Sulk

The Associates

1982

2.36

Rating

16570

Votes

Distribution

Post Punk New Wave

Album Summary

Sulk is the second studio album by Scottish post-punk and pop band the Associates. It was released on 14 May 1982 on their own Associates imprint of Beggars Banquet Records for the UK and throughout the rest of Europe on WEA Records and in the US on 4 October by Sire Records. It stayed in the UK Albums Chart for 20 weeks, peaking at No. 10, and it was crowned the album of the year by British music magazine Melody Maker. Although it was the group's breakthrough record both critically and commercially, it was to be the last studio album recorded by the original pairing of Alan Rankine and Billy Mackenzie, as Rankine departed four months after its release. Sulk was named album of the year for 1982 in Melody Maker and was placed at number 18 in the NME critics' list of albums of the year. eviewing the 2000 reissue David Peschek of Mojo called Sulk "their florid, hysterical masterpiece" and observed, "This remains extraordinarily potent music, a repository of the otherness contemporary pop so lacks". Simon Reynolds stated in Uncut that "Sulk is so lovely it's harrowing... Associates crammed all the derangement and texture-saturated voluptuousness of psychedelia into pop". Ned Raggett of AllMusic said that Sulk was "very much the Associates at probably the best period of their career. Mackenzie's impossibly piercing cabaret falsetto rivals that of obvious role model Russell Mael from Sparks, while Rankine's ear for unexpected hooks and sweeping arrangements turns the stereotypes of early-'80s synth music on their heads. The bass work from ex-Cure member Michael Dempsey isn't chopped liver either, and the result is a messy but wonderful triumph no matter what version is found."

Keywords from Reviews

Reviews

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Jul 09 2023 Author

The absolute worst that the UK has to offer. Histrionic, tortured vocals on top of bland, homogeneous instrumentals indistinguishable from any other Britpop LP out there. Getting real tired of these, feels like there’s at least two a week when many other albums from the era deserve to be on the list.

Nov 13 2023 Author

Music God #1: I have a genius idea. Music God #2: Lay it on me, bro. Music God #1: Now stick with me. Some day this will lead us to eargasmic electronica. Music God #2: Uh huh. What? Music God #1: OK. We need an album with some out there experimental sound exploration anchored with some sick keyboards. Music God #2: Experimental you say. Tell me more. Music God #1: Yeah. They are going to fill guitars with urine. Make a drum set with all different types of snares. Music God #2: I’m not so sure. Music God #1: Look, we’ll pair it with some cabaret falsetto vocals. They will complement each other nicely. Music God #2: Are you worried the music will sound like a soundtrack to a cheesy, low budget 80s horror movie spoof. Music God #1: You mean 80s cult classic. Music God #2: No I mean the kind of movie that is so bad it’s making fun of itself. Music God #1: Whatever. Eventually other bands will make fantastic music and this will be a loose step in the right direction to get there. Music God #2: I don’t like the sounds of this and neither will anyone else. I’m using my veto. Music God #1: I’m using my lone veto veto. It’s happening. Music God #2: Fuck.

Nov 01 2023 Author

I used to work at a video store and we had a section of non-Disney animated features like Simba the King Lion: The Final Battle, stuff to make grandparents stock up on garbage so their grandkids can have lousy sleepovers. Anyway, crank this up and enjoy some Zaggy Moondust and the Arachnids from the Milky Way.

Aug 17 2024 Author

There is a reason you have heard of Human League, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, David Bowie, Heaven 17, Depeche Mode, ABC, XTC, Thompson Twins, Flock of Seagulls, OMD, Ultravox, Erasure, etc etc - and NEVER heard of these guys.

