‘There’s nothing left to strive for, Illusions slain by stark reality, Gilded pavements fade to concrete, In the daylight of the city’ (Arcadia)

Bikini Mutants were a relatively short lived early 1980s’ post-punk band from Yeovil, with members going on to play in My Bloody Valentine and The Chesterfields.  Indeed, the five-year labour of love that was involved in pulling this intriguing reissue together was rather longer than the lifespan of the band itself.  However, it was undoubtedly time well spent.

Although Bikini Mutants emerged amid the West Country’s thriving anarcho-punk scene, their sound was distinctively different as they pioneered the blend of wiry post-punk and catchy indie pop that was to become increasingly synonymous with the era.  This twelve-track compilation pulls together the band’s two demos, both of which were recorded in 1982.

The song writing is intricately layered and subtly propulsive. The vocals are delicate yet assertive, frequently operating in a near operatic tenor as they contemplate a bleak future in Thatcherite Britain.  A lo-fi scratchiness characterised the guitar on their debut, but a change in guitarist saw a more fuzzed out style emerge on the second.  My personal highlight, however, is the supple, sprightly swinging interplay between the bass and drums.  The locked-in rhythm of Arcadia from the first demo, and the mournfully shimmering Empty on the second, capture the band’s understated allure perfectly.

The album is accompanied by a fascinating twenty-page booklet that assembles the lyrics, various gig reviews, and a fanzine interview, together with plenty of photos and flyers.  It also includes three typically soulless major label rejection letters, which – if nothing else – serve as a useful reminder of why we needed DIY in the first place.