Recorded in Manchester and Tottenham, the album was helmed by producer Grant Showbiz and features the steady line-up of Mark E. Smith, Julia Nagle, Neville Wilding, Adam Helal and Tom Head.

Musically, it taps into The Fall’s post-punk roots while embracing more studio experimentation, with tracks like ‘Cyber Insekt’ featuring a lot more electronic elements. Reviews at the time (and since) have pointed out that the album finds The Fall operating with a renewed sense of control.

Released via Cherry Red Records on October 31 2025, the reissue comes in two main formats: a double-vinyl edition and an expanded 4-CD box set. The vinyl edition includes a 2-LP format featuring the original album’s tracks laid out across four sides, whilst the CD box set includes the original album, plus additional material such as the ‘Testa Rossa Monitor Mixes’ and two live shows from the era.

Celebrating 25 years since the original release, the reissue was mastered by long-time engineer Andy Pearce and comes with liner notes by critic Daryl Easlea and is compiled in conjunction with Fall expert Conway Patton. The artwork is by Becky Stewart.

For any fan of The Fall, or anyone interested in the evolution of post-punk beyond the 1970s/80s this reissue of ‘The Unutterable’ is a noteworthy release. It brings together one of the band’s most compelling studio efforts with bonuses, good mastering and a fresh presentation. It’s a chance to revisit a landmark album, or for newcomers to explore a lesser-celebrated but rich phase of the band’s long career.

All formats of the reissue are available for purchase here.

Yay!!!!

— brixsmithofficial (@Brixsmithstart) July 29, 2022

Smith is most famous for playing lead guitar for seminal English post-punk band The Fall, playing with the band between 1983-1989 and a second stint from 1994-1996. Smith grew up in Los Angeles, moving to Chicago in 1972, where she became a punk, playing The Clash’s “The Guns of Brixton” so often that her friends nicknamed her Brixton, later shortened to Brix.

Telling The Guardian back in 2016 about hearing The Fall for the first time, she said, “something hit me so hard I became obsessed with them, though not in a psycho fan way. I listened to Slates over and over and over until I understood it, internalised it and then could move”.

Her life changed dramatically after a chance meeting with The Fall’s lead singer, Mark E. Smith, at a gig at the Metro in Chicago in 1983. The two hit it off, “I had found my soulmate,” Smith told The Guardian. The couple moved to Manchester and were married two months later in Bury; she was only twenty and he was twenty-six at the time and they had known each other for less than six months.

She joined the band, singing and playing the guitar on The Fall’s 1983 album Perverted by Language bringing more of a mainstream sound to the band. She left the band for the first time in 1989 when the two divorced. Since The Fall, Smith has started the bands The Adult Net and Brix & the Extricated and spent a whirlwind 24hrs in Courtney Love’s band Hole.

Back in February, Smith told NME, “This is the announcement: I’m going out on the road with an all-female band. I’m going under the name Brix Smith or possibly Brix Smith Group, I haven’t decided yet. It’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is and take it out there! All of us are between 40 and 60 and they’re all top post-punk feminists.”

On the upcoming tour, NME reported Smith’s feelings, “I’m so excited to be playing these iconic intimate club shows in October with my amazing supergroup of phenomenal women players. Come feel the power, noise, energy and love. We will take you on a full spectrum ride.” Tickets for the upcoming tour are available here.

Yes Dawnits true ‘California Smile’ is a little taster from my new album called Valley of the Dolls , which is out in full early next year. More singles to come…. This is from my solo album co written and produced by the legend that is Youth! @youthmartin

— brixsmithofficial (@Brixsmithstart) July 30, 2022

Smith will also be releasing her debut solo album, Valley of The Dolls, early next year, featuring contributions from Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama and Shakespeares Sister and Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles. She released the song “California Smile” as a teaser on July 29^th of this year, you can listen here.

Brix Smith UK tour dates:

16/10/2022 – Key Club – Leeds
17/10 – Arts Club (Loft) – Liverpool
18/10 – The Boileroom – Guildford
19/10 – The Lexington – London

@Brixsmithstart, formerly of The Fall and The Extricated, has been confirmed as support for PiL on 8 UK shows this June. The all new female band also features members of My Bloody Valentine. https://t.co/i6IxleCSRk. pic.twitter.com/r7iXFAatZR

— Public Image Ltd (@pilofficial) April 13, 2022

Brix Smith revealed in February that she will be releasing a new album entitled Valley of the Dolls, and will be joined live by an all-female group. The newly formed band consists of Smith, alongside My Bloody Valentine’s Deb Googe on bass and Jen Marco on keyboards and guitar, in addition to Vas and Ros from Deux Furieuses. To quote Smith herself, she says that she has “put together the motherfucker of all girl bands.”

Smith said of the band’s formation and as-yet-unannounced official name, according to NME: “I’m going under the name Brix Smith or possibly Brix Smith Group, I haven’t decided yet. It’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is and take it out there! All of us are between 40 and 60 and they’re all top post-punk feminists.”

Smith’s last band was called Brix & the Extricated, which featured other former members of The Fall, Steve and Paul Hanley. The band’s formation was originally intended to be for a one-off concert at Manchester’s Ruby Lounge, however the show was so successful that the group performed more gigs and went on a national tour in 2015. The group released a single in 2016 called “Something To Lose”, and an album entitled Part 2 was released in 2017. The group would then go on to release two more full-length records; Breaking State in 2018 and Super Blood Wolf Moon in 2019. The band are seemingly still active, however have not played live or released any new material since 2019.

The band’s studio material was received warmly by fans and critics, with Louder Than War saying of the group’s third album, Super Blood Wolf Moon: “9/10 for a glorious album that sees Brix break free from the Lovecraftian clank and grind of the Fall without losing those glorious Hanley bass lines and create shimmering music of her own…The album is full of these gems, each song is its own empire, a place to get lost in full of melody and ideas and intense emotional workouts and yet captivating, blissful classic guitar pop.”

You can view Smith’s forthcoming tour dates with PiL down below.

06/06/2022 – O2 Ritz, Manchester
07/06 – O2 Academy, Leeds
16/06 – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
17/06 – O2 Institute, Birmingham
18/06 – O2 Academy, Bristol
20/06 – UEA, Norwich
22/06 – O2 Academy, Glasgow
23 /06– Rock City, Nottingham