In 1996 the indie outfit Joan of Arse formed in Dublin. Its members included Shane McGrath, Joss "Joskuld the Chocolate" Morkens, Greg "Gumbo" Barrett, and Greg "The Bearded Lady" Hackett. The group first drew notice on the U.K. indie circuit after issuing the 1997 single "Le Remusement Triste et Lent De La Queve D'un Vieux Chien."
A 1999 agreement with Julius Geezer/Scientific Laboratories sharply raised their profile. July of that year brought the release of their debut studio album, Lost at Sea, which earned an Album of the Year nomination from Hot Press. Regular airplay followed from John Peel, Dave Fanning, and XFM's John Kennedy.
Joan of Arse kept recording through the early 2000s. Irish shows with Jim O'Rourke, Grandaddy, Low, and Bonnie Prince Paul led to the spring 2001 appearance of the Unwanted Gift EP. Several months afterward the band crossed to the United States to record its next album with producer Steve Albini. Tracked at Electrical Studio in Chicago, Distant Hearts, A Little Closer surfaced on Flameshovel Records in fall 2002.
