Formed in Perth, Australia, in early 1989, the countrified alternative rock of the Blackeyed Susans gained a U.S. domestic release by the mid-'90s, when American Records signed the band to a contract. The first lineup of the band -- vocalist/guitarist Rob Snarski, vocalist/guitarist David McComb (formerly of the Triffids), drummer Alsy McDonald (also ex-the Triffids), bassist Phil Kakulas, and organist Ross Bolleter -- released the EP Some Births Are Worse Than Murders in 1990 on Waterfront Records. The record topped the Australian indie charts, and earned positive reviews from British music weeklies as well. By 1991, however, a new lineup (Snarski and Kakulas plus guitarist Graham Lee, drummer Jim White, and organist Warren Lee Ellis) recorded the EP ...Depends on What You Mean by Love. After the 1992 Welcome Stranger album compiled the first EP plus several B-sides, the Blackeyed Susans recorded All Souls Alive for a 1994 release on Frontier Records. By 1996's Mouth to Mouth, additional members Kiernan Box (piano) and Dan Luscombe (guitar) appeared. The band's domestic deal with the American label saw the album's release. 1997's Spin the Bottle produced a trio of well-received singles, including "Smokin' Johnny Cash," "Blue Skies, Blue Sea," and the fiery title track, while 2001's covers LP Dedicated to the Ones We Love took on songs made popular by the likes of Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, the Triffids, and more. 2003's well-received Shangri-La earned a nomination for Best Adult Contemporary Album at that year's ARIA Awards, but it would be the last studio outing for the group for some time. Reveal Yourself, a four-disc retrospective box set appeared in 2009, and in 2017 the band reconvened in the studio for Close Your Eyes and See, their long-awaited seventh full-length outing. ~ John Bush