No matter where you are in the world, returning to daily life after a period of holidays sucks. It's a relatively minor frustration but nonetheless it leaves you feeling empty as you slowly unpack your joy. Even worse is, you're going to die later. And all that labour you're undertaking is completely superfluous; it aids no one but instead keeps the fleeting and ephemeral human endeavour ticking over. Your life is absurd.
In Part 2 of our History Of Math Rock series, we explore the roots and development of the prog rock era in the 1970's, a movement that was essential in shaping the later math rock genre.
In this very special Focus feature, we present to you the first article on the internet devoted specifically to the history of the genre of math rock. In this first instalment we trace the first elements of math rock stemming somewhere between hardcore punk in Los Angeles, and No Wave in New York.