The Cult, who celebrate their 40th anniversary in 2024, see their adventurous and highly-regarded debut album, Dreamtime, released as a special anniversary vinyl variant on Feb. 23 via Beggars Banquet.
Originally released in 1984, following the band’s evolution from the Southern Death Cult, to Death Cult, and then simply The Cult, Dreamtime finds the outfit featuring Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy, pivoting from their goth and punk roots into something eclectic, aspirational, and adventurous. Rife with lyrical references to the indigenous cultures of the Americas and Australia, and set against a more bombastic and muscular musical backdrop, Dreamtime hints at what would envelop the band over the next four decades, a dedication to their wholly unique songwriting, both musically and thematically, and the frenzy that was soon to come with the release of Love only a year later.
“Spiritwalker,” the first single from the album, hit #1 on the U.K.’s independent chart.
The Cult formed in 1984 England, with the seminal post-punk band going on to sell in excess of four million albums with numerous international and U.S. gold and platinum certifications. Ian Astbury (vocals) and Billy Duffy (guitar) have released 11 studio albums over The Cult’s 40-year career. The band, dubbed “Shamanic goths” by Classic Rock Magazine, found international renown with the 1985 album, Love, which featured the enduring rock anthem “She Sells Sanctuary,” as well as the oft-heard follow-up single “Rain.”
Electric arrived in 1989, with Rolling Stone saying the collection of songs (particularly “Love Removal Machine,” “Wild Flower” and “Lil’ Devil”) “swaggers, crunches and howls.” Most recently, The Cult released Under the Midnight Sun. Mojo, in a review of the eight-song album, said “rock’s unquenchable melodramatists have the fire in their eyes still.” In late 2023, Astbury and Duffy reformed Death Cult for a series of live performances including a sole U.S. date at The Theatre at The Ace Hotel and a limited run of U.K. dates including back-to-back sold out shows at the Brixton Electric.
The 40th anniversary edition of The Cult’s Dreamtime is available for pre-order now. The collection is available on both oxblood (indie retail) and black vinyl. Will you be copping?
