Skip to content
PUBLIC INTEREST can do no wrong in our eyes and they held the door open for you again. This LP is even denser and fuller than their previous Between 12". If you like dark post-punk, you might like this, as much as we do.
Synthy post-punk that surprises with every track. ETT is proud to bring the 2nd vinyl from this project out of Oakland featuring (or maybe even consisting entirely of?) a member of Marbled Eye. Marbled Eye’s recent recordings showcased their ability to write catchy post-punk tunes and this 8-song LP from Public Interest is the same level.
While you’ll hear plenty of those memorable guitar lines that made the Marbled Eye tracks so great, the songs here feel snappier, more concerned with generating a pop-inspired forward momentum than stretching things out and floating in mid-air. The angular synth lines and mechanical rhythms are a nice counterpoint to those fluid guitar lines, imbuing Between with an irresistible tension.
This is utterly brilliant. I don't have a favourite track because this record is just good and coherent in its integrity. Guitars sound ace, drums and bass are on point and the vocals give some pop shades that are never annoying. Really great enjoyable LP.
Our take: Second album from this Oakland post-punk group that, I believe, is the solo project of a member of Marbled Eye. Not a million miles away from Marbled Eye’s brooding post-punk, Public Interest sounds to me like late 70s / early 80s Manchester filtered through 2000s Australia. The heavy drums and the way the bass carries so much melody puts this firmly in the Joy Division school of dark post-punk, but as with Aussies Total Control and Low Life, there’s a golden-hour-at-the-beach quality to it too that keeps the darkness from fully taking over. Maybe it’s the way most of Spiritual Pollution stays at such an even keel, avoiding a lot of the obvious dynamic shifts in tempo or volume that so many other bands use to keep the listener’s interest. Public Interest doesn’t pander in that way, instead requiring you to acclimate to their environment before you notice the interesting details. I particularly like tracks like “Residue” and “Burning of Time,” where the guitars have more of a chiming, Smiths-influenced sound, weaving melodies that wind around the bass lines in interesting ways. Given Public Interest’s staid demeanor, it may take a few listens for Spiritual Pollution to sink in, but it has plenty of charm for those who give it the required time and attention.