Ausmuteants

With a deep fascination for the dawn of punk and new wave—whether driven by synthesizers, as in the cases of the Screamers and Devo, or stripped to guitars alone, as documented on the Killed by Death and Bloodstains compilations—Ausmuteants emerged from Australia as a band that fused inexpensive guitars with secondhand electronics to produce sharp, frequently askew rock & roll laced with strong pop melodies. Two longtime associates from Geelong, the Victorian port city, founded the project: Jake Robertson handling guitar and keyboards alongside Billy Gardner on drums. This stripped-down duo first captured their ideas on home recordings, selecting the strongest early material for the 2012 release Split Personalities. The group soon grew into a standard quartet by recruiting Shaun Connor on guitar and Marc Dean on bass, allowing their compositions to develop greater melodic depth and structural nuance as the expanded lineup found its footing. Partnering with Australian indie imprint Aarght Records, they issued their second album, the self-titled Ausmuteants, toward the end of 2013. American indie label Goner Records subsequently licensed the record for domestic distribution in spring 2014. The following September, Ausmuteants embarked on their debut North American tour, coinciding with the October 2014 arrival of their third album, Order of Operation. Their fourth full-length, Band of the Future—described as taut and snarky—appeared in August 2016.