The Garden

Released in 2013, the self-titled debut (often referred to as 'The Garden') by the Orange County duo Fletcher and Wyatt Shears is a landmark of modern minimalist punk. Clocking in at approximately six minutes and forty-five seconds across twelve tracks, the album established the band's 'Vada Vada' universe. Sonically, it is a radical departure from the polished indie rock of the era, opting for a lo-fi, bass-and-drum attack that draws as much from the brevity of 80s hardcore as it does from the experimentalism of Dadaist art. Each track is titled after a specific object or creature, serving as a brief, abstract vignette. The production is incredibly dry and intimate, sounding as if it were recorded directly to tape in a small, unreflective room. While later albums would incorporate electronics and hip-hop influences, this release remains their most 'punk' in its purest, most skeletal form. It received a cult following upon release, eventually becoming a foundational text for the 2010s West Coast art-punk revival.