The Our Lady 12" EP, released in 1984 on Red Music, marks the definitive turning point where Executive Slacks transformed from an avant-garde studio project into a formidable, full-fledged industrial rock powerhouse. Following the underground European club success of their debut single "The Bus," the Philadelphia trio sought to tighten their sonic architecture and deliver a heavier punch. To achieve this bolder sound, they recruited Martin "Youth" Glover, the legendary bassist of Killing Joke, to co-produce the record. Youth's visceral experience with aggressive, rhythmic post-punk proved to be the perfect catalyst for the band's evolving musical identity.
This 4-track release shifted the group's trajectory away from the sparse, glitchy minimalism of their debut toward a dense wall of sound driven by punishing rhythms and chugging, razor-sharp guitars. The production is noticeably punchier, trading ambient tape loops for synchronized mechanical terror. Our Lady successfully bridged the gap between British post-punk intensity and the brutalist electronics of the American underground. It became such a crucial piece of the band's history that it was later packaged with their debut EP to form their iconic compilation album, You Can't Hum When You're Dead.
If the debut Executive Slacks EP was the sound of a malfunctioning computer in an empty room, Our Lady is the sound of a heavily weaponized factory floor in full motion. The 1984 EP captures a band stepping out of the shadow of artsy experimentation and deliberately planting its feet into what would soon become the standard blueprint for industrial rock. With Youth at the mixing console, the music gains a massive, thudding low-end presence that anchors the band’s chaotic electronic frequencies. The result is an EP that feels vastly more confident, aggressive, and dangerously physical than its predecessor.
The title track, "Our Lady," sets the tone immediately with an imposing rhythmic stomp and a bleak, sacrilegious atmosphere. Unlike the quirky dread found in "The Bus," this track relies on a relentless, driving momentum where harsh electronics trade blows with jagged guitar riffs. Matt Marello’s vocals are buried slightly deeper in the metallic mix, sounding less like a frantic observer and more like a drill sergeant shouting from the center of a mechanical vortex. It flows seamlessly into "Man of Christ," another fiercely driving cut that weaponizes pounding electronic drums to create an unsettling, dystopian groove.
The undisputed centerpiece of the B-side—and arguably the entire EP—is the terrifying, seven-minute epic "I'm Coming". Featuring Youth himself stepping in to play a wicked, lumbering bassline, the track moves away from standard industrial tempos into a slow-slung, nightmarish crawl. The instrumentation builds a towering wall of claustrophobia while Marello delivers a spine-chilling, repetitive vocal performance, snarling threats of violence through a haze of distortion. It is a masterclass in slow-burning sonic terror, showcasing a level of compositional patience the band hadn't previously displayed.
Ultimately, Our Lady is an essential, highly influential evolutionary leap that proved Executive Slacks could stand toe-to-toe with the heaviest European electronic acts of the era. By trimming away the aimless ambient detours of their earlier work, the trio crafted a tightly coiled, high-octane 12" that remains a foundational text for fans of early Ministry, Big Black, or Skinny Puppy. It is a dark, gripping, and relentlessly heavy record that demands to be played loud.
Ripped to MP3
Side A (Studio)
A1: "Our Lady" (3:30)
A2: "Man of Christ" (3:42)
Side B (Live)
B1: "I'm Coming" (7:23)
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