Part of Australia's burgeoning underground rock scene in the 2000s and 2010s, Brisbane's
Blank Realm feature siblings Daniel, Luke, and Sarah Spencer, as well as their "spiritual brother" Luke Walsh. Inspired by the usual indie rock touchstones like
Sonic Youth,
Blank Realm also incorporated
Can and
Amon Düül's hypnotic repetition into their expansive, flowing songs. They began releasing music in 2007, starting with the albums Blight Monument, You Don't Know the Devil Til You've Seen Him in a Flower, and Free Time. They then embarked on a prolific stream of releases, including several works for Not Not Fun, Digitalis, and Music Your Mind Will Love You. In 2010
Deja What? was issued by the Bedroom Suck label, which also released 2012's
Go Easy. That album was re-released by Fire Records in May 2013.
Grassed Inn, which boasted a more focused sound inspired by
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Big Star, and
the Zombies, appeared in early 2014. A year later, the band returned with
Illegals in Heaven, which was recorded and produced by Room 40 label founder
Lawrence English and marked
Blank Realm's first album made in a studio. ~ Heather Phares