THINK LIKE A KEY MUSIC

Smash Palace's 87 is what happens when the music industry's best-laid plans meet reality's wrecking ball: the Butler brothers had their Epic Records follow-up locked and loaded in 1987, then A&R departures and management mayhem turned their sure thing into a "what if" that's been haunting collectors for nearly four decades. Now, 38 years later, these lost songs finally get their due—five tracks lovingly rerecorded by the original lineup with four decades of wisdom applied to already-bursting potential, plus five raw 1987 demos that sound like they were recorded in a parallel universe where jangle-pop met power-rock and had beautiful keyboard-driven babies. From the anthemic thrust that made "Living on the Borderline" essential listening to confessional gems that had critics reaching for superlatives, this isn't just archaeological curiosity—it's proof that great songs don't expire, they just ferment into something stronger.