The Associates

The Associates originated in Dundee, Scotland during 1979, uniting vocalist Billy Mackenzie with multi-instrumentalist Alan Rankine. An eclectic array of touchstones stretching from art rock through glam and disco shaped their approach, and they entered the music scene via a frenetic reinterpretation of David Bowie's "Boys Keep Swinging" that promptly secured a Fiction Records contract.

Their inaugural album, The Affectionate Punch, arrived in 1980 and earned widespread critical regard for extending the duo's palette into both austere minimalism and heightened melodramatic ballads, while Mackenzie's commanding delivery prompted repeated comparisons to Scott Walker.

A move to Situation Two yielded an ongoing stream of singles that probed ever-widening stylistic and textural territory. Issued on the band's own Associates imprint, the 1982 single "Party Fears Two" finally delivered a U.K. Top Ten placement, and the follow-ups "Club Country" and "18 Carat Love Affair" both reached the Top 30.

Sulk, also released in 1982, crystallized the group's signature achievement: an arresting fusion of lush New Romantic popcraft and shadowy, surreal cabaret shading.

Once the album succeeded, however, relations between Mackenzie and Rankine deteriorated, leading Rankine to exit and launch a solo trajectory that produced The Day the World Became Her Age (1986), She Loves Me Not (1987), and The Big Picture Sucks (1989).

Retaining the Associates name, Mackenzie enlisted Martin Rushent for an album that stayed unreleased at the time, though several tracks resurfaced on 1985's Perhaps after further work by keyboardist Howard Hughes and guitarist Steve Reid.

A prolonged hiatus ensued, during which The Glamour Chase was completed yet declined by label heads. The Euro-disco-flavored Wild and Lonely appeared in 1990; its commercial shortfall effectively concluded the Associates' history.

While preparing a planned return in early 1997, Mackenzie committed suicide. Alan Rankine's family stated on January 2, 2023 that he had died peacefully at home after holiday time with relatives; he was 64.