Sep 17 2024 Author

This has GOT to be a joke. One'est one out of five I've ever given and I hope the creator of this list has a really shitty day today. You simply can't seriously justify putting something this shit on a list like this. 522 albums in, it makes me want to stop because its a waste of time. I could have gone my whole life never hearing it. When my worst enemy goes to hell, I hope this is what they have to listen to on repeat. Matter of fact, whoever made this list should listen to this album on repeat if they think it's so fucking great. Maybe then they'll think twice about replacing it with something different, preferably not from the 80s

Sep 15 2024 Author

If you’ve ever wondered what it would sound like if David Bowie were half as talented and twice as pretentious, well, wonder no more.

Jun 02 2023 Author

if this album was consistent it would be up there with some of the best of the '80s. Sadly, it's all over the place but the high points are incredible. Is there a more exciting intro to a pop record than the jangle piano on Party Fears Two? A more entertaining vocal performance than on Club Country? Why aren't bands ambitious like this any more? Refrigeration keeps you young, I'm told

May 19 2023 Author

Like if Morrissey joined Devo

Feb 26 2024 Author

I love you, David Bowie, but you inspired some truly bad music.

Jun 02 2023 Author

The machine chucked an unfamiliar multitude at me today: this record is really very good, and I wish I had more time to listen to it. It's sui generis, and I'm scrambling for references to anchor it - at times, it reminded me of early Sonic Youth, This Heat, Kraftwerk, and acid house, but it's really its own thing. The vocals grated at first, but on the second listen they seemed appropriate, a choice based on the material and what Mackenzie had available to him. Really tempted to give it five stars, though I've barely made it through twice.

Jun 07 2023 Author

Meh, the synthy new wave stuff on the list has been pretty hit or miss for me.

Feb 05 2024 Author

I really don't understand what there is to like about this. This guy's voice is insufferable. The music sounds terrible. The only reason it's not a half star or zero stars is because it occasionally vaguely resembles music. 1/5

Nov 13 2023 Author

One hour and forty minutes of absolute dogshit.

Dec 19 2024 Author

A combination of beautiful, melodic and…..”interesting” but 5 stars for that voice. Sorely missed.

Nov 23 2024 Author

I was so pleasantly surprised to see this record on the 1001. This album was too weird for my friends back in the early 1980s when we were in high school. We listened to some pretty weird stuff at times, Tones on Tail, Liquid Liquid, but The Associates were too weird for most of the folks I hung out with. Listening to it now I'm impressed with it, honestly, it's coherent and yet very very strange, particularly given the time. It's probably one of the more "effected" sounding records I can think of, unusual for the early 1980s. I'd put in in the same category as Soft Cell. Disconnected odd music for outcasts. Lovely. It's totally fine if you don't like the style or the sound, but for some of us, this is great precisely because it's unique. Bonus points for the "Love Hangover" cover!

Aug 26 2024 Author

hidden gem goth Sparks freakout hell yeah 10/10

May 26 2023 Author

I knew of The Associates from Party Fears Two, but hadn't explored any of the rest of their ouvre. The music video for Party Fears Two includes Martha Ladly on the keys, formerly of Martha and the Muffins. She's wearing a suit and a hat, and looks exactly as bored as she needs to for the song. It's bizarre, because she's also got the tiniest of beguiling smiles. And that sums up the song perfectly. It is tuneful, poppy and also, 100% entirely unnerving and discordant. The vocals are perfect - slightly Bowie-ish, but in the good way. I genuinely hated it the first time I heard it. It made no sense. It was dissonant. And then the Divine Comedy covered it. If Neil Hannon likes it, I should probably pay more attention to it... but no. Its still nonsensical, dissonant and unnerving. Several years later, with the song appearing in my life from time to time, I find it has changed from being a messy, awkward track to being possibly one of my very favorites from the 1980s. Given it was written in the late 70s, it rather cements The Associates as people to listen to more of. Which I finally got around to doing with this album. Which is excellent. It is both genre-defining, and genre-defiant. It is both a product and a producer of 1980s syth, new romantic and pop. I love it, and think I will continue to love it for quite some time.

Nov 15 2024 Author

A certified freaky album. And by that I mean 70% 𝕱𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖞, and 30% 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂.

