Mt Augustus

• Bandcamp (Vinyl and various digital formats).
  We recommend you buy from bandcamp because a) you get the widest variety of digital formats to choose from, b) it's cheap because c) almost all of the money goes to us instead of some big corporation.
• iTunes (Digital).
• Rockinghorse Records, Brisbane (Vinyl)
• Tym Guitars, Brisbane (Vinyl)
• Missing Link, Melbourne (Vinyl)
• Polyester Records, Melbourne (Vinyl)
  Note that all vinyl copies also come with a digital download code via Bandcamp.
  
  Contact us via incrementalrecords@gmail.com.
  
  

Don't you just hate it when bands appear on the live scene, play a handful of gigs, start to show some promise and then disappear before they really have a chance to find their voice? Victims of boredom and competing visions and apathy, splintering into new permutations of band members and genres of music. It seems like some sort of epidemic, especially in Brisbane. In 2006 Mt Augustus was started as a way of simultaneously escaping this trap while also embracing the excitement inherent in the continual cycle of build-destroy-rebuild. Formed around the nucleus of the folky narratives of songwriter Cameron Smith (of various Brisbane bands you’d be forgiven for not giving a damn about), Mt Augustus was designed as a band which could be fluid, whose sound could be bent and re-moulded time and time again over the years.

Having played in various configurations of musicians and instruments since forming at the tail end of 2005, Mt Augustus have at times taken the form of rustic alt.country band, fuzzy Elephant 6-esque pop, dynamic post-garage-rock and, most recently, some sort of combination of all of the previous sounds that could be described as mixing the minimalist pop of Low with the rambling catharsis of The Drones. Along the way they’ve released the well received EPs Monolith (2007) and The Warmest Winter (2009) – the title track of which featured in 4zzzFM’s annual Hot 100 listeners’ poll.

In contrast to previous years, 2010 was a year of consolidation for Mt Augustus. After five years the band threw caution to the wind, resulting in a great milestone: a debut album. Released on 12” vinyl and digitally, the band’s self titled record features a more streamlined sound than previous years have seen – songs that sound like they’re being played by a band in a room, that develop slowly and quietly, occasionally bursting out into walls of cathartic noise or joyous pop. Mt Augustus have created a record filled with music that is rambling yet to the point, guarded yet heart-on-sleeve, with the band sounding as though they’re not quite sure if the song they’re playing is going to fall apart or result in a glorious noise. Occasionally, when they’re at their best, they do both.

Mt Augustus have played at events like the 2high and Lost & Found (ie: that mini-festival that replaced the cancelled Lost Weekend, which they were also scheduled to play) festivals, as well as with acts such as Lou Barlow (USA), One One (Jap/USA), Mt Eerie (USA), Holly Throsby, The John Steel Singers, Cloud Control, Aleks & The Ramps, Mixylodian (Canada), Richard In Your Mind, Abbe May, Fulton Lights (USA) and others who are probably equally worthy of being listed here but perhaps don't have the same level of 'industry cool'. Turnpike, No Anchor, Nova Scotia, The Rational Academy, Ambitious Lovers, we're looking at you. You're all amazing.

Each new chapter is another attempt to rise above the ominous and swollen clouds that hang low – but Mt. Augustus’s greatest passages of beauty are when they’re steeped in their own melancholy... This is fiery music fuelled by (the now distant) slowcore and gothic country of the 90s – beautifully rekindled and emancipated.
TimeOff Magazine review of Mt Augustus (Alex Gillies), October 2010

The trio hold our rapt attention... These songs demand closer inspection.
Rave Magazine live review (Andrew McMillen), June 2009

Mt. Augustus has long been in mutation, centred around local Cameron Smith, and tonight sees a new strain: Smith on electric guitar, backed only by one accompanist on simplistic, two-piece drums. Smith’s songs – self-effacing and dramatic – seem to best fit this pared-back vision. The brutish, Aussie twang to his voice becomes the vivid colour the songs require. Smith’s lone guitar gathers more dirt and gusto as the set progresses, and in final bout of emotive intensity ends up hurtled to the floor.
Time Off Magazine live review (Paul Donoughue), June 2009

Mt Augustus’s performance, by contrast, is considerably more subdued – but equally as enthralling. The trio’s noir-ish edge is only emphasised by their sparse instrumentation and the shambolic, post-folk soundscapes the outfit coax out of their instruments proves both captivating and unsettling – utterly transforming Top Floor Galleries’ bohemian elegance into something altogether more sinister and melancholic.
Time Off Magazine live review (Matt O'Neill), May 2009

The Reverend Storm is the climax of an arresting set that skillfully balances folk and indie pop.
Rave Magazine live review (Andrew McMillen), May 2009

"The heartfelt caterwauls of ragged vocals, mandolins and steel-string acoustics are also closer to your doorstep than you have probably taken the time to notice. Mt. Augustus have been treading the floorboards of Brisbane for almost two years and with Monolith they deliver on a bunch of songs that should rival our love of cult-laden bands such as Okkervil River."
Time Off Magazine review of Monolith (Alex Gillies), September 2007

Members:

Cameron Smith - Vocals, Guitar, Drums, a little bit of everything else.
Daniel Denton - Bass, Musical Saw.
Jeremy Neale - Drums.

Past & occasional members: Kat McAulay - Drums, Vocals, Violin; Daniel Wright - Keys, Percussion; Casey Zielke - Drums; Patrick Elliott - Keys, Accordion, Mandolin, Vocals; Simon J. Pearlman - Drums, Mandolin; Patrick McDermott - Bass, Mandolin, Banjo; Melissa Tickle - Drums, Percussion, Glockenspiel, Vocals; Conan Thorogood - keys, bass; Scott Bromiley trumpet; Matthew Vale trumpet, vocals.