De Stijl Sleeping Tigers / To Be Your King 7″ reissue
Years after the 1978 formation (and subsequent disbandment) of DEMOB, Terry Elcock had a short-lived project in 1985 by the name of DE STIJL, who released (I believe) this single 7”. Now, over 40 years in the future, Dead Wax has kindly pressed a reissue. The A-side “Sleeping Tigers” starts off with a lonely guitar riff and a distant scream that sets the table for the coldwave/post-punk masterpiece that follows. The verses chug along, moody and melancholic, while the chorus opens up bright and bold with big sweeping chords and soaring vocals. The second half of the chorus trades that open sound for jittery hi-hat hits and a synth-led crescendo, only to drop us back in the rut of the verse. This formula feels familiar not only in post-punk and new wave, but in alternative and indie rock over the decades and especially into the early 2000s. “To Be Your King” may follow a similar formula, building and falling, and it may be B-side material compared to “Sleeping Tigers”—but that’s a high bar. Still a very catchy track that leaves me wanting more. Speaking of which, this reissue comes on the heels of Dead Wax’s compilation reissue of KISS THE BLADE, Elcock’s project that followed DE STIJL, with the same haunting vocals, but a different instrumental lineup.