twerps: s/t ep

Reissue of Australian band Twerps' 2009 debut EP, collecting all of its songs on vinyl for the first time. Twerps started off with a "the" in their name some time in 2008, playing their first gig at a warehouse party above a drug store in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick East. Their ambitions were humble and their musicianship was rudimentary, but their songs were touching, cheeky, and instantly captivating. At first it was guitarist and vocalist Martin Frawley, guitarist Julia McFarlane, bassist Rick Milovanovic, and drummer Patrick O'Neill. After releasing some lo-fi home recordings on Myspace, the band received an offer from US label Night People to do a cassette. Guy Blackman and Ben O'Connor from Chapter Music were at their first gig and also asked to release something, but after a while Twerps thought they'd changed their mind -- turns out the band had forgotten to send the label their recordings. Recorded by Mikey Young, the nine-song self-titled EP eventually came out on Night People and Chapter in 2009. Chapter's version took the odd form of a four-song 7" accompanied by a nine-song CD. Everyone loved it. From that simple starting point, Twerps have become one of Australia and the world's favorite guitar pop bands, releasing two much-loved albums, Twerps and Range Anxiety (2015). The band has changed over time -- they dropped the "the," Milovanovic and O'Neill departed and were replaced by Alex Macfarlane and Angus Lord, and McFarlane stepped forward to share songwriting duties with Frawley. It's clear that Twerps captures a special time and a special magic. Out of print physically for years, the 2009 EP is now available on vinyl in its entirety for the first time, with new photos, liner notes, and a download code, plus a bonus rehearsal version of early classic "Little Guys."