dB’s Classic Album ‘Repercussion’ Set For Reissue

Repercussion, The dB’s second album, will be reissued on CD, vinyl (its first time on vinyl in the US), and all digital platforms on October 18, 2024, through Propeller Sound Recordings.

The first digital single, “Neverland,” is due out on August 28. It will be followed by “Ask for Jill” on September 25. Both will be available on streaming services.

When The dB’s released their debut Stands for deciBels in January 1981, critics were virtually unanimous. The New York City (by way of North Carolina) quartet had delivered a set of songs that was smart and irresistible, rooted in rock traditions yet fresh and new. Intelligent lyrics, inventive melodies and sharp hooks were wedded to a forward-looking musical sensibility. Drawing influences from both well-known and obscure-but-great sources, The dB’s earned widespread praise. What they didn’t find, however, were significant sales. Stands for deciBels was released in the UK, and available in the US only as a pricey import.

But the group – guitarist Chris Stamey, guitarist and keyboardist Peter Holsapple, bassist Gene Holder and drummer Will Rigby – knew they had something special. So just a few months after their debut album’s release, The dB’s re-entered the studio with a strong and unified sense of purpose. The result of those sessions was 1982’s Repercussion.4

Teaming up with first-time producer Scott Litt (later to find acclaim for his work with R.E.M.) the band recorded in London over a seven-week period in summer 1981. There would be no “sophomore slump” for The dB’s; the group had a surplus of original songs from which to choose. Like the debut record, The dB’s’ second album would feature split songwriting credits: half by Holsapple, half by Stamey.