Punk legends X just surprise-released the first album with their original lineup in 35 years

West Coast punk legends X have remained steadily prolific since emerging from the first wave of US punk in the ’70s, and that continues with today’s surprise release of ALPHABETLAND (Fat Possum), their first album with their original lineup since 1985’s Ain’t Love Grand!

The release of ALPHABETLAND coincides with the upcoming 40th anniversary of X’s classic full-length debut, 1980’s groundbreaking Los Angeles.

From the label:

While everyone is social distancing, closing ranks and donning masks while they shop, life can seem somewhat surreal to the senses. Yet, through all of the chaos, one thing is constant, music brings us together.

Now, on the 40th Anniversary of the landmark, Los Angeles, and 35 years since the original band have released an album – X, one of the greatest Punk Rock bands in music history, releases ALPHABETLAND today via Bandcamp.

The original foursome – Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Billy Zoom, and DJ Bonebrake have now made the album available for fans to purchase and by adapting to this moment, X continues to embody the same spirit they did when they began in 1977.

“When your heart is broken you think every song is about that. These songs were written in the last 18 months & it blows my mind how timely they are,” explained John Doe. “We all want our family, friends & fans to hear our records as soon as it’s finished. This time we could do that. Thanks to Fat Possum & our audience.”

Stream ALPHABETLAND in full below. We spoke with X’s John Doe about the legacy of the band, his writing career, and the early days of West Coast punk back when X played the first edition of ’77 Montreal; check out the full interview here.

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