Homosapien [2025 Bonus Tracks]

by Pete Shelley

Overview

Instead of heading back into the studio to begin work on the fourth album by the band he co-led, Pete Shelley decided he would leave the Buzzcocks. He had been demoing songs with Human League producer Martin Rushent, and the pair decided to keep the electronic underpinnings of the tracks and finish them in a style that blended guitar rock and synth pop. Shelley's 1981 debut album, Homosapien, was the result. The title track is the perfect example of the pair's vision for his new sound, combining robotic rhythms and otherworldly vocals, plus a bridge that is heart-stoppingly good even after hearing it a hundred times. The rest of the record may not have reached the lofty heights that song did, but there are plenty of moments where Shelley proves his inspiration worthy. It's impossible to deny the huge hook of "Yesterday's Not Here"'s mighty chorus, the stomping robo-beat of "I Don't Know What It Is," the bopping outer-space rockabilly of "Just One of Those Affairs," or the icy cold and epic ballad "It's Hard Enough Knowing." His vocals throughout are inspired, and by stripping back the wall of guitars, one can really hear the nuances present in his delivery. There are guitars, plenty of them -- even acoustic guitars on "Homosapien" -- despite the record's reputation as a synth pop trifle. It's true that they lack the power of the dual attack the Buzzcocks employed, but they do provide some nice moments of grit, like sand in the gears. While these songs might have benefitted from the more human approach of his old band, the direction Shelley took instead resulted in some fine pop music, occasionally spiked with flashes of genius like the deathless title track. ~ Tim Sendra

Product Details

Release Date:	06/06/2025
Label:	Domino
UPC:	0887830017220

Tracks

1. Homosapien
2. Yesterday's Not Here
3. I Generate a Feeling
4. Keat's Song
5. Qu'est-ce Que C'est Que Ça
6. I Don't Know What It Is
7. Guess I Must Have Been in Love with Myself
8. Pusher Man
9. Just One of Those Affairs
10. It's Hard Enough Knowing
11. In Love with Somebody Else
12. Witness the Change
13. Maxine
14. Love in Vain
15. Homosapien [Elongated Dancepartydubmix]
16. Witness the Change/I Don't Know What Love Is [Dub]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Pete Shelley   Primary Artist
Barry Adamson   Guest Artist

Technical Credits

Pete Shelley   Composer