Two school friends who came up together in Liverpool’s original post-punk scene have something worth hearing again. Cassius Wolf & Das Abs, formed in 1978 by Cassius Wolf and Don Watson, are back with “I Can’t Reply,” a new single drawn from restored cassette archive recordings and reworked for 2026. The track sets the tone for their upcoming album ‘An Afternoon in Bedlam’, due May 29th.
Wolf and Watson came up in the thick of it. They worked together at the legendary Liverpool club Eric’s, surrounded by the energy of Echo & the Bunnymen, OMD, and The Teardrop Explodes. That environment shaped a sound built on punk attitude, melodic instinct, and independent thinking. Decades later, those same values are driving their return.
“I Can’t Reply” is built around a throbbing bassline, urgent drums, and sharp melodic guitar work. The track traces the moment a relationship’s communication collapses entirely, when conflict spirals past the point of response. The repeated refrain does not suggest avoidance. It captures paralysis. It is post-punk doing exactly what post-punk does best, finding the emotional truth inside the noise.
‘An Afternoon in Bedlam’ draws from the darker romantic textures of The Cure and Depeche Mode alongside the experimental restlessness of Can and Velvet Underground. Recorded from a home studio environment with full creative control across songwriting, production, and visuals, the album reflects the band’s broader mission under what they call “PCore,” a movement championing artists who continue pursuing creative ambitions later in life.