To be in only one band if you were a musician in Melbourne, Australia in the mid-2010s meant you were a serious slacker. Most were in at least two bands, some more than anyone can count. The players who make up
the Stroppies are no different. The founding trio behind the scrappy indie pop group -- Angus Lord, Stephanie Hughes, and Claudia Serfaty -- were all in at least one other band in early 2016 when
the Stroppies were formed. Lord was in
Twerps and
the Stevens, Hughes in
Dick Diver and Blank Statements, Serfaty also in Blank Statements. The trio bonded over the idea of quickly recording songs direct to a Tascam four-track, working out seven songs right away. Hoping to add some live drum sounds, they added Rory Heane of the group White Walls to the lineup. Working with producer Alex MacFarlane (who was also in
the Stevens and
Twerps), the band bounced overdubs from cassette recorder to computer, then back again as the group members got busy with life and love. The songs were finished, mastered by
Mikey Young, and released on cassette in May of 2017 by the Australian label Hobbies Galore. After the release of the tape, they added guitarist Adam Hewitt, who was in the band the No Real Need. Meanwhile, the folks at U.K. label Tough Love heard the tape and were impressed enough to reissue it on vinyl in late 2017. ~ Tim Sendra