The Someloves were an

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band from

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia which formed in 1986. They were led by

Dom Mariani Domenic Desio Mariani (born 27 July 1958) is an Australian guitarist, vocalist, producer, and songwriter. Mariani has been a member of several bands since the early 1980s, including The Stems, The Someloves, DM3, Datura, The Majestic Kelp and ...

(also a member of

The Stems The Stems are a garage punk (fusion genre), garage punk band formed in Perth, Western Australia in late 1983. They were founded by Dom Mariani in late 1983. The Stems are heavily influenced by 1960s garage rock and 1970s power pop. The band ini ...

), on guitar and lead vocals; and Darryl Mather (ex- The Lime Spiders) on lead guitar. The group's sole album, ''Something or Other'', was released in April 1990 and reached the Top 100 on the

ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. They were noted for their 1980s power-pop underground style. Various personal issues and problems with the idea of touring led to the group disbanding by the end of 1990.

Biography

The Someloves were led by

and Darryl Mather each of whom was also in two other Australian garage bands,

and The Lime Spiders. Mariani had met Mather in 1984 when Mather went to Perth to recuperate from what was thought to be

leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

and saw The Stems playing at the Old Melbourne Hotel. During The Stems first trip/tour of Sydney in 1985 Mariani and The Stems drummer, Gary Chambers, stayed four months in a house on Terminus Street in Petersham that Darryl shared with Bill Gibson (who had just formed The Eastern Dark). For the first recording session, Gary Chambers was on drums and on bass was Christian Houllemare, a musician from France, who had played in a French band, Bad Brains. The tracks were mixed a few months later by Alan Thorne at Trafalgar and quickly picked up by John Needham at Citadel Records. The single "It's My Time" was released in 1986 as The Someloves, a name that Mather coined that came from a Real Kids' song, "Some Love Like Yours". A second Someloves single began to take shape in 1987. In September 1987 Mariani went to Sydney to remix what was to be

' final single, "Sad Girl". Mariani was staying with one of Mather's friends when they did The Someloves' recording of "Know You Now". Mather sent the tapes to Perth, where Mariani, amid the post-Stems tumult, finished the vocals in early 1988. Mather had plans for the second single and sent it to

Mitch Easter Mitchell Blake Easter (born November 15, 1954) is a musician, songwriter, and record producer. Frequently associated with the jangle pop style of guitar music, he is known as producer of R.E.M.'s early albums from 1981 through 1984, and as frontm ...

(who Mather admired through his band

Let's Active Let's Active is an American rock group formed in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1981, and often identified with the jangle pop guitar work of the group's frontman and songwriter Mitch Easter. After disbanding in 1990, the group reformed in Augus ...

and his work with other bands like

The dBs The dB's are an American alternative rock and power pop group, who formed in New York City in 1978 and first came to prominence in the early 1980s. Their debut album, '' Stands for Decibels'', is often acclaimed as one of the greatest "lost" powe ...

), with a request that he mix The Someloves single. "Know You Now" was released in 1988 on

Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival Mu ...

. In 1989 Mushroom allocated a budget of $60,000 for the album. The bulk of the album was recorded in Perth at Planet Studios in 1989. The Someloves debut album, ''Something or Other'', was released in 1990. ''Something or Other'' is widely considered one of the essential power-pop recordings and is highly regarded among power pop collectors. Allmusic – Richie Unteberger/ref> Its re-release in 2006 as a two-CD compilation, ''Don't Talk About Us: The Real Pop Recordings of the Someloves 1985–89'', includes a critical review of Mariani and Mather's inter-related stories, substantial interviews and a bonus disc of non-album singles and remixes.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

EPs

Singles

References

External links

Half A Cow Records – Artist profileKool Kat Music review – ''Don't Talk About Us''Australian Encyclopedia of Rock & Pop article
* allmusic.com – The Someloves {{DEFAULTSORT:Someloves, The Australian alternative rock groups Western Australian musical groups Australian power pop groups