A treasure kept in the dusty archives of experimental, politically engaging British post-punk is set to be released.
Normil Hawaiians’ third album, Return of The Ranters, has waited patiently for thirty years. Recorded in the winter of 1985, the political and societal tensions of the time acted as a catalyst for the band to convey their message on the state of the nation. Think mining strikes, austerity and prohibition of free festivals at Stonehenge. It may sound like a load of hippy-laced sentiment, but the event (Battle of the Beanfield) went down as the largest mass civil arrest in English history.
Sonically, the record sees the band (known more as a rather large collective of musicians) extend their free experiments in compelling off-rhythm and seemingly organised compositions. It also offers a veneer of nostalgia as the mind cannot help but feel as though it is hearing something that was meant for another time. Or perhaps it wasn’t.
Hawaiians have sat on the album until now, and Upset The Rhythm will be releasing Return of The Ranters on October 23rd, combined with a live manifestation at The Lexington in London on October 24th.