W.A.T.

Stroom unearth another stray nugget here, patchworking tracks (1983-1985) from Dutch new wave trio W.A.T.'s three albums into a vital anthology that showcases their ahead-of-the-curve blend of jangly, nonchalant indie and blippy electro pop. RIYL A C Marias, Siouxsie, The Smiths, Vazz

Released in 1983, a couple of years after guitarist Ad van Meurs had run into bassist Frank van den Nieuwenhof in Eindhoven, the six tracker was conceived in the living room Meurs shared with his partner, vocalist and keyboardist Ankie Keultjes, who used a Sequential Circuits Pro One synth and Boss drum machine to accompany Meurs' guitar and pedal steel jangles and Nieuwenhof's dextrous basslines. These tracks established a style that was defiantly ahead of its time, using unusual time signatures and complex harmonies to lift jaunty, new wave pop miniatures that were as comfortable on the dancefloor as on the home stereo. A couple of years later they released 'We' and another mini-album 'Thin Blue Notes', before Meurs and Keultjes turned their attention towards their enduring project The Watchman. Although W.A.T.'s material was acclaimed at the time, the releases sunk into obscurity - this is the first time these tracks have been reissued.