The Slits

“Typical Girls” by the Slits

For most vinyl diggers, the Slits‘ 1979 LP, Cut, is a curio of the first degree. Three topless, mud-slathered jungle women grace the cover, suggesting a militant feminist punk band or Blondie gone wacko.

But the notorious cover’s significance has been usurped by the legacy of the music: an ahead-of-its-time mashup of punk rock, dubwise riddims and street-tough dance pop. Tours with the Clash and a John Peel session cemented the U.K. group’s street cred, but a lack of widespread interest spelled its dissolution in 1981.

Singer Ari Up and bassist Tessa Pollitt reformed the group in 2006 with three new members; a new EP titled Revenge of the Killer Slits sounds like something M.I.A. might cook up.