The Individuals were a

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...

-based

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

band led by Glenn Morrow (guitar, vocals, sax, keyboards) and featuring Janet Wygal (bass, vocals, guitar, keyboards), Janet's brother Doug Wygal (drums, percussion), and Jon Light Klages (lead guitar, keyboards, vocals). They were an outgrowth of several jam sessions that also included at various times, Bernie Kugel (The Good, Mystic Eyes) and Dee Pop (Gun Club, Bush Tetras). The band played regularly at

Maxwell's Maxwell's, last known as Maxwell's Tavern, was a bar/restaurant and music club in Hoboken, New Jersey. Over several decades the venue attracted a wide variety of acts looking for a change from the New York City concert spaces across the river. Ma ...

and were a central part of the early 1980s Hoboken music scene.

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

called them "easily the best of En Why's Pop Three on stage he_other_two_being_the_Bongos_and_the_dB's.html" ;"title="the_Bongos.html" ;"title="he other two being the Bongos">he other two being the Bongos and the dB's">the_Bongos.html" ;"title="he other two being the Bongos">he other two being the Bongos and the dB's], scruffy and forceful and lithe". Their debut Extended play, EP, ''Aquamarine'', was produced by the dB's Gene Holder. It was voted one of the best EPs of 1981 in the

's annual

Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...

critics' poll. The band's one album, ''Fields'', was also produced by Holder and engineered by

Mitch Easter Mitchell Blake Easter (born November 15, 1954) is a musician, songwriter, and record producer. Frequently associated with the jangle pop style of guitar music, he is known as producer of R.E.M.'s early albums from 1981 through 1984, and as frontm ...

. While Christgau criticized their lyrics as "lack ngthat universal touch", critic Robert Palmer, writing in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' in May 1982, called ''Fields'' "remarkably mature" and "the most impressive rock debut so far this year."''New York Times''
R. Palmer ''Fields'' featured the minor college radio hit "Dancing With My Eighty Wives". The Individuals broke up in 1983. Morrow then formed the band Rage To Live and later went on to help found

Bar/None Records Bar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey. Early history Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Having previously worked in pirate radio and booked and promoted bands in his na ...

, while Janet Wygal and her brother Doug went on to form The Wygals, and Janet Wygal later formed the group

Splendora Splendora was an American all-female alternative rock band from New York City. Formed in 1993 by Janet Wygal (lead vocals, guitar), Tricia Wygal (lead vocals, bass), Delissa Santos (drums), Cindy Brolsma (cello), and Jennifer Richardson (violin ...

, which provided the theme music for MTV's show

Daria ''Daria'' is an American adult animation, adult animated sitcom created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis, Susie Lewis Lynn. The series ran from March 3, 1997, to January 21, 2002, on MTV. It focuses on the title character, Daria Morgendorffer, ...

. After The Wygals split up, Doug played on albums by Wanda Jackson, Laura Cantrell, Amy Rigby, Wreckless Eric and others. Both ''Fields'' and the ''Aquamarine'' EP were reissued, along with four other bonus tracks, on

on July 22, 2008.

Discography

*''Aquamarine E.P.'' (Infidelity \ Lust/Unlust 1981) *''Fields'' (Plexus 1982)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Individuals, The American power pop groups Musical groups from New Jersey Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups disestablished in 1983 Musical groups reestablished in 2008 Bar/None Records artists