Cassie Change My Image / Will You 7″ reissue
This is a re-release of a single that was released in the UK in ’82. Apparently CASSIE was heavily influenced by BLONDIE, but to my ear this hits more like a funkier version of the STRIPES. The A-side “Change My Image” pairs bright, power pop guitar riffs and a classic rock’n’roll backbeat with intermittent bursts of saxophone, and what sounds to be a toy piano. The B-side alternates instrumentally between reggae and new wave, with singer Cassie’s throaty, melodic vocals stitching the transitions together seamlessly. If your collection includes X-RAY SPEX and the SELECTOR, this record would not feel out of place.