music.wikisort.org - Composition

No Way to Treat an Animal is the debut extended play by Australian indie rock band Spacey Jane, which was issued independently on 16 November 2017. It was predominantly produced by Rob Grant. The EP was preceded by three singles – "Still Running", "Feeding the Family" and "Thrills", and peaked at number 23 on the ARIA Charts in December 2020 – three years after its release.

No Way to Treat an Animal
EP by Spacey Jane
Released	16 November 2017 (2017-11-16)
Studio	Poons Head (East Fremantle, Western Australia)
Genre	Garage rock[1] Indie pop[2]
Length	23:48
Producer	Dave Parkin Rob Grant Nick Ireland Calum McLaughlin
Spacey Jane chronology
No Way to Treat an Animal (2017) In the Meantime (2018)
Singles from No Way to Treat an Animal
"Still Running" Released: 18 August 2017[3] "Feeding the Family" Released: 29 September 2017[4] "Thrills" Released: 11 November 2017[5]

Background

Spacey Jane was formed in 2016 by Caleb Harper and Kieran Lama from Geraldton, Western Australia. Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu and Amelia Murray met through a university French class. Lama then met Hardman-Le Cornu through a mutual relationship.[6]

From 2016 to 2017, the band played at local venues very regularly, with Lama estimating that when they “started in 2016, [they] played one or two shows a week for a good year and a half".[6]

Writing and production

In an interview with music publication Pile Rats, frontman Caleb Harper said the EP is "mostly a reflection on experiences, from childhood through to young adulthood – things like breakups or growing up in church, and how they shape identity".[7]

The bulk of recording and mastering from No Way to Treat an Animal was done at Poon’s Head in East Fremantle with Rob Grant. "Still Running" was produced and mixed over the space of nearly two years, with band members in and out for travel.[8]

Singles

On 18 August 2017, Spacey Jane released their debut single "Still Running" at Mojos Bar in Fremantle.

At the same venue on 29 September, "Feeding the Family" was released. It was labelled an "immediate radio success" on local Western Australian stations.[9]

Just five days before the EP's release, on 11 November, the third and final single "Thrills" was premiered on Perth community station RTRFM.

Release

The band held a launch party for the EP at Perth bar The Bird on 16 November 2017, with live performances also by Carla Geneve and Childsaint.[10]

Lead singer Caleb Harper said in a 2017 interview the title of the EP is derived from Kurt Vonnegut's autobiography A Man Without a Country, which writes "Life is no way to treat an animal. Not even a mouse”.[7] Fremantle-based visual artist Alice Ford designed the cover art as well as promotional posters for the EP's release.[11]

Following the release of third single "Thrills", the band won the annual Australian Needle In The Hay music competition, with a limited-run vinyl pressing and music video released as the prize.[12]

In January 2021, the band announced "Feeding the Family" had been certified ARIA Gold, having sold more than 35,000 certified units.[13][14]

Reception

Perth-based music publication Pile Rats wrote the EP is a "garage-pop odyssey that sounds crisp as hell", calling it "one of the year's best local EP releases".[7] Nathan Robert, writing for the same website four years later, praised the record and said the singles "disregard psychedelic sensibilities and pay homage to a cleaner, harder rock sound".[15]

Gareth Bryant for online publication Scenestr commended "Feeding the Family" as a "sensational ear-worm with an infectious riff".[16] The track was also ranked number 44 on Perth station RTRFM's '45 Greatest Songs from Western Australia' 2022 listener poll.[17]

Writing for Australian publication Happy Mag, Freya McGahey called lead single "Still Running" "impressive and impeccably crafted", pulling off "clarity of tone and sharp lyricism with perfection". She praised the band for "hav[ing] integrated a bold indie pop sound with their own raw Australian top coat".[8]

Track listing

All tracks written by Caleb Harper, Kieran Lama and Ashton Le Cornu; "Feeding the Family" co-written by Amelia Murray.

1. "Thrills" – 3:29
2. "Feeding the Family" – 4:44
3. "Papava" – 3:53
4. "Feels Better" – 4:37
5. "Still Running" – 3:33
6. "Never Been Sure of Anything" – 3:30

Personnel

Information adapted from Bandcamp.[18]

Musicians

• Caleb Harper – vocals, guitar, writing
• Amelia Murray – bass, writing (2)
• Ashton Le Cornu – lead guitar, writing
• Kieran Lama – drums, writing

Technical

• Nick Ireland – producer, mixing
• Calum McLaughlin – producer, mixing
• Rob Grant – producer, mastering
• Chet Morgan – producer (5)

Promotional

• Alice Ford – artwork

Charts

Chart performances for
No Way to Treat an Animal

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[19]	23

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Catalogue	Ref.
Australia	16 November 2017	CD (limited edition) Digital download streaming	Not applicable	[18]
	27 November 2020	LP (baby blue, limited edition)	SPACJ007LP	[20]
	14 February 2021	LP (blue and white marbled, second pressing)		[21]
	11 February 2022	LP (third pressing)		[22]

References

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