MI-SEX - Castaway / Young Maniacs (7" Single)

I previously posted a 1984 LP, "Where Do They Go," by New Zealand new wave act Mi-Sex, which was the band's final album and represented a shift from quirky synth pop to more straightforward new wave pop. One of the album's strongest tracks, "Castaway," was actually a single two years prior.

The song is one of the catchiest new wave tunes you'll never hear on flashback radio, and one that belongs on any list of the best 80s songs the world forgot (or maybe never knew in the first place). The 1982 single version is quite different from the version that appeared on "Where Do They Go," offering a much less polished take of what would eventually become the album cut.

The B side, "Young Maniacs," is an album track taken from the 1981 LP "Shanghaied."

Mi-Sex - "Castaway" / "Young Maniacs" (7" Single, 1982)

Track listing:
1 - "Castaway"
2 - "Young Maniacs"

MI-SEX - Where Do They Go?

Mi-Sex first gained notoriety in their native New Zealand and Australia in late 1979 with their electro new wave chart hit, Computer Games. Although the band continued on until 1985, no other single brought them as much success.

Their more straightforward, pop-oriented final LP, 1984's Where Do They Go?, contains no less than two essential new wave treasures in addition to a healthy dose of others that are pretty enjoyable.

Castaway and Blue Day - both released as singles - are not tunes you'll likely hear on flashback radio, but ones that have "80s classic" written all over them. The former is an peppy, insanely catchy sing-along number, while the reflective Blue Day sounds like the best song Men at Work never wrote.

The reggae-tinged title cut is another highlight, as is the the lively pop of Falling in and Out, 5 O'Clock (In the Morning) and Don't Look Back in Anger.

This album tries to be nothing other than radio-ready new wave without many twists and turns, but it is a worthwhile listen all the way through. The powerful lead vocals by the late Steve Gilpin are particularly notable. Unfortunately, Gilpin died in 1992 after being struck in a car crash.

Mi-Sex - Where Do They Go? (LP, 1984)

Track listing:
1 - Only Thinking
2 - Where Do They Go?
3 - Castaway
4 - Blue Day
5 - I Lose Control
6 - Falling in and Out
7 - Making Love on the Telephone
8 - 5 O'Clock (In the Morning)
9 - The Stranger in You
10 - Don't Look Back in Anger

WEB LINKS:
- Mi-Sex on Wikipedia
- Informational site on Mi-Sex vocalist, Steve Gilpin
- Blue Day video on YouTube
- Castaway video on YouTube