''Twitch'' is an EP, and the first official release, by Australian

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

Jebediah Jebediah are an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1994 in Perth, Western Australia. They were formed by Chris Daymond on lead guitar, Kevin Mitchell (aka Bob Evans) on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, and Vanessa Thornton on bass guita ...

. It was released on 5 August 1996 by record label Murmur.

Background and recording

In January 1996 Jebediah were selected to play the local leg of the Summersault Festival, run by promoter Steve Pavlovic, which featured

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...

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Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

, Pavement and Rancid. In March that year they recorded five songs with Chris Dickie – an English sound engineer who had worked with

The Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse". T ...

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and

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before moving to Australia in 1994 – at the Poons Head Studios in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. These were the first songs that the band had ever recorded. In April the band signed with Murmur, an imprint of

Sony Music Australia Sony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by American parent company Sony Music Entertainment in Australia. SMEA also formerly published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of Sony ...

, following which they embarked on a number of national tours. The first with label stable-mates

Something for Kate Something for Kate are an Australian alternative rock band, which formed in 1994 with Paul Dempsey on lead vocals and guitar, and Clint Hyndman on drums. They were joined in 1998 by Stephanie Ashworth on bass guitar and backing vocals. The grou ...

(called "Unipalooza") was for six weeks, performing at universities all around Australia. This was followed by supporting

Snout A snout is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw. In many animals, the structure is called a muzzle, rostrum, or proboscis. The wet furless surface around the nostrils of the nose of many mammals is c ...

and Automatic on their national tour in June. The band also won its first WAMi award for 'Best Stage Presence' that year.

Content

"Superhero 6 1/2" refers to "Almin" – this is a reference to the band's original drummer, Almin Fulurija, who only lasted one

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session. The third track from the EP, "Smiler", appeared on the compilation album ''Edible 96 – The Best in Australian Campus Bands'' in August 1996, on the Troy Horse label. Another track, "Tracksuit", was re-recorded and appeared on the vinyl version of the band's debut album, ''

Slightly Odway ''Slightly Odway'' is the debut studio album by Australian alternative rock band Jebediah. It was recorded between March and May 1997 at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne, with Neill King producing. ''Slightly Odway'' was released on 8 September 19 ...

''.

Release

''Twitch'' was released on 5 August 1996 by record label Murmur on CD, and was also released as a limited edition

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

record, with 800 hand-numbered copies made. It peaked at No. 61 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and debuted at No. 1 in the

ARIA chart.

Critical reception

Australian musicologist

Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the '' Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalist ...

felt that ''Twitch'' "featured quirky tracks like 'Mister Masonic' and 'Tracksuit' and was a strong taster for the band's fuzzy pop. It caused a sensation in hometown Perth."

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, writing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, stated that " hey establishedthemselves on the indie charts with the EP ''Twitch'' and a single, 'Jerks of Attention'". In September 1997 Christie Eliezer of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' rated Jebediah as one of ten best new artists from Australia, based on the EP and their debut album, ''Slightly Odway''. In March 2005 Joseph Kim of vibwire.net felt ''Twitch'' and

Frente Frente! (or Frente) were an Australian folk- pop and indie pop group which originally formed in 1989. The original line-up consisted of Simon Austin on guitar and backing vocals, Angie Hart on lead vocals, Tim O'Connor on bass guitar (later re ...

's ''Ordinary Angels'' (1992) were the two most enjoyable EPs he had heard, containing "a host of great songs, rather than just being accompanied by filler tracks."

Track listing

Personnel

; Jebediah * Kevin Mitchell – vocals, guitar * Chris Daymond – guitar * Vanessa Thornton – bass * Brett Mitchell – drums ; Technical personnel * Chris Dickie – producer * Andrew Christie – artwork * Shelley Peat – layout and design

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1996 debut EPs Jebediah albums Murmur (record label) EPs