Pavement are the lo-fi kings that emerged in the indie rock 1990s, the days when post-punk was quickly being redefined as “Alternative Music.”

The ironic thing about Alternative was it was called that because it was an “alternative” to mainstream sounds that ruled the charts — like TLC, Mariah Carey, En Vogue (remember them?) and Kriss Kross (warm it up, Kris) that ruled the top ten on the week that Pavement’s classic album Slanted and Enchanted was released.

So the charts were dominated by the big recording industry’s “chosen” acts, while alternative was strictly opposed to big success.

Indie street cred ruled the day instead. And street cred was worth more than being in the charts and getting big tours. It was a close-knit scene where membership was important. Like a secret underground club.

Pavement’s lo-fi sound provided the opposite of big and bombastic bass that ruled the day, it had a more tinny AM radio hollowness to it. Such rebels.

So here we are, 30 years after the release of that album, and Pavement is releasing their singles for a new box set release. 

It’s called Cautionary Tales: Jukebox Classiques, it's available in digital format starting March 13, and a physical edition is set to be released on July 12 through Matador. 

The physical set, which fans can receive directly through mail order, features reprints of the original 7-inch singles along with a 24-page booklet.

Check out the sounds below: