T.S.O.L. Announce Darker My Love 12-inch EP & Share “Sweet Transvestite” Music Video (Strange Club/Kitten Robot Records)
T.S.O.L., unused promotional photo (CREDIT: Edward Colver)
T.S.O.L. (also known as True Sounds of Liberty) do not need a lot of introduction. Their sound blending of Punk, Deathrock, Hardcore, Art Rock, and Goth are synonymous with angst, rebellion, and setting their own standards of progression; starting in 1979 and remaining creatively active throughout all the tribulations that life has thrown at them! After releasing many EP’s and albums on classic labels such as Posh Boy, Frontier, Alternative Tentacles, Nitro, Cleopatra, and Rise Records, to name a few. T.S.O.L. has chosen to work with Strange Club Records (The Briefs, Hanover Saints, Union Hearts) out of Sacramento, California for this latest release! May I introduce you to the T.S.O.L. - Darker My Love 12-inch EP. The Darker My Love EP features a truly inspired proper 12-inch single at 45 RPM! This includes the ultra-rare 2004 re-recording of their classic song, “Darker My Love,” which originally was featured in Penelope Spheeris’ 1983 cult classic movie, Suburbia.
The next three songs have never ever been released on vinyl, which include an unreleased re-recorded 2004 version of the 2001 “Anticop” B-side, “White American.” As well as previously unreleased cover songs by The Damned (“Politics” from Music for Pleasure) and Lou Reed (“Perfect Day” from Transformer.) This EP is a must-have for any T.S.O.L. fan and is limited to just three exclusive variants and 600 copies total! It’s currently still available in Strange Club Maroon Dusk, Indie Store Pink, and Standard Seafoam Glass-colored vinyl variants with each including a special 12x18” two-sided poster featuring exclusive images by photographer Edward Colver and a two-sided printed insert. There’s also a triple-bundle including all three variants for the extra-low price of just $49.99 and there was a Chris Shary-designed test pressing 12-inch with an alternate cover drawing based off of an original Colver image, but they’re completely sold out now. Pre-orders are now ongoing from Strange Club Records and will be released/shipped out by June 21, 2024 ad we strongly urge you not miss this out on this one!
There’s also another T.S.O.L. record out currently—an actual factual full-length album—entitled A-side Graffiti showcasing both originals and cover songs originally recorded and released by the likes of Amerie, Louis Armstrong, David Bowie, Magazine, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show film cast. A-side Graffiti was released in late February on Kitten Robot Records and quickly became one of our favorite albums of 2024 (so far!) We even recently got a chance to speak with an interview long-time T.S.O.L. frontman and song-writer, author, screenwriter, and director Jack Grisham published right here at The Witzard. It’s a great read and we strongly suggest you go check it out, as well! During the A-side Graffiti roll-out/Darker My Love EP announcement cycle, we saw a short video clip pop up on Instagram on both the official T.S.O.L. and Grisham’s pages.
With a little researching and digital sleuthing, it turns out it was a new music video for “Sweet Transvestite” featuring Keith Morris (Circle Jerks, Black Flag, OFF!) created, directed, and animated by Gavin Holmes (or @eyedfy) through his own P.O.V. Motion Media for Kitten Robot Records. It’s an equally adorable and chilling representation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show scenes that often accompany “Sweet Transvestite” with Grisham taking on the role as Tim Curry’s lead character, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, and Morris voicing the role of Barry Bostwick’s Brad Majors/Janet's fiancé. Stylistically, there’s The Nightmare Before Christmas-esque puppetry, singing transvestites, lipstick, and T.S.O.L.—what else could you possibly ask for?!!!??! To any effect, T.S.O.L.’s A-side Graffiti is now available to purchase, download, and/or stream on Kitten Robot Records and Holmes’ eerie “Sweet Transvestite” music video is now available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube and other like-minded platforms. Fingers crossed, T.S.O.L.’s Darker My Love EP and exclusive contented soon find their way on to Spotify, as well! It appears as though Holmes is currently cooking up a video treatment for #DarkerMy Love, too! 🤐
