Smog Marines: Opus 12"

Smog Marines: Opus 12" (Obsolete Universe) Earlier this year, the Obsolete Universe label dug up this unreleased LP from Smog Marines, a late 70s / early 80s Los Angeles band. Smog Marines started out as a band called Opus who released a two-song 7” in 1979 (that was reissued in 2020 by Meat House Productions); if the first two songs on this Smog Marines LP sound familiar, it’s because they also appear on that single. From what I understand, Opus changed their name to Smog Marines and recorded the tracks on this LP at Mystic Studios, and while the tapes got some play on Rodney on the Roq, a record deal never materialized, so the band shelved the recordings and broke up in 1981. While Obsolete Universe’s description bills this as “death rock,” to me there’s really only one song on Opus that sounds death rock (“Butterfles”), though the moaning backing vocals that can be heard on several tracks lend those some death rock flavor. Rather than death rock, I think Smog Marines sound like what you might expect from a Los Angeles punk band circa 1980: right-on-the-edge-of-hardcore punk rock that reminds me of Rhino 39 when it goes fast (like on the opening track, “The Atrocity”) and the bands on the Beach Blvd compilation when it leans into the oozin’ aah backing vocals and the sunny California vibes. Like a lot of you, I’m sure, I love that era of music and just to hear a new-to-me band that sounds like that is pretty exciting, but Smog Marines are singular. Their songwriting is a cut above, particularly lyrically, with choruses like “we look at life from the radical direction” and “give me your dilated bullshit” wrapping novel turns of phrase around original and memorable melodies. The band is also tight and powerful, and while they show a lot of flexibility in their writing and playing (moving from ripping proto-hardcore to moody post-punk), to me they are at their best when they’re playing an up-tempo song with a big melody, which is what you’ll hear the most of on Opus. If you’re a fan of any of the aforementioned bands and records (and, really, who isn’t?), you’ll likely agree with me that this is one of the standout archival releases of 2026.