INXS

Like AC/DC and Midnight Oil, INXS were born of the Sydney surfer bar scene, a notoriously tough proving ground which required bands to get really good, really fast, and to rock out mightily in the process. Unlike those bands, however, this sextet were young and impressionable enough to be heavily influenced by British new wave and the odd art-rock antics of Australia-by-way-of-New Zealand cult heroes Split Enz.
As a result, INXS's 1980 debut is a mildly schizophrenic mix of edgy hard pop and quirky new wave. The best tracks are those which combine the two, such as the brilliant debut single "Just Keep Walking," a two-minute slice of snarling attitude and jagged melody. A few tracks fare slightly less well, but as a whole this is both an interesting slice of '80s new wave and a surprising historical find for INXS neophytes.