Album Stream: Shocking Pinks - Mathematical Warfare + Infinity Land (Music Month Special)

This week brings with it the fourth and final instalment of our New Zealand Music Month special features. This year we ran with the theme of albums that were released in the gold-nugget producing year of 2005, and handpicked some of our favourite albums celebrating their 10th anniversary. Over the last few Fridays we have streamed the raucous self-titled debut record from Die! Die! Die!, the cinematic sophomore album Pegasus from The Phoenix Foundation, and the excellent underground compilation Go With The Movers released by local label Mole Music. And this week we are presenting you with not one, but two albums by Shocking Pinks.

Released in quick succession, Mathematical Warfare and Infinity Land were the second and third full length albums from Shocking Pinks, respectively. Helmed by Nick Harte, the Christchurch-formed group unveiled debut album Dance The Dance Electric in 2004, a full band effort which sprung up amid a budding dance-punk scene, gained a rave review from Pitchfork and saw the act signed to Flying Nun. Following the signing, Harte carried on as a sole entity and set to work releasing 17-track sophomore offering Mathematical Warfare in February of 2005. Compared to the debut, Mathematical Warfare is an album of slightly-poppier love songs that sonically shifted away from the electro sound that people had equated with Shocking Pinks. A few months later, in October 2005 came Infinity Land, which still sat in the indie-pop realm but was a lyrically heavier and grittier album than its predecessors.

Following the release of these two albums, Shocking Pinks went on to sign with New York-based DFA Records. And in 2007 the label released Shocking Pinks, an album largely comprised of remastered songs from the two Flying Nun records. But now you can stream them separately and as they were originally conceived in 2005. Enjoy, and while you listen head over here to find out how to win one of a bunch of 7-inch Shocking Pink singles we have to giveaway…