The Slits

The Slits formed in London in 1976 with Ari Up on vocals and guitar, Viv Albertine on guitar, Tessa Pollitt on drums, and Paloma Romero on bass. They were part of the punk scene but didn't sound much like the other bands playing around them at the time. Their music had a loose, rhythmic quality that borrowed from dub and reggae, with Ari Up's chanted vocals sitting somewhere between singing and talking.

Their 1979 album 'Cut' captured that sound, with songs like 'Typical Girls' and their cover of 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' becoming their best-known work. The album's production had a sparse, echo-heavy feel that made their punk energy sound different from their peers' more straightforward rock approach.

The lineup changed several times after that initial period, with members coming and going through the early 1980s. They recorded less frequently as the years went on, but that first album and those early singles continued to find listeners who appreciated their particular take on what punk could sound like.