May 17 2023 Author

This pick was so 80s it hurt me a little bit… I wasn’t a huge fan but I could see my mom jamming out to this!

May 15 2023 Author

Not a fan. It's got beeps and boops like some old videogame music. Very 80's. It does transition to boring old snth music and the singing is just annoying. Maybe this was significant when it was made, but it's straight up not enjoyable now.

Dec 30 2024 Author

Post punk is a genre which my group and I have had a rough time with (here's looking at you, Metal Box), so it's definitely good to say that this record is actually pretty damn good if you're big into things like 80's synths, which I definitely am. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

Sep 01 2024 Author

I feel a bit sad how much of a rough time this album is getting on here. For me it represents more than anything an early 80s post punk optimism that music could be reinvented with new sounds and shapes and still be pop.

May 02 2024 Author

One of these perfect and highly influential 80s albums that sound very catchy and experimental at the same time. There is a lot going on musically and (apart from the big single) it may take severals listens like all their work, so it is also one of these albums that are not so suitable for the 1-album-per-day 1001 format.. score:10/10

Feb 20 2024 Author

Aldri hørt The Associates før, men da va overraskande nice (vanskelig å hørra når folk snakke så masse rundt meg). Ohh siste sang va gøy

Oct 20 2023 Author

This is the opposite of U2. I don't think these guys are as good as I feel they are but I'm digging this. You can feel see Scary Monsters by Bowie on a few of the songs and their instrumental stuff is fun but all over the map. Despite all that I have to say I do dig the singer. He has some moxie and good range. Fast pace and good energy. I also have to say that cover is something bold. ... So I just did a Wikipedia dive after listening and a cited fan and person who was inspired by this bad was... Bono from U2. He said they tried to rip them off because they like them so much. That is such a miss on the attempt. I could see myself relistening to this album. I know I'm rating this either a 3 or 4, if I end up picking 3 that's me voting for the quality more than my enjoyment, 4 is the flip. More and more I'm wondering if my ranking is trying to vote for something more objective in quality or how much I dig what I'm hearing.

Sep 14 2025 Author

Truly terrible for me. The only reason I made it to the end is because I have an honesty pledge to listen to every album on this list to the end. I couldn't wait for this to finish. The vocals and the rest were both equally awful.

Aug 08 2024 Author

Painful. Just painful.

Mar 06 2025 Author

My favourite quirky album

May 06 2024 Author

electro-meh

Mar 07 2025 Author

Well at least they named themselves correctly

Sep 18 2025 Author

avant-garde synth pop?!? automatic 10/10

Jul 28 2025 Author

4/5 - Unmistakeably 80s, very New Wave - Space dance - Angular, synth pop - Notes of Bowie, Devo, T-Heads, Tears for Fears, The Cure - A good warm-weather record!

Dec 03 2023 Author

I love how gloriously and unashamedly over the top everything about ‘Sulk’ is. The vocals, the production, everything about it is ridiculous. Sure, not everything works, example: ‘Bap De La Bap’ which is the low point of the record is just…shit, but when everything clicks it soars, and the albums highs: ‘No’, ‘Party Fears Two’, ‘Skipping’ and ‘Country Club’ are about as good as 80s synth pop/art rock/dance music gets.

Aug 29 2025 Author

My first impression was not good -- tricksy tunes, operatic vocal style, cheesy 80s production, enough digital reverb to sink a battleship. But under the thin veneer of pop sheen lies a deeply strange record. I found it intriguing and baroque and weird and shiny and fresh and unique. By the third spin, I could actually sing along with some tracks (fave number: No). 2.5 rounding up for uniqueness.

Sep 22 2025 Author

sounds like my nightmares feel

Sep 16 2025 Author

This is rough. This seems to congeal all of the problems of this genre into one difficult package.

Jan 28 2025 Author

Having outlived everything that was bad about the 80's, I consider myself immune to the worst of it. This album reminds me that I might need a booster shot.

Aug 01 2024 Author

From doing this project I firmly discovered that I really don’t care for this genre of music and this album is no different. Awful shitty music.

