Eleven Pond - Bas Relief

Eleven Pond – Bas Relief
Label: Dark Entries | Format: Vinyl LP (Remastered Reissue, 15th Anniversary Edition)

A cult classic resurrected: Bas Relief, the singular 1986 album from Rochester, NY's Eleven Pond, returns in a definitive reissue from Dark Entries to mark the label’s 15th anniversary. Originally released in a microscopic pressing of just 500 copies, the album quietly evolved into a holy grail of dark pop, revered for its brooding elegance, icy textures, and emotionally charged songwriting.

Formed at art school with shared reverence for 4AD and Factory Records, Eleven Pond—James Tabbi, Jeff Gallea, Jack Schaeffer, and Dan Brumley—channeled the post-punk sensibilities of Joy Division, the synth flair of Fad Gadget, and the melancholic beauty of For Against. The result is a genre-defying blend of moody electronics, chiming guitars, and minimalist rhythms, wrapped around anthems like the haunting “Watching Trees,” the dreamy “Portugal,” and the aching opener “Tear and Cinnamon.”

More than a document of its era, Bas Relief still pulses with urgency, its melodies both timeless and emotionally resonant. This remastered edition corrects a longstanding pitch error found in previous reissues and restores the album’s sonic integrity in full.

Pressed with care and attention to its original DIY spirit, this new edition features a hand screen-printed jacket, lyric sheet, two postcards, and a bookmark—paying homage to the spirit and detail of its original 1986 release.

An essential rediscovery for fans of coldwave, post-punk, and synth-laced introspection—Bas Relief is a lost classic, reborn.