I might be getting the information wrong on this record (all text on the record is in Polish and I’m doing research on sites translated, often clumsily, into English), but from what I can gather Cela Nr 3 were mid-‘80s punks from Poland. Starting out under the name Memory Loss, they were detained after a scuffle on a train ride and named themselves after their jail cell, possibly in an attempt to hide their identities. Stilonka—a collection of demo recordings from 1985—is a catchy, dark, odd, affecting mix of buzzing minimalist punk and driving post-punk melancholy, influenced by the Ramones and early British punks but filtered through harsh, thin guitars and Eastern Bloc amps and what I can only imagine were grey skies and cool, boxy cars. When I was listening, I kept picturing an alternate Rock ‘N RollHigh School starring Iceage but still set at the end of the ‘70s. Or maybe a cross between Rock N’ Roll High School and Over the Edge? The soundtrack’s already done, we just need the film.
–Matt Werts (Pasazer, pasazer.pl)