East And West was originally released as a 5 track mini album in 1984 while Anna was living in downtown New York, sharing the neighbourhood with the likes of Brian Eno, Talking Heads and Laurie Anderson, roaring with creative purpose as the city seemed to be decaying around her. Described by Pitchfork as “The Velvet Underground & Nico of avant-pop", it was the undeniable result of the era’s fruitful no-wave and post-punk scenes and a stone-cold classic pop record, with a vocalist who floats above it all like the elusive host of a glamorous party.
This reissue collects together the tracks from the original release with some of the key singles from the period, along with 7 exclusive unreleased demos, digitised from Anna’s original 4-track tapes. Included in these are 6 early versions of songs from East And West and one completely new track ‘Happy To Go’. Much has been made of Anna’s idiosyncratic, minimalistic and avant-garde approach to pop songwriting and it is remarkable how much of that is already present in these early recordings. A unique document of her creative process.
In the years since East and West, Anna Domino has achieved a cult status - becoming synonymous with the minimal pop/cold wave genres and a key touchstone of 80s avant-pop. She has been covered by Clairo (‘Everyday, I Don’t) and referenced by contemporary artists such as James K, HTRK, Carla Del Forno, Astrid Sonne, Horsegirl, Smerz and many others.
