''The Panics'' is the debut
extended play by Australian
alternative rock band,
the Panics. It was released in January 2002 by littleBIGMAN Records.
The EP did not reach the ARIA top 100, but peaked at No. 19 on the
ARIA Hitseekers Singles chart.
In 2002 the EP received a nomination and subsequently won the
WAMi Award for ''Most Popular Local Original Single/EP''.
Two of its five tracks, "My Brilliant Career" and "Four Walls", were recorded by Adam Keane at Survival Studios, with strings recorded in
Gooseberry Hill
Gooseberry ( or (American and northern British) or (southern British)) is a common name for many species of ''Ribes'' (which also includes currants), as well as a large number of plants of similar appearance. The berries of those in the genu ...
by a friend of Jae Laffer. "Give Me Some Good Luck" and "Wake Up" were recorded at Steve Bond's house in
Highgate, Western Australia
Highgate is an inner metro suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Vincent and north of the central business district of Perth. Highgate was named for the village of Highgate, Hawkhurst in Kent, England. Highgate is the s ...
. The EP was then mastered at Poons Head in
Fremantle
Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
by Rob Grant. The artwork of the cover was done by Drew Wootton.
"My Brilliant Career" and "Give Me Some Good Luck" enjoyed high rotation on Australian radio station
Triple J and community radio stations around
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
The film clip for "Give Me Some Good Luck" was made by Nick Maher, and consists of footage from the band's performance at the Hyde Park Hotel in April 2002.
In April 2020, the EP was re-released to streaming media. Laffer said "I've just had a listen to this in full, probably for the first time since we made it (19 years ago!). Plenty of imagery comes flooding back with the music from the time we made this... I have good memories of using all the bedrooms of Steves place in Highgate and laying down 'Give Me Some Good Luck' and 'Wake Up'
ithhousemates hanging about." Laffer added "The band sound great, really hungry, the vocals are nervous but sound good."
Reception
Richard Parapar of ''Oz Music Project'' reflected on the EP, saying "
heyhave a clear UK indie pop sound and influences from bands such as
Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Bellshill near Glasgow in 1989. The group were founded by Norman Blake (vocals, guitar), Raymond McGinley (vocals, lead guitar) and Gerard Love (vocals, bass), all of whom shared ...
and
The Verve are evident on their debut five track EP. Although consisting of mainly older material the EP does have good variation... Frontman Jae Laffer's laid back gentle vocals are a delight to hear and shows The Panics are a band to look out for this year."
Track listing
#"Give Me Some Good Luck" (Julian Grigor (a.k.a. Jules Douglas), Justin "Jae" Laffer, Paul Otway, Drew Wootton, Myles Wootton)
[ Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' and/or 'Performer:'] – 3:42
#"On Fire" (Laefer, D Wootton) – 1:26
#"My Brilliant Career" (Laefer, Simon Sieradzki, D Wootton, M Wooton) – 4:09
#"Wake Up" (Laefer, S Sieradzki, D Wootton, M Wooton) – 3:15
#"Four Walls" (Laefer, Otway, D Wooton, M Wooton) – 5:16
Release history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panics Ep 1
2002 debut EPs
EPs by Australian artists
The Panics albums