Sex Sound

While mostly accurate, dismissing Never Mind the Bollocks as merely a series of loud, ragged midtempo rockers with a harsh, grating vocalist and not much melody would be a terrible error. Already anthemic songs are rendered positively transcendent by Johnny Rotten's rabid, foaming delivery. His bitterly sarcastic attacks on pretentious affectation and the very foundations of British society were all carried out in the most confrontational, impolite manner possible. Most imitators of the Pistols' angry nihilism missed the point: underneath the shock tactics and theatrical negativity were social critiques carefully designed for maximum impact. Never Mind the Bollocks perfectly articulated the frustration, rage, and dissatisfaction of the British working class with the establishment, a spirit quick to translate itself to strictly rock & roll terms. the Pistols paved the way for countless other bands to make similarly rebellious statements, but arguably none were as daring or effective.

This album is a collection of singles. Ambient pop collective Cigarettes After Sex grew out of an experimental sound project by songwriter Greg Gonzalez. The band's hushed, dreamy music earned a devoted international fan base in the mid-2010s with a combination of elegantly crafted singles, EPs, and viral YouTube videos, which led up to their 2017 eponymous debut. A second album, Cry, appeared in 2019, building on their success. After a collaborative EP credited to Gonzalez and Daniele Luppi (Charm of Pleasure), Cigarettes After Sex re-emerged in 2022 with the single "Pistol," with two more cuts, "Bubblegum" and "Stop Waiting," arrived in 2023.

In the fall of 1977, the Sex Pistols were the most infamous rock band in the U.K., beloved by rock & roll upstarts for their stripped-down, angry sound and outlaw attitude, while they were also hated by people who disliked their open disrespect for authority, hygiene, the Royal Family, and the accepted rules of British show business. The Sex Pistols were soon to release their wildly anticipated first album, Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols, when a mysterious bootleg, Spunk, appeared in hipper record shops. As it happened, Spunk collected the original demo recordings of the Sex Pistols' best-known songs, as recorded by their soundman Dave Goodman and featuring original bassist Glen Matlock before he was sacked in favor of Sid Vicious…