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Out of the ashes of two well-known Irish bands--Bam Bam and the Calling and The Undertones—arose an equally intriguing musical amalgamation called That Petrol Emotion. Where The Undertones were poppy and light with a nod to Motown on their later albums, That Petrol Emotion was darker, edgier and more politically outspoken. Prior to their last album, The Sin of Pride, most Undertones songs were pretty faithful to the pure-pop-song formula and clocked in under three minutes. That Petrol Emotion favored a more aggressive post-punk, dance oriented groove and extended play, that earned them accolades like “The Clash crossed with Creedence” from Rolling Stone and “a youthful Rolling Stones crossed with a revved-up Television” from the New York Times.
Despite high praise in the press and a loyal following in the clubs, That Petrol Emotion’s angry, articulate and politically abrasive approach to getting people up and moving on the dance floor would never achieve the kind of sustainable chart success it deserved. After releasing five critically acclaimed and influential albums—on almost as many different record labels—between 1986 and 1993, the band went on a permanent hiatus; paving the way for an Undertones reunion minus the signature warbling tenor of lead singer Feargal  Sharkey. In fact I had planned to see them at Union Stage in April… thanks again coronavirus!
The Happy Medium Song of the Day is non-album single by That Petrol Emotion called “Genius Move.”
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That Petrol Emotion