The Pastels

Although the Pastels remained largely obscure beyond indie rock audiences, they ranked among the genre’s most influential and long-lasting acts, early on championing a shift toward wistful primitivism and deliberate innocence that critics alternately labeled “shambling” or “anorak pop.” Their example also helped draw global attention to a reviving Scottish scene, chiefly through frontman Stephen Pastel’s 53rd and 3rd imprint, which introduced the Jesus & Mary Chain, Shop Assistants, BMX Bandits, the Vaselines, and the Soup Dragons. Glasgow natives who came together in 1981, the original trio consisted of vocalist and guitarist Pastel, born Stephen McRobbie, guitarist Brian Superstar, born Brian Taylor, and drummer Chris Gordon; that autumn they issued their debut single, “Songs for Children,” on Whaam before Gordon departed, initiating a long sequence of personnel changes.

Neither commercial drive nor good fortune defined the group. With bassist Martin Hayward and drummer Bernice Simpson now aboard, the members prioritized their education, resulting in infrequent, low-profile releases scattered across an assortment of labels. Following the 1983 Rough Trade single “I Wonder Why,” the band joined Creation and hit a creative peak with the 1984 drone-pop sides “Something’s Going On” and “A Million Tears.” One further Creation release, 1985’s “I’m Alright with You,” preceded a move to the small Glass label. Their contribution “Breaking Lines” to the 1986 NME-compiled C-86 cassette turned the anorak aesthetic into a sudden media phenomenon that swiftly provoked sharp critical reaction.

Undeterred by shifting fashions, the Pastels persisted. After adding former Shop Assistant keyboardist Aggi Wright they cut the 1986 single “Truck Train Tractor” and the subsequent Crawl Babies and Comin’ Through releases. In 1987 they finally completed their first album, Up for a Bit with the Pastels, and followed it in 1988 with Suck on the Pastels, an anthology of unreleased Creation-era recordings. The 1989 album Sittin’ Pretty introduced ex-Vaselines singer Eugene Kelly and one-time Shop Assistant David Keegan while marking the final appearance of Superstar, Hayward, and Simpson.

Pastel and Wright then recruited Katrina Mitchell for the 1991 collaboration Jad Fair and the Pastels and the 1994 EP Olympic World of Pastelism. Their third proper album, Mobile Safari, arrived in 1995 via Domino in Britain—beginning a sustained partnership—and Up Records in the United States; the lineup featured Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake and Gerald Love plus returning guitarist David Keegan, with Luna’s Dean Wareham guesting. The same labels issued 1997’s Illumination, which retained a comparable roster augmented by guitarist Jonathan Kilgour and appearances from Belle & Sebastian’s Isobel Campbell and pianist Bill Wells. A 1998 remix collection, Illuminati, presented reinterpretations by Kevin Shields, Stereolab, Cornelius, and additional prominent indie figures.

Wright’s departure that same year placed Mitchell and Pastel in uncertainty, prompting an extended hiatus rather than an immediate return to recording. In 2000 the pair established Geographic Records as a Domino subsidiary, issuing material by Future Pilot AKA, International Airport, Nagisa Ni Te, and Maher Shalal Hash Baz. The Pastels resurfaced in 2003 with the largely instrumental soundtrack to The Last Great Wilderness, produced by the Sea and Cake’s John McEntire, featuring International Airport’s Tom Crossley and a vocal turn from Jarvis Cocker. A friendship with Japanese group Tenniscoats yielded the 2009 joint album Two Sunsets; the expanded core ensemble now included Crossley, Mitchell’s sister Alison, and Love. With Geographic issuing roughly one title annually, the band concentrated on new material and completed their fifth album, Slow Summits, in 2013. McEntire again produced, guitarist John Hogarty had joined the lineup, and guests comprised To Rococo Rot’s Stefan Schneider and Robert Lippok, Norman Blake once more, and original member Annabel Wright.