After Buzzcocks disbanded in 1981, frontman Pete Shelley teamed up with Martin Rushent, embracing the producer’s newly acquired synths and drum machines to rework his tracks, crafting a new blueprint for electronic pop music in the process. A production blueprint that would soon achieve massive mainstream success with another Rushent production; Dare by the Human League. Across both LPs, Shelley combines his urgent songwriting with chugging synthesisers and electronic percussion creating records that straddle rock radio and London’s nascent club scene. These albums sound as fresh today as they did upon release, but the innovative nature of Homosapien and XL-1 has been overlooked. Overshadowed by the influence of Pete’s former band and by the Human League’s runaway hit, not helped by the BBC banning the ‘Homosapien’ single on homophobic grounds (though it became an electro LGBT anthem in gay dance clubs). Domino reissues both albums as standalone double LPs, housed in gatefold sleeves with new liner notes by Clinton Heylin. "It is like a dialogue between me and myself. I put in the deep dark feelings and what I gain out of the music helps give me a release to keep me sane” - Pete Shelley, to Richard Cook, NME April 1983.
Release date:
June 6, 2025
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Nagaoka MP-110H Cartridge
Features a high-quality elliptical stylus that provides excellent tracking and minimizes distortion, delivering a detailed sound reproduction with an output voltage of 5.0 mV
-
Technics SL-1500C Turntable
Features a direct-drive motor, a high-precision tonearm, and a premium MM cartridge, delivering exceptional sound quality
-
Audioengine A2 Plus
Precision-engineered 2.75-inch woofers and a 0.75-inch silk dome tweeter, featuring built-in DAC and Bluetooth connectivity for seamless integration.
-
Turntables - Top Picks
A selection of reliable record players you can buy today, for every budget
-
Ortofon 2M Blue Premounted
Mounted on the SH-4 Black Headshell, this setup delivers exceptional clarity, dynamic range, and accurate sound reproduction.
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
rRoxymore Juggling Dualities
K7
July 18, 2025 -
W.Cullen Hart Leap Through Poisoned Air
Orange Twin
May 30, 2025 -
Tanita Tikaram LIAR Love Isn't A Right
Cooking Vinyl
October 10, 2025 -
Bleary Eyed Easy
Born Losers Records
July 25, 2025 -
Signs of the Swarm To Rid Myself Of Truth
Century Media
August 22, 2025 -
Paradise Lost Lost Paradise 35th Anniversary
Peaceville
July 18, 2025 -
Chick Corea Trilogy 3 [2xLP]
Candid
May 30, 2025 -
Gary Wilson Come On, Mary
Cleopatra Records
June 13, 2025 -
Jamie Lidell Places Of Unknowing
TODO
July 18, 2025 -
Pig Pen Mental Madness
Flatspot Records
June 27, 2025 -
Tim Minchin Time Machine
Bmg
July 25, 2025 -
Jeanines How Long Can It Last (White)
Slumberland Records
June 27, 2025 -
Enemy Fiend
Edition Records Ltd
June 20, 2025 -
Buckcherry Roar Like Thunder
Round Hill Records (Frontline)
June 13, 2025