1983 marks the debut release from the Torn Boys, the until-now hermetically-sealed early '80s post-punk quartet hailing from Stockton, California, featuring Jeffrey Clark, Kelly Foley, Duncan Atkinson, and a 19-year-old Grant-Lee Phillips. This comprehensive archival ten-track set presents rare, unreleased studio and live recordings, documenting the short yet eventful journey of Torn Boys, a group whose members would go on to join Shiva Burlesque, Gary Young's Hospital, and Grant Lee Buffalo.

Formed in 1982 by Jeffrey Clark (vocals, electric guitar) and Kelly Foley (vocals, acoustic guitar), the Torn Boys had disbanded by late 1983 after fusing dreamscape lyricism with ultra-'80s synth rhythms and electric guitar textures reminiscent of "Fripp meets Carl Perkins," leaving behind a scant recorded legacy before their dissolution.

Local musician Duncan Atkinson initially assisted as a sound engineer before joining the band live on Pro One synthesizer and drum machine. In the spring of 1983, nineteen-year-old Grant-Lee Phillips was recruited on lead guitar, adding an indelible and unique ingredient to the band's sound with his "Chet Atkins-plays-Scary Monsters" influenced style.

Reflecting on his collaboration with Clark and Foley, Phillips remarks, "What Jeff and Kelly were doing, you just didn't see that kind of thing happening in Stockton... so we connected right away over a mutual obsession with the alluring fringes of music, art, and film."

Forty years later, the recordings of Torn Boys still defy easy categorization, evoking the darker corners of neo-psychedelic California while infusing New Wave-era sensibilities with the moodier angle of homegrown art-punk surrealism. The album offers a glimpse into the band's legacy, showcasing hit singles that never were and enticing stray oddities, emerging from the mist of myth for the first time.

Look for 1983 on digital formats, compact disc, and black, white, and green vinyl, with both formats including a bonus all-region DVD featuring previously unseen live recordings and newly produced music videos.