Nov 24 2023 Author

A coke fueled product of its time. If you like synths and whining, you'll love this.

Sep 08 2025 Author

Ok I try to be fair and listen to every album. This was the first I couldn’t do that. About 90 seconds into 3rd track I started skipping. I gave every song at least 30 seconds but found the entire thing - especially the singer - obnoxious. It has the flavor of 1982 and sounds like a lot of other things from the era but is a complete disheveled mess. And the lyrics are beyond stupid. No thanks. 1/5

Jun 12 2025 Author

Overall: 1/10 I went to read the reviews of this one to see if everyone else thought it was as garbage as I do and I'm glad to be vindicated. I'm not glad that I had to listen to this annoying crap. Fav Song: No Least Fav Song: All of them

Mar 07 2025 Author

Gear: Dunu SA6 Artwork: 🦩🪴🛌 Production: 🫢🔊❗️ Music: 🎹🌌🎤😖 Rating: 🪴/5

Mar 07 2025 Author

Don't know anything about this but we love a good 80s album, right? Is that tin foil just flapping in the wind?? Oh, that's an interesting sound. Okay, yeah maybe this ins't for me.

Mar 07 2025 Author

Seems like something I should like. Turns out it's offensively bad haha. Like actually unlistenable.

Mar 05 2025 Author

the best parts of this are inoffensive new wave. the worst parts are melodramatic bowie impressions over very dated and dull synth tracks. this, my 636th album, might be the album that pushes me over to finally just skip tracks i am not finding anything enjoyable in after the first half.

Aug 29 2025 Author

This is great stuff. One album is enough for this type of list, but that Scottish post punk scene was something else.

Mar 09 2025 Author

A very weird record for me… only after one listening I can tell this is special, you can hear the 80s and Bowie’s influence here. Not 5 stars cos it is not my style though

Sep 11 2023 Author

This walks a fine line between the synth pop sound of its time and real experimentation. So many odd details throughout, but nothing that's off-putting or alienating. Just makes you feel a bit woozy. The tales of their decadence and playful insanity while recording the album are as entertaining as the resulting work itself.

Aug 18 2023 Author

This is probably the most 80s album I've had to date. It seems set up to grate, falsetto singing, synth pop, experimental sounds. However, I ended up really enjoying it. I knew the two "hits" which I guess are literally all I had ever heard from this band before. I had a dim recollection of when they first charted that was dredged up from the sludge in my head from the early 80s. This one is extremely hard to score fairly. I feel it's somewhere between a 3 and a 4. It's definitely not a bad album, but it's not a great one either, and I feel I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it again. I was also horrified to see Spotify stick an extra 50-60 minutes of demos and alternate versions that I wasn't prepared to listen to. I think I'm going to be generous and go for a 4, purely because I love some of the weird instruments I can hear, particularly the jangling piano in "Party Fears Two".

Sep 18 2025 Author

Another new wave band I’ve never heard of and not mad that I now have.

Aug 08 2024 Author

This was a pretty challenging and interesting listen. It has a theatrical energy, with a style mix that seems to blend David Bowie-Roxy Music-Depeche Mode-Simple Minds vibes. There are some less successful tracks that get a bit irritating (Bap De La Bap, Nude Spoons), but others that deliver a good emotion and energy (It's Better This Way, Gloomy Sunday). Their use of electronic synth sound is definitely trapped in the 80's, but isn't too tragic.

May 18 2023 Author

6/10. Post-punk and pop is an interesting mix here, and it works on a couple songs. But not all of them.

