The Wipers - Youth Of America

Youth Of America is the Wipers’ second album, originally released in 1981 and widely regarded as one of the defining records of American punk and post-punk. Greg Sage expanded beyond the concise attack of the band’s debut into a colder, more spacious and increasingly hypnotic sound built around six extended songs.

The centrepiece is the ten-minute title track, where the rhythm section holds a relentless pulse beneath Sage’s increasingly frantic guitar work. The album’s bleak atmosphere and adventurous structures proved deeply influential, with later artists including Mission of Burma and Melvins drawing from its intensity.

This Jackpot Records black vinyl repress is for independent stores. The reissue was mastered from the original tapes by Greg Sage, pressed on high-quality vinyl and presented in a sturdy old-style tip-on sleeve matching the character of the original 1981 edition.