School Damage

Melbourne, Australia-based School Damage combine the melodic charm of Chook Race and the scrappy punk of Ausmuteants -- which makes sense since guitarist/vocalists Carolyn Hawkins and Jake Robertson are members of those bands (Hawkins of the former; Robertson of the latter). Their early singles and first album have a lo-fi, post-punk charm, but 2018's A to X shows the band gaining some poise and expanding their sound Both Hawkins and Robertson were deeply involved in Melbourne's D.I.Y. scene, and each of them have a long history of membership in local indie bands like Chook Race, Ausmuteants, Frowning Clouds, Leather Towel, and many others. They originally worked together on new material that channeled obscure early underground indie artists such as Young Marble Giants and the Cannanes, but the pair quickly realized the songs warranted a full-band setup, and they enlisted bassist Dani Damage and drummer Jeff Raty to fill out their sound and give them some post-punk punch. The band played regionally and released several 7"s and cassettes before completing work on a self-titled debut album that was released in June of 2017 on the Chapter Music label. In 2018, they issued a single for Upset the Rhythm titled Sings...Four Songs About One Cat, then released their second album, the slightly more polished A to X, in August. ~ Fred Thomas