Paganicons, the wonderfully gnarled and disturbing debut twelve-inch from long-running Southern California beat punks Saccharine Trust is finally—mysteriously, even!—back in print in vinyl form after many years of lying dormant in the vaults at SST Records.
Released in 1981, the eight-song record was a crystalline shout of poetic perfection during the hardcore punk awakening of America’s youth. Too early in the game to be considered post-hardcore, but too late—and too uniquely American—to be post-punk, the band existed in its own hyper-aware reality, blasting away in front of bemused buzz-headed audiences alongside bands like Black Flag, Minutemen, and Flipper.
The band played Paganicons in its entirety at the 2012 Santa Monica release party for our massive WE GOT POWER!: Hardcore Punk Scenes from 1980’s Southern California, and frontman Joaquin Brewer contributing a solid chapter of writing to the book. What’s more, the cover star of our EXPERIENCING NIRVANA: Grunge in Europe, 1989 book, Kurt Cobain, ranked Paganicons as his ninth favorite album—and it shows. Listen deep and help make this record as well known as Nevermind.
