Chris DeLine

What I know of The Slits is more myth than anything, with my knowledge finding its beginning back in the time when The Trouser Press Record Guide was a key influence in my daily music purchases. Recorded in the summer of 2005, Revenge of the Killer Slits, is a seemingly full-fledged return for the girl troupe who once set a standard and would become a trendsetter for the likes of the militant grrrl power icon Wendy O. Williams. What is depressing about the three-song EP is that it, like many others, is being released far past the point in time when it makes sense to call it by the name of The Slits. With respect, the group has had some twenty five years between recordings.

That being said, two of the three original members, Ari Up and Tessa Pollit, were joined in the studio by the likes of Paul Cook (Sex Pistols) and Marco Pittoni (Adam & The Ants/Siousie & The Banshees) further obscuring The Slits brand, warping it into some sort of bizarre punk campfire sing-along amongst old friends. It’s still fair to consider the line-up a version of the original considering the original drummer, Palmolive, left the band, later to join The Raincoats.

Thankfully the songs aren’t a complete departure from the historic sounds of the group. There is actual evolution as the once dub-influence has changed to a bass & drum influenced dub punk that enlightens with its purely original sound. But don’t start worrying, with the given line-up, the band could not and did not forget the punk that they inspired and were apart of at its apex.

It’s nice to know that a band, or the majority of its members, can live a lifetime in between recordings and develop a new sense of life while maintaining a passion for what once was. Looking forward, Ari and Tessa are collecting a group to continue with The Slits’ name, with good intention. Here’s hoping that whatever comes of that helps the world to never forget the history of the wildly important band.

[This post was first published by Culture Bully.]