Aug 14 2025 Author

Listened to before: No Ok, this was my exact thought process: -I have never heard of this band -The cover looks like synth-pop -Maybe with a little post-punk or goth in the mix -Yes, that is exactly how it sounds -Wait, is this an instrumental album? -Please don't let it be an instrumental album! -Please let it be an instrumental album! -Oh, now they are singing -They definitely must like David Bowie -It sounds like if Sparks and 1977s Bowie collaborated -Maybe with fewer hooks and less humour -It is synth-pop, I demand more hooks!!! -Am I being basic, by demanding more hooks? -On the other hand, I like that it is a bit unwieldy -Am I tricking myself into liking the album? -I need a second run -The stories about the recording process put me off -Is this just famous because they've got popular friends? -Some parts are catchy, though -I would probably not buy the record, if I found it at a second hand shop -I still don't know what to make of this -I'll give the album 2.5 stars -I hope this won't grow on me, or my rating will be horribly wrong

Mar 07 2025 Author

Just not interesting to me. Wasn’t bad music, just very bland and uninspiring. 2/5 Won’t listen again

Mar 05 2025 Author

A bit noisy in places

Feb 16 2025 Author

Bland.

Mar 18 2024 Author

I was actually pretty close to giving this a 1 but after a while, I kind of started to respect the bands decision to make annoying, vocally grating new wave music. I think this might have been another case of "you had to be there", in which case I was certainly not.

Nov 14 2025 Author

Songs a shopping mall sings to itself.

Feb 17 2025 Author

This is how mentally ill people hear voices in their heads.

Feb 12 2025 Author

Sucks ass

Feb 12 2025 Author

gave me a headache maybe remasters fault

Feb 12 2025 Author

In their best moments, this band sounds like Talking Heads in their worst moments. Those glimpses did not last long enough for me to term any of this “good.” In fact, it sort of made the whole listening experience all the more irritating.

Oct 25 2024 Author

With a name like that, I was half expectant of mellow jazz. "Sulk" is feverish, experimental, pretentious and absurd new wave. I feel like the band was mentally tortured to compose the album. The vocalist's vocals are even more excessive than Morrissey's! He practically yodels the entire album: "So-ooo-O what if this party fears ᵗʷᵒ? Th'alcohol loves you-uuuuu while turning ʸᵒᵘ blu-uu-U" "Sulk" is the musical embodiment of a manic episode. I bookmarked the album, just so that I can listen to it again if I'm ever high on booze. The """best""" song, and most listenable song, is "Party Fears Two." You're welcome.

Oct 24 2024 Author

Weird vocals over sometimes minimalist other times overdone keyboards and sequencers can work when done right. This is not done right. Sounds like two theater kids trying way too hard to be weird and popular at the same time

Nov 02 2025 Author

Nie hätte ich nach den ersten beiden Tracks erwartet, dass ich hier fünf Sterne geben würde. Vielleicht n kleines Ambient/minimal-synth- Intro statt der ersten beiden, dann Bap de la Bap als pseudo-Opener wär toll gewesen, aber die ganze Platte ist so lächerlich kreativ, und ab Bap de la Bap auch wunderschön und fucking danceable, dass ich nichts als Liebe und Ekstase für und durch so viele wunderschöne, diverse, unterhaltsame und rührende Momente verspüre, die ich hier entdecken durfte! Ich frag mich wirklich, wie es sein kann, dass ich noch nie auf die gestoßen bin… Die platte liegt im warenkorb und wird sicher regelmäßig aufgelegt - ich bin richtig glücklich :)

Oct 16 2025 Author

This was madness

Sep 09 2025 Author

I needed more Talking Heads in my life.

Jul 30 2025 Author

This is #day355 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… "sometimes you sulk, sometimes you burn," right? Wait, that's from a different kind of "Sulk." Anyway, it took me almost a year to get to this album. But, pun un/intended, It's Better This Way. Here's to one of the lowest-rated records on the list, and yet one from one of my favorite bands of the '80s. I think Billy Mackenzie is one of the greatest singers the genre has ever seen, and the darkly peculiar musical palette Alan Rankine creates is something else entirely. What we get here is a quirky, eerie, weird blend of experimental synthpop on the edge of post-punk, leaning into Soft Cell's aesthetics, with a whole lot of Bowie at its heart. My favourites? "No," "Gloomy Sunday," "Skipping," and "Party Fears Two." But really, the entire record is a masterclass in progressive art pop. I only wish more people were open-minded enough to appreciate it. Then again… maybe that's the point? I honestly don't mind having this music all to myself. This is a 5 out of 5. Looking forward to #day356.

