ATL Remembers...Therapy? 'Infernal Love'

There have been many surprises from the band Therapy? over the years but the ‘Infernal Love’ album was a prime moment of astonishment back in 1995. Previously the Antrim trio had veered from punk and hardcore, to metal and even proto-grunge. All of these elements had made a roaring connection on the mighty ‘Troublegum’ album of 1994. They sold 650,000 albums and the record company was confidently looking forward to a million-seller to follow. What ultimately emerged from the Real World studio in Wiltshire was contrary and dark. It was influenced by acts like This Mortal Coil and Big Star, there was Martin McCarrick on cello and a cover of the Hüsker Dü tune, ‘Diane’. DJ David Holmes put in some spectral effects while the band made a twisted admission that peace was maybe possible in Northern Ireland. Listeners were startled and the media started to turn nasty. Drummer Fyfe Ewing was gone by the end of the year and while some European markets registered a hit, the band’s ascendancy was in doubt. In this ATL special, Andy Cairns and Michael McKeegan remember the stress, the folly and the lifestyle issues while esteemed music writer Paul Brannigan makes a case for the re-assessment of ‘Infernal Love’ and its morbid, misunderstood charm.