Biography
Constant Mongrel fuse the raw fury of vintage punk with the restless tension of post-punk, yielding a style that feels both recognizable and ageless. Their sonic profile overlaps with the abrasive Australian groups that emerged during the 2010s, yet also slots comfortably into the American lo-fi tradition, a connection underscored when Siltbreeze issued the 2013 album Heavy Breathing. With Living in Excellence in 2018 the Melbourne quartet achieved a new level of cohesion, assembling every element into a statement that matched the caliber of their reference points.
The group originated in 2009 when friends Tom Ridgewell and Hugh Young began writing material shaped by proto-punk acts such as Chrome alongside post-punk outfits like Swell Maps. Ridgewell took guitar duties, Young handled drums, and both shared vocal responsibilities. After developing a batch of songs, they committed eight tracks to tape and issued them in 2010 as a self-titled cassette on Hidiotic; that same year Wuss Tapes paired them with Taco Leg for a split cassette. Bassist Amy Hill soon completed the lineup as a trio, and the band entered the studio with engineer Alex MacFarlane. The resulting album, Everything Goes Wrong, appeared in 2012 on R.I.P. Society as a dense, abrasive exercise in dark post-punk; one track featured guest vocals from Andrew Murray of Taco Leg, who shortly afterward joined on second guitar.
Even while prioritizing Constant Mongrel, the members pursued parallel projects: Ridgewell in Woollen Kits, Hill in School of Radiant Living, Murray in Taco Leg, Young in Velvet Whip, and both Ridgewell and Young in the synth-punk outfit Nun. They reconvened in 2013 to record Heavy Breathing, again released by Siltbreeze. Following the 2015 single “DCM” on R.I.P. Society, activity slowed as the musicians focused on other bands—Hill joined TERRY in 2016—and outside commitments, including Ridgewell’s café and Murray’s studies in architectural history. When the group reconvened for a new album they chose a professional studio for the first time, enlisting longtime associate Tom Hardisty as producer. The sessions incorporated deeper excursions into free-jazz textures and the abrasive attack of early-’80s punk bands such as Flux of Pink Indians. Living in Excellence surfaced in 2018 via London’s La Vida Es un Mus imprint and Anti Fade in Australia.
The group originated in 2009 when friends Tom Ridgewell and Hugh Young began writing material shaped by proto-punk acts such as Chrome alongside post-punk outfits like Swell Maps. Ridgewell took guitar duties, Young handled drums, and both shared vocal responsibilities. After developing a batch of songs, they committed eight tracks to tape and issued them in 2010 as a self-titled cassette on Hidiotic; that same year Wuss Tapes paired them with Taco Leg for a split cassette. Bassist Amy Hill soon completed the lineup as a trio, and the band entered the studio with engineer Alex MacFarlane. The resulting album, Everything Goes Wrong, appeared in 2012 on R.I.P. Society as a dense, abrasive exercise in dark post-punk; one track featured guest vocals from Andrew Murray of Taco Leg, who shortly afterward joined on second guitar.
Even while prioritizing Constant Mongrel, the members pursued parallel projects: Ridgewell in Woollen Kits, Hill in School of Radiant Living, Murray in Taco Leg, Young in Velvet Whip, and both Ridgewell and Young in the synth-punk outfit Nun. They reconvened in 2013 to record Heavy Breathing, again released by Siltbreeze. Following the 2015 single “DCM” on R.I.P. Society, activity slowed as the musicians focused on other bands—Hill joined TERRY in 2016—and outside commitments, including Ridgewell’s café and Murray’s studies in architectural history. When the group reconvened for a new album they chose a professional studio for the first time, enlisting longtime associate Tom Hardisty as producer. The sessions incorporated deeper excursions into free-jazz textures and the abrasive attack of early-’80s punk bands such as Flux of Pink Indians. Living in Excellence surfaced in 2018 via London’s La Vida Es un Mus imprint and Anti Fade in Australia.
Albums
Singles