Jul 12 2025 Author

The Yanks won't get this - brilliant, innovative, sometimes experimental, but always pure magic.

May 22 2025 Author

Incredible

May 02 2025 Author

Isuse bože!!!! Najbolje otkriće dosad. Uopće nisam bila u moodu kad sam pustila prvu pjesmu i samo me povuklo. Koji kurac, zakaj ne znam za ovo???? HUSHEJEHSHSNSJSBSUSBS 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Apr 23 2025 Author

Florid, louche, and maximalist - epic in scope and sound and massively overwrought. I adore it.

Jan 10 2025 Author

oh my god yes

Sep 11 2024 Author

Classic early-80s production, no mistaking Billy McKenzie's voice ! Really enjoyed this album, full of great songs

Sep 04 2024 Author

Caveat: I was a teenager during the '80s During the period when The Associates were creating their music, I was in the midst of a musical transition from Stevie Wonder (Songs in the Key of Life) to Prince (Purple Rain), and most of what we called New Wave was overlooked by me until the end of that decade... I've listened to the album 3 times in the past 18 hours, and I will listen to it at least 1 more time, not because it is worth 5*, but because this old man is enjoying the momories of highschool parties, weird hair cuts, and monochromatic clothes that abounded those lovely years! Future me again, editing… This album has been a goto when I need to be active, when I need to concentrate, or when I just need to wonder… To think that this album is on the bottom ranking list overall… I am gladly given them 5*

Jul 17 2024 Author

This is one of those albums that polarise opinion. And I'm one of those who do love this album. It's wildly over the top - Billy Mackenzie's soaring vocals and the extreme 1980s production values see to that. I absolutely love it.

Jul 12 2024 Author

This is such a great, undervalued band with their greatest moment. I loved this album and still do- Billy was a tremendous character with such a great voice. Brings back great memories.

Jan 08 2024 Author

An absolute classic. Sounds like lots of other artists (Bowie, natch) and yet also sounds very original. Mackenzie's voice is something else too. The singles are the standouts here, but pretty much the whole album is a masterpiece of early 80s British dance pop while also sounding timeless.

Dec 03 2023 Author

cool

Jun 11 2023 Author

Amazing

Nov 21 2025 Author

7/10 Better than I expected - don't understand the other reviews. The main thing being people calling this Britpop - what the actual? I'm giving it an extra star for that

Nov 12 2025 Author

Didn't like it on first listen, grew on me steadily. Lot going on here! Wonder what an associates album recorded in the '00s would have sounded like, the 80s instrumentation can get distracting

Nov 03 2025 Author

Never heard or 'heard of' before, very interesting dark New Wave pop, would list to again, save to streaming library and probably seek physical copy, 3.5, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Nov 02 2025 Author

80er in verrückt. Ich mags!

Nov 02 2025 Author

Leicht verstörend, dann wieder entspannend. Ich mags. Hab sowas noch nicht gehört. Kein Track stach jetzt aber großartig heraus, das Album dafür an sich, bleibt als etwas besonderes haften. 8/10

Oct 24 2025 Author

Modern opera

Oct 23 2025 Author

The Cure music with Mindless Self-indulgence flair

Oct 22 2025 Author

This is a 3.5 to 4 stars for me. I need to listen to it again, as it feels like it is much richer than a first listen can reveal. Yes, it is New Wave, but it is very complex, and I think the complexity comes off a bit chaotic at first. However, I think there is a lot of depth to mine, and I definitely do want to go back to it!

Sep 27 2025 Author

Rating this 4 stars because I kind of enjoyed it despite not adding anything to my liked songs, and this will make me more likely to revisit one day. Also it is rated low on here and needs the help

Sep 23 2025 Author

The post punk equivalent of The Pet Shop Boys. RIP Billy.

