Finally available: the second and previously unreleased album by iconic Italian post-punk outfit Rats. Born in 1979 as Sextons, the band renamed themselves to Rats in 1980 and released their classic debut C'est Disco in 1981, a visceral fusion of downtown art-punk abandon with the mechanized, ascetic throb of European minimal wave. Set to release in 1982 on the cult label Italian Records, Tenera E La Notte never made it into the world due to disputes with the company. Now, nearly four decades later, Spittle Records has unearthed this precious moment in Italian wave revolution.

Recorded in 1982 at Harpos Studio with Claudia Lloyd, Francesco Monti, Graziano Leonelli, and Wilko Zanni, the album captures a band in full command of their vision. Tracks like Abbiate (S)Fiducia In Me, Voglio Essere La Tua Voce, Carcere Di Reading, and the haunting Chiaro Di Luna showcase a group unafraid of dissonance, repetition, and the darker corners of post-punk expression.

This is raw, uncompromising art-wave from the heart of the Italian underground - a document of a scene that few outside Italy knew existed, and even fewer outside the underground were willing to acknowledge. Essential for anyone serious about the European post-punk diaspora and the experimental edge of early 80s Italian music.