Independent Project Records has a truly spooktacular Halloween surprise: “Tribulations,” from Los Angeles goth punk legends Kommunity FK, remastered for the first time. This is in advance of an expanded reissue of the band’s much sought-after and highly influential debut album The Vision and The Voice (originally released by IPR in 1983) coming in 2027.
With unearthly static and the rattling, ominous rumble of drums and bass, “Tribulations” is terrifyingly good from the very first seconds. Shattering guitars join in, soon followed by one of the most commanding and magnetic frontmen the ‘punk gothique’ has ever known: Patrik Mata. Kommunity FK, the band Mata formed in 1978, was a singular presence in the Los Angeles underground, post-punks with a vision both edgy and romantic who ended up paving the way for the deathrock scene of the ’80s. Fittingly untouched by the dawn, the dark, storming power of the band’s music is as eerie and enchanting now as it was in 1983.
RIYL: Christian Death, Bauhaus, Killing Joke, 45 Grave, Joy Division, Savage Republic
“I’ve always been in awe of people like [Patrik Mata].” – Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins
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Label: Independent Project Records
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