Cercle Social records has just announced Some Grey Mornings Vol. 1, a vinyl collection of eight crucial rarities and outtakes by French coldwave/post-punk band Asylum Party.
Often considered the masters of the coldwave genre (also referred to as La Vague Froide or Touching Pop), Asylum Party were formed in 1985 in Courbevoie, France by Philippe Planchon and Thierry Sobezyk, who passed away in 2019. After releasing a handful of compilation tracks to kick off their tenure, the band made a triumphant debut with the Picture One mini-LP in 1988, following up swiftly with two LPs, 1989’s Borderline and 1990’s Mère, as well as 1989’s What Will You Learn EP and 1990’s Ticket To Ride 7”. Their discography is among the most crucial and coveted of the coldwave genre, and tracks such as “Play Alone,” “Julia,” and “Pure Joy In My Heart” can still be heard in DJ sets to date.
Some Grey Mornings Vol. 1 collects several essential tracks from the band, several which have not seen a vinyl release. The compilation includes all three appearances from the Unreleased releases, a stellar series of scene compilations on the Présage imprint. The first compilation featured “Where Have You Gone My Friend,” was one of the band’s earliest recorded tracks, while “Wet Button,” from the final Unreleased album stands as a curious and welcome foray into neoclassical experimentation. The collection also includes the driving “Pigs Are Still Alive” from 1989’s Mea Pulpa cassette, a must-have for any fan of the genre. “Green Wisdom” which kicks off the compilation, is one of the band’s final releases, hailing from 1992’s L’appel De La Muse Vol. 2. Another standout is the dreamy swirl of “Love Or Madness,” which was also featured on 13, a vinyl and CD compilation from 1989 from Lively Art, the label which also were home to Mary Goes Round, Collection D’arnell-Andrea, and Little Nemo.
The LP features a deluxe, embossed cover. Design and layout for the collection was lovingly crafted by Weekend’s Shaun Durkan, while the tracks were remastered for vinyl by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph Mastering. Some Grey Mornings Vol. 1 will be released in three different color variants, all directly available from the label. Cercle Social is no stranger to the reissue game mind you, having also released a much-desired vinyl reissue of Lycia’s debut cassette Wake. The label has also released a series of ChameleonsVox live recordings and new albums by Soft Kill and Human Leather.
Check below for the full tracklisting and pre-order information for Some Grey Mornings Vol. 1.
Asylum Party- Some Grey Mornings Vol. 1
1. Green Wisdom
2. Nuclear Kisses
3. Wet Button
4. Love Or Madness
5. Pigs Are Still Alive
6. The Desert
7. Where Have You Gone My Friend
8. Love Or Madness (Live)
Pre-order the LP here
