The Sea Urchins
Pristine Christine

There are days when our mood is completely underground, days where we just want to stay in our room staring at the wall, desperately waiting for something to get us out of trouble and bring us a bit of joy. And it is in these moments that even a simple little pop disc can flip our mood from this to that. This is the case, as far as I'm concerned, with "Pristine Christine", the debut single of the Sea Urchins and catalog number 001 for the late Sarah Records of Bristol: three tracks, about three minutes each. Pure indiepop, guitar arpeggios halfway between the Byrds (yes, we are still here referencing them) and the Smiths, round and dynamic sounds, but with a direct almost punk attitude, which more than rainy England bring to mind much sunnier lands ("you've got the sunshine in your eyes," sang the contemporary Orchids).
The origins of the sound that is currently prominent in Sweden and particularly among artists signed to Labrador certainly should be searched for here, in the first Primal Scream album and the "C86" compilation released by the folks at the New Musical Express (certainly among the culprits, in a good sense, for the spread of this so naive sound that in the USA would be exported by the Beat Happening).