Future Shock (EP)

Future Shock
EP by
ReleasedDecember 1980
StudioHarlequin Studios
GenrePost-punk, noise rock
LabelGordons
ProducerThe Gordons, Simon Alexander
The Gordons chronology
Future Shock
(1980)
The Gordons
(1981)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Future Shock is the debut EP of New Zealand post-punk band The Gordons, released in December 1980.[2][3][4] The EP was initially self-released, later reissued multiple times by Flying Nun Records following their signing to the label.[2][5]

Background

The Gordons formed in March 1980 in Christchurch (initially without "The" in the title), and quickly gained notoriety for the volume of their live shows and their aggressive sound. Following a lost recording session at Sausage Studios in Wellington while on tour, they decided to attempt again at Harlequin Studios in Auckland.[2] The three songs were recorded and mixed in a single budget midnight-dawn session on a 8-track tape machine.[2]

In contrast to much of the New Zealand post-punk emerging at that time, the sound of the release was much more noisy and distorted than their contemporaries.[6] The first pressing of the EP was self-released by the band, with the first run of 500 in December 1980 selling out within a month, requiring another 500 copies. In 1981, Flying Nun started distributing the EP, later repressing it themselves in 1982 following the release of the band's self-titled album on the label the year before.[2] The EP was reissued in 1988 on its own, and bundled into a release alongside the first Gordons album, after Parker and Halverson had reformed into Bailter Space.[2]

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that it "matched progressive punk songwriting and aggression with an uncategorizably deliberate yet extreme wall of flailing sheetmetal guitar."[3]

Track listing

Side A

  1. Future Shock

Side B

  1. Machine Song
  2. Adults And Children

Personnel

  • Brent McLachlan (drums)
  • Alister Parker (guitar, vocals)
  • John Halvorsen (guitar, vocals)

References

  1. ^ "Future Shock - Gordons | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" โ€“ via www.allmusic.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Chapman, Jon (25 April 2013). "The Gordons - Profile". AudioCulture. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Gordons". Trouser Press. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  4. ^ Thompson, Dave (24 July 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879306076 โ€“ via Google Books.
  5. ^ "In Love With Those Times: Flying Nun and the Dunedin Sound - Article - Stylus Magazine". stylusmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  6. ^ Goddard, Michael; Halligan, Benjamin; Spelman, Nicola (18 July 2013). Resonances: Noise and Contemporary Music. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 9781441118370 โ€“ via Google Books.