The Earthmen
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
Number of employees | 10+ |
The Earthmen were an indie pop-rock group originating from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Active between 1991 and 1999, they produced two albums titled Teen Sensations and Love Walked In. Notably, Love Walked In received a nomination for the ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist – Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 1997.
1991–1999: Formation and Rise
Scott Stevens and Aaron Goldberg established The Earthmen in 1991 as a Melbourne-based jam band, drawing inspiration from 1960s pop alongside late 1980s American and British indie noise-pop styles.
Following their victory in Triple J's national 'J-Sessions' contest, the band recorded their first single, "Stacey's Cupboard," featuring Goldberg on guitar, Stephen Nash on guitar, Glen Peters on drums, Eric Prentice on bass, and Stevens handling vocals. Nash departed in December and was succeeded by Nick Batterham (formerly of Blindside) as the group commenced live shows.
Released in April 1992 through the independent label Summershine, "Stacey's Cupboard" also appeared on the Triple J compilation J sessions. Their follow-up single "Flyby" came out in August alongside the Flyby EP, with "Cool Chick #59" issued as a third single in October. Summershine also released another EP titled Teen Sensations in May 1993.
In April 1994, they unveiled "Figure 8"; shortly after, by May, Ben Bleechmore replaced Peters on drums while Robert Cooper took over bass duties from Prentice. Their final release under Summershine was the EP The Fall and Rise of My Favourite Sixties Girl.
After touring both the United States and United Kingdom in July, Goldberg exited the band. His replacement was Stephen Moffatt, brought in through connections with 'Black Pig' Publishing Group.
By early 1996, The Earthmen had signed with Warner Music Australia's East West Records. They issued singles "Scene Stealer" in April and "Hug Me Tighter" in August. The recording sessions for Love Walked In featured Batterham, Stevens, Matt Sigley (on bass and keyboards), session drummer Derek Yuen (of Underground Lovers), followed by additions Craig Mitchell on drums and Nick Murray on guitar by the end of that year.
January 1997 saw the release of "Whoever's Been Using This Bed," with the full album Love Walked In launching in April. This album garnered an ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist – Album nomination. Subsequent singles included "Coloured In" and "Love Walks In".
In April 1998, The Earthmen contributed a cover of Hal David and Burt Bacharach’s "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" to the tribute compilation To Hal and Bacharach. Their final recording was the EP The War Against Rock and Roll, released in December 1998. Their last live show took place on 12 February 1999.
2014–present: Reunion
Plans emerged in 2014 for a career-spanning compilation through Popboomerang Records. At the time of their initial breakup, they had been developing a second Warner album but disbanded during early sessions, leaving numerous tracks as demos. Revisiting these recordings for the retrospective revealed these demos’ significance, prompting their inclusion. The Earthmen reunited late that year to produce four new songs; this culminated in the September 2016 release of the album College Heart.
Members
- Stephen Nash – guitar (1991)
- Glen Peters – drums (1991–1993)
- Eric Prentice – bass guitar (1991–1993)
- Aaron Goldberg – guitar (1991–1994)
- Scott Stevens – vocals (1991–1999)
- Nick Batterham – guitar (1991–1999)
- Ben Bleechmore – drums (1994–1996)
- Robert Cooper – bass guitar (1993–1996)
- Stephen Moffatt – guitar (1995)
- Matt Sigley – bass guitar, keyboards (1996–1999)
- Derek Yuen – drums (recording sessions, 1996)
- Craig Mitchell – drums (1996–1999)
- Nick Murray – guitar, organ (1996–1999)
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Highest chart rankings |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| Love Walked In |
|
78 |
| College Heart |
|
- |
| Periscope |
|
- |
Extended plays
| Title | Details | Highest chart rankings |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| Flyby |
|
- |
| Teen Sensations |
|
- |
| The Fall and Rise of My Favourite Sixties Girl |
|
- |
| The War Against Rock and Roll |
|
- |
Singles
| Year | Title | Highest chart rankings | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| 1992 | "Stacey's Cupboard" | — | Flyby |
| "Flyby" | — | ||
| "Cool Chick No.59" | — | Teen Sensations | |
| 1994 | "Figure 8"/"Tell The Women We're Going" | — | The Fall and Rise of My Favourite Sixties Girl |
| 1996 | "Scene Stealer" | — | |
| "Hug Me Tighter" | — | Love Walked In | |
| 1997 | "Whoever's Been Using this Bed" | 85 | |
| "Coloured In" | — | ||
| "Love Walks In" | — |
ARIA Music Awards
Since 1987, the ARIA Music Awards have recognized outstanding achievement and creativity in the Australian music industry on an annual basis.
| Year | Work | Category | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Love Walked In | ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist - Album | Nominated |
References
- General
- Note: The archived [online] version offers limited features.
- [1] Note: The [online] edition was launched by White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007, building upon the 2002 version.
- Specific
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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