From a genre purists perspective, the "association" of OXZ with the punk scene bares similarities to the case of Fugazi. Emerging from Japan in a period and a society when and where women rights were still a matter of discussion it was actually their radical appearance, their live performances and their agenda that contributed in having them classified as punk rather than their music with their material being actually enough diverse and versatile to be constrained under any label. This 2020 compilation collects all their releases between 1981 and 1989 (three EPs and a single together with some unreleased demos) and I would call it nothing less than a treasure. From the primitive punk rawness of Fall in the Night, to the post punk melody of Touching My Heart and finally to the pop indie catchiness of Boy Boy these 18 songs document the legacy one of the pioneering female bands of Japan.
