Clinic’s earliest recordings deserve to be heard properly. Domino Vault, the archival imprint dedicated to long out-of-print cult classics, has announced the Liverpool outfit’s self-titled EP compilation as the next release in their carefully curated series, pressing 300 hand-numbered copies on heavyweight vinyl. Listen here and order it here.
The compilation brings together Clinic’s first three EPs, originally released when the band signed to Domino in 1999. Equal parts acid-punk heroes and pop legends, those early recordings drew from 60s pop, psych, dub, and classic US-flavoured punk, delivering something that felt genuinely unlike anything else happening at the time.
Frontman Ade Blackburn frames the band’s early philosophy simply: “With the early EPs, we wanted to set our stall out as being into pop music and rhythm playing a large part in the songs. Above all, for the music to be fun and entertaining.” That spirit runs through every track, from the guitar-heavy “Cement Mixer” to the lilting grooves of closer “Voot,” with churning organ lines and locked-in drums underpinning Blackburn’s distinctively detached vocal delivery throughout.
These recordings aren’t just historical artefacts. They’re the foundational DNA from which Clinic’s later explorations of psychedelia, minimalism, and warped pop would grow. From ‘Internal Wrangler’ through to ‘Fantasy Island’, every step of their remarkable discography traces back to these seminal early EPs.
The compilation is available now exclusively via Domino Mart, limited to 300 hand-numbered copies. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.
