Description
Condition: Brand New Ships from: Melbourne
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Underwater Moonlight, released in June 1980 on Armageddon, stands as the defining statement of The Soft Boys, threading neo-psychedelia, jangly guitar pop, and surreal lyricism through a post-punk sensibility. Robyn Hitchcocks singular voice and poetic eccentricity anchor a band whose playing alternates between delicate melodic clarity and jagged avant impulses. Tracks such as I Wanna Destroy You and Kingdom of Love combine immediate hooks with unsettling imagery, while subtler moments like Queen of Eyes and the title track offer expansive, dream-tinged textures. Recorded on a shoestring budget yet imbued with urgency, the albums dynamics capture a band sprawling between hidden beauty and chaotic edge.
Though it met little commercial success on release, Underwater Moonlight’s reputation has grown steadily, often cited as a keystone in the emergence of college rock and alternative jangle pop. Its influence is regularly acknowledged in the lineage of bands like R.E.M., Yo La Tengo, and Pavement, testament to its hybrid roots in 60s pop, post-punk, and psychedelia. The album endures both as a deeply personal vision and as a kind of secret touchstoneits off-kilter composition and vibrant tension still invite discovery, argument, and renewed appreciation in the decades since its release.
Reviews
“It updates jangling, melodic guitar pop for the post-punk world, which made it a touchstone for much of the underground pop of the mid-’80s” AllMusic
Underwater Moonlight taps into all the icky, oozing rage and fear the Soft Boys ran through tracks like I Wanna Destroy You at breakneck pace, all the while dishing up Byrdsy harmonies and jangling guitars. Pitchfork
A glorious anomaly shaped by the mercurial genius of Robyn Hitchcock the joy-spiked melodies, elegant wit and psychological depth are abundantly rewarding. NME
Its rough, blunt, rehearsal-studio feel is one reason why it now sounds so good; Hitchcocks songs delve into the erotic unconscious with wit, imagination, and something so close to genius. The Quietus
Review
AllMusic rating: AllMusic users: (749 votes) Read the AllMusic.com review
- Artist: The Soft Boys Label: Yep Roc Records Format: LP Units: 1 Country: US Genre: Pop & Rock Style: Indie Rock
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A1 I Wanna Destroy You
A2 Kingdom Of Love
A3 Positive Vibrations
A4 I’Ve Got The Hots
A5 Insanely Jealous
B1 Tonight
B2 You’Ll Have To Go Sideways
B3 Old Pervert
B4 Queen Of Eyes
B5 Underwater Moonlight
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