The The helped a generation of post-punks reclaim the political urgency of their spiky-haired forebears—albeit with a musical curiosity that took them into dark pop and darker country. Founded in the UK in 1979, The The is the project of singer/songwriter Matt Johnson, the sole constant member. After releasing their first single, "Controversial Subject," in 1980, they made a splash with 1983’s Soul Mining, spearheaded by the deceptively bubbly "This Is the Day." The politically gimlet-eyed Infected came out in 1986, followed by the dark-hearted Mind Bomb on which Johnson was joined by guitarist Johnny Marr, who stuck around for 1993's elegiac Dusk. On 1995's Hanky Panky, Johnson brought his existential blues to country music. The band briefly returned for 2000’s NakedSelf, before Johnson retreated from public life. The The returned in 2018 with a series of performances, released in 2021 as the live album, The Comeback Special.