Discovering obscure music and releasing it is an art form that Supreme Echo head Jason Flower has perfected. I’m not sure how something this good falls through the cracks. Is it because in 1979 Extroverts were from Saskatchewan and the city of Regina’s one and only punk rock band? Perhaps it’s because as a band they were relatively short-lived?
Extroverts formed in ’79 and called it quits in 1982, releasing only one 7′ with the tracks “Living in Poverty” and “Political Animals” that currently goes for over $100 on Discogs. They reformed in 1984 for a bit and then again in 2009 at the request of Joey Shihead from DOA. In 2015 they released a treasure trove of demos digitally as well as on cassette and CD, and in 2016 they released the first full-length studio LP ‘Supple‘ with original lyrics from 1979 and music written in 2009-2016.
But one listen to ‘You Gotta Lose,‘ 8-tracks taken from their 1979 demos, carefully remastered from the original tapes, and you’ll wonder as well. This is Buzzcocks-inspired power punk that approaches pop with the aggression of punk. It’s snotty in the right places and features pogo-able riffs but it’s also hook-filled. It’s too bad that the band wasn’t able to find their way out of the prairies because in 1979 acts like The Clash, The Jam, and Elvis Costello made careers playing this kind of music.
“Unlike bands in bigger cities, we were seldom exposed to live punk/new wave/post-punk experiences, but when D.O.A. or whoever came through, we soaked it up like a sponge. Seeing D.O.A. for the first time really inspired us and helped us focus on being energetic when playing live and writing energetic songs,” Les Holmlund (guitar/backing vocals).
As usual with Supreme Echo, no corners have been cut and the release comes with a 12-page booklet featuring flyers, photos and a history of the band.
Extroverts are currently demoing new songs for release in late 2019, early 2020.
