Cleaners From Venus - Under Wartime Conditions

Cleaners From Venus – Under Wartime Conditions
Remastered and available on vinyl for the first time, Under Wartime Conditions is a cult lo-fi gem from Cleaners From Venus—the legendary DIY project helmed by English songwriter Martin Newell. Originally a cassette-only release, this album marks the second installment in the “Vol. 2” batch of reissues, following the critically acclaimed re-releases of the band’s early catalog in 2011.

Recorded in collaboration with longtime friend and former Cleaner Lol Elliot, Under Wartime Conditions reflects Newell’s signature approach to songwriting: fast, raw, and joyfully imperfect. Rooted in a uniquely British take on jangly pop and whimsical storytelling, the album was crafted with limited resources but limitless charm in the early 1980s from the band’s base in Wivenhoe, southeast England.

Newell—ever the anti-perfectionist—believed that great pop emerged not from polish, but from spontaneity and “fumbling around in the dark in search of happy accidents.” The result is an album full of lo-fi magic that continues to influence new generations of indie and bedroom pop artists.

A must-have for fans of DIY pop, cassette culture, and eccentric English songwriting.