This Kind Of Punishment

Emerging from New Zealand, This Kind of Punishment originated when brothers Graeme and Peter Jefferies launched an experiment in the wake of Nocturnal Projections' dissolution. Their intent centered on shifting beyond the punk-inflected directness that defined much of the early '80s toward a deliberately experimental and artistic approach, a direction they realized successfully across three albums and a single EP, each marked by meticulous structure and an atmosphere that ranged from dark to thoroughly dour. Echoes of the Velvet Underground permeated the group's work, evident in the central roles assigned to piano and violin alongside, or even above, conventional choices such as guitar and drums.

TKP's releases became noted for extended assembly periods and the Jefferies' meticulous attention to sonic detail: the second LP, A Beard of Bees, required 18 months of recording before appearing as a private pressing instead of through their label Flying Nun, since the band favored the vinyl output of a different pressing facility. The albums tended to perplex or alienate the Jefferies' existing audience, yet they gradually built a devoted cult following that prompted reissues from multiple labels during the 1990s, most prominently the U.S. imprint Ajax Records, at the same time Peter Jefferies' solo profile rose and Graeme Jefferies advanced his work fronting the Cakekitchen.