The Daisycutters Release Debut EP On Streaming
Take a trip down memory lane with south-east Queensland’s favourite sons The Daisycutters and the digital re-release of their debut EP ‘Gift Horse’.
Recorded in the late ‘90s, ‘Gift Horse’ was initially released on CD in a limited run of 500, making it a rare specimen of physical media. In the years since, it has become a prized collector’s item for fans of The Daisycutters.
‘Gift Horse’ was a major milestone for the band, representing their graduation from a scrappy suburban garage band to a professional outfit. For frontman and songwriter Cam Wilson, writing and recording the album was a pivotal moment in his life.
“We have great memories recording this EP,” frontman Cam Wilson recalls.
“We’d only been a band for about a year – I lived in London for a year, most of the EP was written there and I have fond memories of sitting in my local park during an unseasonably hot English summer working the songs out.
“I remember we recorded it really quickly. We were able to do that because we were playing two or three times a week because you could back then, so we were a well-oiled machine when we got to the studio.
“We recorded it at our friend Damon’s home studio hence the lo fi sound, which is what we were chasing. Pete had his drums set up and mic’ed up in the lounge room and Giles and I were in the other room which was the studio.”
‘Gift Horse’ was released in 1998, a simpler time when The Daisycutters were still discovering who they were as individuals and where they wanted to go with their music.
“I still love those songs, and once again it takes me back to that time,” Cam says.
“I remember that was the first time I’d ever heard how good the backing vocals were, because it was so loud in our rehearsal space and live sound was never very good back then, so you really couldn’t tell. I could look over and see the lads singing but I really couldn’t hear much. I remember being really impressed with the boys when they put down their backing vocals.”
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Nearly three decades later, ‘Gift Horse’ serves as more than a mere slice of juvenilia. It’s a vital insight into the origins of The Daisycutters, a band that has evolved into a beloved fixture of the Australian music scene in the years since its release.
‘Gift Horse’ introduces the signature hallmarks of the records that would come after: disarmingly upbeat rhythm and melody contrasted with sardonic, tongue-in-cheek lyricism; everyday tales told with a poetic sense of humour.
The EP is now available to stream on digital platforms, giving new life to a foundational record in The Daisycutter’s discography.
“Fun fact – the secret track at the end of ‘Midas In Reverse’ was recorded onto a TDK tape on a cheap tape deck in our rehearsal room in Southport,” Cam says.
“We released ‘Gift Horse’ as 500 numbered CDs back in the day. They all went pretty quick, but we think we may have a couple still in a box somewhere in someone’s garage.”