Sep 21 2025 Author

Like Joy Division and The Cure, The Associates are post-punk Gothic. The difference is that Billy Mackenzie is more of a classic vocalist than either Ian Curtis or Robert Smith, evoking the likes of Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Johnny Hartman, and Jackie Wilson. That is, he's simply more talented than those two other depressive blokes. Even lyrically, tho much is free-associative, a lot suggests something out of the 40s and 50s: 'Death is no dream for in death I'm caressing you / W/ the last breath of my soul I'll be blessing you.' As an artist like Freddie Mercury documents, talent alone isn't enuf for the creation of endurable art, but it's hard to ignore just how virtuosic Billy is. +, the music, tho at times irksomely grumpy, is magnetic.

Sep 17 2025 Author

Very cool. Probably won’t listen again. Got me Vibin tho

Sep 12 2025 Author

Забавный альбом. Начали за здравие - тут весь дух 80-х: дрим-поп, нью-вейв, пост-панк. Очень атмосферная запись по началу, душевная и с интересными звуками. Единственное, вот этот вопящий вокал в стиле витаса мне не очень нравится. К концу уже дрим-попа не осталось, в основном чистый такой пост-панк. Но все равно мне понравилось, рекомендую заценить. Не ожидал ничего такого от нее.

Sep 07 2025 Author

I've thought a lot about post-punk as a genre throughout this challenge. I didn't really know the term before (though I knew some of the artists already) and it's been interesting to see how the label has been applied. In a very literal sense, it's just the music that came after the first wave of punk artists, including works by the artists themselves (e.g.: John Lydon moving from the Sexi Pistols to PiL). The actual music though is pretty diverse, including some dark proto-goth bands, some celebrating synthesizers and dance music, and some that are just utterly experimental. All are united only by the punk attitude of "anyone can pick up a guitar and do this". What makes The Associates interesting is that they seem to be doing all of the above at once. It's dark, sometimes infectuously danceable, and highly experimental. Though they claim to have had clear plans for the album, the recording seems like a mess, fueled by drugs and an attempt to blow through their recording budget, alternating between purchasing instruments just to see what they're like and destroying or rebuilding others. This album has some clear hits and plenty of others that will divide opinion. The Associates seem to be building off of the legacy of Joy Division and Bowie's Berlin era, with a large degree of chaos. But sometimes, you need chaos. It may not make the fan favorites, but it can definitely make things interersting. I don't necessarily think that the Associates were the geniuses that they imagined themselves to be, but I still like the mess of this album.

Aug 28 2025 Author

Note to self only listen to the original version of the album - these remastered ones are stupid. Album itself is pretty good though. Feeling generous - I'll give it a 4

Aug 15 2025 Author

Claramente un disco freak Bastante poco convencional para el año en el que salió, pero al mismo tiempo vanguardista, es prácticamente vaporwave pidiendo ser realentizado. Me gustó mucho 8/10

Aug 13 2025 Author

This one is new to me. I really enjoyed it. Has some Roxy Music and Scott Walker vibes to it. Lots of energy and quirky creativity. I love it!

Aug 09 2025 Author

Great album have not listened to it for decades still sounds challenging and fresh yet definitely of its time.

Aug 08 2025 Author

Much great 80s sound. Loved the vocals. Lyrics not as eye-catching but oh well

Jul 22 2025 Author

Instrumental opener is a fine song that doesn't really go anywhere -- production kind of sounds like shit, but maybe that's intentional? Really dig No > Bap De La Bap. Finding myself sinking comfortably into the vibe of this record. Skipping is a standout in the center for me. Party Fears Two sounds like a Talking Heads song in the best of ways. Club Country is a solid follow-up; love all the weird warbly shit. Love Hangover is also wonderful. Reviewing this on the original tracklist alone (i.e. stopping at 18 Carat Love Affair), I absolutely loved this record for what it is. Some solid quirky at times synth-pop. For me this lands in a solid to high 4 spot.