About this artist
In the 2010s there was a veritable flood of bands from Australia influenced by the scrappy, scruffy sound of early Flying Nun bands, and the Melbourne trio Chook Race was certainly one of them. They also showed the influence of U.S. jangle pop bands of the ’80s like R.E.M., while having plenty of lo-fi grit in their DNA too. Guitarist/vocalist Robert Remedios, bassist Matt Liveriadis, and drummer Carolyn Hawkins (who later went on to play in the bands Pronto and School Damage as well) formed the group in 2010 and began playing shows around their hometown. Their first single came out in 2012, featuring three short pop songs mixed and mastered by Mikey Young of Total Control and Eddy Current Suppression Ring. Their next release was a split single with Sydney group Unity Floors on their Mystic Olympic label in late 2014. Chook Race had already recorded their first album in January of that year, working with Tom Hardisty of the like-minded group Woollen Kits to get their sound down on tape. About Time was self-released in early 2015. The album’s simple charms caught the ear of Trouble in Mind Records in the U.S. and Brisbane’s Tenth Court, and the two labels teamed up to sponsor the trio’s next album. Recorded in a single day with Hardisty at the controls, and with Mikey Young once again providing his masterful mastering job, Around the House was issued in September of 2016. ~ Tim Sendra