Mission of Burma

The Profile

Mission of Burma are an American post-punk band formed in Boston in 1979 by Roger Miller, Clint Conley, and Peter Prescott, with early tape/loops by Martin Swope. Their foundational releases include the EP Signals, Calls, and Marches (1981) and the album Vs. (1982). After an initial breakup, they reunited in 2002 (with Bob Weston handling tape/loops) and released albums including ONoffON, The Obliterati, The Sound The Speed The Light, and Unsound.

Boston-origin post-punk innovators noted for integrating tape manipulation and avant-garde ideas into melodic, guitar-driven songs; influential on later indie and alternative acts.

The reviews frame Mission of Burma as Boston’s post-punk vanguard, melding punk urgency with avant-garde tape work and melody. Signals, Calls, and Marches is hailed as a seminal EP; Vs. expands their experimental range. The 2006 comeback The Obliterati is praised as fiercely fresh. “Academy Fight Song” and “That’s When I Reach for My Revolver” emerge as scene-defining tracks.