Way back in 1991, the Boston shoegaze rockers Drop Nineteens sent out a pair of demo cassettes to labels in the quest to spark some interest. The tactic worked, and their first album landed a year later to critical acclaim. The band broke up in 1995, but then reunited in 2022 and released a third album in 2023. Although the songs on this “lost album” were intended to be their first album, they are finally appearing now the band’s fourth.
The swirling and layered “Daymom” starts with much atmosphere and melody, as Greg Ackell’s hazy voice is met with Chris Roof’s precise drumming. “Song For JJ” follows, and is full of dreaminess and post-punk flavor, where Steve Zimmerman’s dense bass won’t go unnoticed.
“Back In Our Old Bed” and “Soapland” finish out Side A. The former is a bit more firm thanks to Paula Kelley and Motohiro Yasue’s guitars that make for much ambience, while the latter uses wordless vocals to its advantage.
“Mayfield” starts the second half, and introduces a rhythmic appeal amid the mesmerizing distortion, but it’s the pretty textures of “Kissing The Sea” that will make anyone a fan of the group’s harmonic fuzz. “Another Summer” exits, and it resides closer to alt-rock, where the bright rhythm section, buried singing and strategic hooks are balanced superbly.
In their heyday, Drop Nineteens saw rotation on MTV and played large venues in the UK, where legends like Radiohead and The Cranberries opened for them. Had they not broken up so early into their career, there's little doubt they would have reached a fame similar to bands like Pixies, Ride and My Bloody Valentine. Their current lineup is identical to this recording, except that Pete Koeplin now handles drums.
It’s not surprising that these 1991 demos secured Drop Nineteens a record deal, and they sound better than most of what passes for shoegaze, alt-rock and noise-pop today.