Australian punk and post-punk might be the most consistently under-reissued body of music in the world. For decades, essential records were either out of print, pressed in tiny quantities, or only available as overpriced Discogs listings from overseas sellers.

That’s been changing. The last twelve months have seen a genuine wave of Australian punk and post-punk reissues, and the quality has been overwhelmingly good. Not cynical cash-grabs with dodgy transfers, but proper jobs — remastered from original tapes, pressed on decent vinyl, with liner notes and restored artwork. Here are the standouts.

The Saints — “(I’m) Stranded” (Chapter Music Reissue)

This one’s been needed for years and Chapter Music nailed it. New remaster from the original tapes, gatefold jacket, detailed liner notes by Clinton Walker. The pressing quality is excellent — dead quiet surfaces, punchy low end, all the snarl of the original without the muddiness that plagued some earlier reissues.

“(I’m) Stranded” is one of those records that changed everything and still sounds like it could’ve been recorded last week. The Chapter Music edition is the definitive version. If you own a worn copy of the original EMI pressing, keep it for sentimental value but play this one.

Feedtime — “Shovel” and “Suction” (Reissue via Aberrant)

Two Feedtime albums back in print on vinyl for the first time in ages. These records are filthy, repetitive, hypnotic guitar-drum workouts from Sydney in the mid-80s. Steve Albini was a fan. The Jesus Lizard were fans. If you like your punk stripped down to the studs, Feedtime is essential.

The pressings are clean and the mastering doesn’t try to polish what was never meant to be polished. Full marks to Aberrant for keeping these in circulation.

Total Control — “Typical System” (Iron Lung Reissue)

Originally released in 2014, “Typical System” was one of the best post-punk records of the 2010s and it fell out of print embarrassingly fast. Iron Lung brought it back on vinyl last year with a new cut and improved packaging. The album still sounds futuristic — cold synths, sharp guitars, Mikey Young’s production giving everything a metallic sheen.

If you missed Total Control the first time around, this reissue is your second chance. Don’t wait. It’ll disappear again.

Victims — “Television Addict” 7-inch (Grown Up Wrong Reissue)

A one-single band from Perth in 1978 who made one of the greatest Australian punk 7-inches ever recorded. “Television Addict” has been reissued before, but this latest pressing on Grown Up Wrong sounds phenomenal. It’s a two-minute blast that sits alongside “Blitzkrieg Bop” and “(I’m) Stranded” as one of punk’s perfect singles.

The B-side “I Understand” is nearly as good. Get this before it’s gone.

Eddy Current Suppression Ring — “Primary Colours” (Aarght! Records Repress)

ECSR’s debut has been restocked a few times but this latest pressing is the best sounding yet. “Primary Colours” captured the sound of mid-2000s Melbourne garage-punk perfectly — four blokes in a room, everything slightly too fast, Brendan Suppression’s voice cutting through the murk. Songs like “Get Up Morning” and “Colour Television” are timeless in the way that only great punk music manages to be.

Melbourne’s inner-north music scene owes a debt to ECSR that’ll never be fully repaid. This record is proof why.

X — “Aspirations” (Grown Up Wrong / Chapter Music)

Ian Rilen’s band X has been criminally overlooked outside of Australia for decades. “Aspirations” is their masterpiece — raw, emotionally devastating punk that owes more to the Stooges than the Ramones. This reissue gives it the treatment it deserves. Remastered with care, heavyweight vinyl, original artwork faithfully reproduced.

If you know X, you’ve been waiting for this. If you don’t, start here. Then chase down everything Rilen ever did.

Honourable Mentions

A few more worth tracking down: the Cosmic Psychos’ “Go The Hack” reissue (still the funniest punk record ever made by Australian farmers), the Hummingbirds’ “loveBUZZ” getting a fresh pressing (jangle-punk perfection from the late 80s), and a limited pressing of Witch Hats’ “Cellars” that came and went in about three days.

Why This Matters

Labels like Chapter Music, Poison City, Aarght!, and Grown Up Wrong have been doing the unglamorous work of keeping this music in print. They’re not doing it for massive profits — these are small runs on tight margins.

Every time you buy a reissue from one of these labels instead of paying some Discogs flipper in Belgium triple the price for a beat-up original, you’re supporting the ecosystem that keeps Australian music history alive. The originals are nice to own. But the reissues keep the music circulating, and that’s what matters.

I’ve got every one of these in stock at Spank Records right now. If any of them caught your eye, don’t sit on it. Australian punk reissues have a habit of selling out quietly and then becoming the next thing people complain about not being able to find.