demos. It’s all there in an action-packed CD in the requisite beautiful IPR letterpress packaging. The fans of analog have deluxe LP packages to consider, each with a bonus flexi-disc with three further unreleased tracks, in black or white numbered vinyl, and even a sealed original pressing of the “Fade In” EP if so desired. All of this is interesting, but what’s the music like?

Afterimage: Faces To Hide – US – CD [2024]

1. Strange Confession
2. The Long Walk
3. Afterimage
4. Relapse
5. Soundtrack
6. No Dreams
7. Surf Generator/Part of the Threat
8. Satellite of Love
9. Idol (Live)
10. Afterimage (Live)
11. Faces to Hide (Live)
12. Just a Laugh (Demo) 03:55
13. Relapse (Demo)
14. Afterimage (Demo) 02:32
15. No Dreams (Demo)
16. Sonic Switch (Demo)
17. Surf Generator / Part of the Threat (Live)
18. Just a Laugh (Live)
19. Rhythm Equation (Live)
20. Satellite of Love (Live)
21. Soundtrack (Live)
22. The Long Walk (Live)
23. Submission (Version 1)
24. Submission (Version 2)
25. Breaking Point (Live)
26. Faces to Hide (live in studio)

Spacey synthetic keyboard percussion faded in from nowhere on “Strange Confession” until crowded out by the urgent drumming and slashing guitars. Synthetic trills repeating throughout added cyber cicada thrills to the mix and the bass by Rich Evac grounded the foundations of the song. Vocalist Alec Tension hovered over the busy, frenetic arrangement; taking time out only for a sax break redolent of Duncan Kilburn of the Psychedelic Furs. So yes, you knew this would have been something right up my alley in 1981, had we only still lived in L.A. instead of Orlando. By the time it was barely getting started, it was already over. Leaving us wanting more. But there was plenty more left here to chew on.

“The Long Walk” featured plenty of tasty buzzing synths from guitarist/keyboardist A Produce while Tension seemed to be channeling Iggy Pop ca. “The Idiot.” Certainly a ripe target for any band with Post-Punk aspirations in 1981! The lazy sax proffered by Tension added a jazzy fatalism to the keyboard-led sound. The lyric citing “listening to the radio” seemed to be a point where the influence of “Transmission” was certainly evident. As the song wound down, the last word was given to the bass of Rich Evac. Then the music from the “Fade In” EP followed.

Beachside environmental foley effects heralded “Surf Generator/Part of The Threat.” While the band were looking to primarily British acts to inspire their songs, you can’t discount the SoCal environment completely as this medley clearly showed. I always find the willingness of even left-field musicians to dip into the sounds of Dick Dale fascinating. And I get it. Surf Rock is a powerful thing, as I learned when I got my mind blown by Dick Dale in 1994! It was A Produce who had the vision to unite the tense spy-fi leanings of “Surf Generator” and “Part Of the Threat” into a successful medley. The transition was as natural a seam as was musically possible.

The frantic gallop of the rhythm section led “Soundtrack” as shards of trebly guitar careened overhead in jangly arcs while Tension yelped out the lyrics to match the fierce tempo. The sax solo seemingly at odds with the frenetic pace of the song. The guitar freakout in the coda was a thrilling thing that ended abruptly.

While Magazine, Wire, and Joy Division all had their imprint on this band, I was beginning to hear other, less esoteric influences coming to bear on the music. The iconic title track “Afterimage,” featured stuttering riffage that I swear looked back to Jimmy Page as a starting point, but where the band took that building block was miles down the road from Led Zeppelin! Never moreso than in the middle eight where the abstract guitar harmonics and Alec switched to a spoken-word delivery. Where had this song been all of my life?

Next followed “Satellite Of Love.” No, not that one! This was a much more angular slalom through corridors of guitar anchored by some ferocious double-picking in the explosive coda. Flanged bass and skittery, violin-like guitars opened “No Dreams,” with a enervated guitar solo in the middle eight accompanied by widescreen swoops of synth crossing the stereo image back and forth like waves crashing.

With that the rest of the program was relegated to demos and live recordings to widen the scope from the admittedly iconic reissued material. “Idol” was recorded at the Whiskey-A-Go-Go and it’s hard to imagine the brittle, minimal synth track, replete with chittering, insect-like rhythm box, sating the audience I imagine in the classic rock venue. The self-excoriating lyric imagery was the furthest thing imaginable from hedonistic.

The live version of “Afterimage” featured a far more dissolute take on the riffage form the studio take, and the drenching of echo on Tension’s vocals moved the song even further away from its flirtations with the norm. The title track, “Faces To Hide [live]” featured a classic motorik drum pattern by Holland DeNuzzio driving that one inexorably tautly forward.

The live take of “Relapse” differed from the EP version with a guitar riff inspired by Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Up Around The Bend” to radically different ends. “Sonic Switch” was just a handful of unfinished riffs in search of a song hard edited together to fill 5:13 of space. Missable. The live version of “Surf Generator/Part Of The Threat” managed to raise quite a head of steam, showing that this band certainly had no fear of Rock.

The sloppy chaos of “Just A Laugh [live]” also managed to capture some of the adrenaline thrill of the band’s live set quite capably. The sax of Tension careening downhill like a semi-truck with no brakes. Likewise, the live “Satellite Of Love” was all about the headlong allure of velocity. Showing that this band had at least speed in common with the plethora of L.A. Hardcore bands of the day.

The album will be released this Friday on September 20th, 2024, with pre-orders available at the label’s Bandcamp page. The following formats are available:

• lossless DL – $12/£9.11/€10.79
• letterpress folio CD [as reviewed] – $15/£11.39/€13.48
• letterpress 2x black LP + flexidisc [tracks 23-26] – $40/£30.38/€35.96
• letterpress 2x white LP + flexidisc [tracks 23-26] – $45/£34.18/€40.46
• letterpress 2x black LP + flexidisc [tracks 23-26] + original mint copy of “Fade In” EP from 1981 – $55/£41.78/€49.45
• letterpress 2x white LP + flexidisc [tracks 23-26] + original mint copy of “Fade In” EP from 1981 – $60/£45.578/€53.95

There’s a listening party tomorrow at noon PT, presumably online. RSVP at the Bandcamp page. As usual with Bandcamp, every purchase there comes with a 24/44.1 high-res lossless DL in addition to any physical goods. With the care that the Independent Record Project put into the packaging, I’ll just say that the physical goods are the way to go. I think the CD hits the sweet spot [you knew that I’d say that, right?] but if any of these fine formats are calling out to you then DJ hit that button!

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