The Birthday Party: Friend Catcher (1980/AD 12)

Released in October 1980, the first Birthday Party single for 4AD, consists of three tracks that would later appear on their Australia-only album "The Birthday Party" a month later. The Birthday Party began, in Melbourne, as The Boys Next Door and released their first album Door, Door and their last EP Hee Haw under that name in 1979. Upon their arrival in the UK right after Hee Haw came out, they changed their name with this single. Ivo signed them to 4AD after seeing them perform the track Mr. Clarinet with a farfisa organ (which would later be a single).
        As for this release, the aside features one of the first blossomings of Rowland Howard's Metallic Noise Guitar. The song consists of many passages of screeching wall of guitar sounds that would go on to influence Robin  Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. Besides the impressive instrumental nature of this track, the song is not very melodic. Waving My Arms is probably my favorite track, being a fast paced, frantic punk romp, with one of my favorite sing-along chorus ever. "We won't get to sleep for a thousand years, and we won't get to sleep for maybe five minutes." The guitar playing is very choppy and vaguely psycobilly-esque, reflecting their Cramps influence. Following that is the track Catman, which is like a less energetic version of the last track. It has some cool dueling guitar lines going on, fantastic militaristic drumming, and  Cave's best vocal performance on the single. After Presage, the label needed something fantastic and they got it

Rating: 4/5