P76

Following the April 1998 dissolution of Melbourne-based Jerihco, Danny McDonald launched P76 to keep producing prime power pop. McDonald, Bill Downie, and Shane Samson—previously of the Bird Tribe—formed the initial lineup, though the project soon became McDonald’s own with a constantly shifting cast of players. Within three months the band was gigging steadily across Melbourne, sharing stages with Knievel, Augie March, and similar acts. More than a year after it was tracked, the debut EP Life in General surfaced in 1999. Around the same period McDonald placed P76 on hold to join Oscarlima, which opened shows for Lit. Once that touring cycle finished, he returned his full focus to P76. The EP earned enthusiastic notices from college radio and leading music magazines alike. In 2000 the group signed with Zip Records, issuing the Sunliner EP the following year. July 2001 brought a swift studio session that yielded the full-length debut Into the Sun; Rolling Stone reviewed the album and it landed on several year-end Top Ten lists. Its first single, “Sleeping In,” arrived in April 2002, after which the band spent most of the year on the road.