No Way to Treat an Animal is the debut extended play (EP) by Australian indie rock band Spacey Jane, released independently on 16 November 2017. It was predominantly produced by Rob Grant in East Fremantle. Supported by the band's debut single "Still Running" and their breakthrough hit "Feeding the Family", the EP peaked at number 23 on the ARIA Charts in December 2020, three years after its release.
The title of the EP is derived from Kurt Vonnegut's autobiography A Man Without a Country, which writes "Life is no way to treat an animal. Not even a mouse."[3]Fremantle-based visual artist Alice Ford designed the cover art as well as promotional posters for its release.[4]
Composition
The bulk of recording and mastering for No Way to Treat an Animal was done at Poons Head in East Fremantle with Rob Grant. "Still Running" was originally written by frontman Caleb Harper for his high school band Sicchino, and was produced and mixed over the space of nearly two years, with band members in and out for travel.[5][6]
In an interview with Perth-based music publication Pilerats, Harper said the EP is "mostly a reflection on experiences, from childhood through to young adulthood – things like breakups or growing up in church, and how they shape identity."[3]
Release
On 18 August 2017, Spacey Jane released their debut single "Still Running" at Mojos Bar in Fremantle. At the same venue on 29 September, "Feeding the Family" was released.[7][8] Their third single "Thrills" premiered on community station RTRFM on 11 November.[9]
The band held a launch party for No Way to Treat an Animal at The Bird on 16 November 2017, with supporting performances by Carla Geneve and Childsaint.[10] The EP was issued digitally and on a limited run of CDs, and was pressed to LP vinyl in 2020.[11] Spacey Jane would later win the Needle In The Hay music competition for "Thrills", with a limited-run vinyl pressing and music video released as the prize.[12]
Critical reception
Pilerats called No Way to Treat an Animal a "garage-pop odyssey that sounds crisp as hell," and "one of the year's best local EP releases."[3] Nathan Robert, writing for the same website four years later, praised its singles that "disregard psychedelic sensibilities and pay homage to a cleaner, harder rock sound."[13] Writing for Happy Mag, Freya McGahey said "Still Running" was "impressive and impeccably crafted," pulling off "clarity of tone and sharp lyricism with perfection." She praised the band for "hav[ing] integrated a bold indie pop sound with their own raw Australian top coat."[6]
Gareth Bryant writing for online publication Scenestr commended "Feeding the Family" as a "sensational ear-worm with an infectious riff."[14] The track was also ranked number 44 on Perth station RTRFM's 2022 listener poll ranking the 45 greatest songs from Western Australia.[15] Online magazine Eat Your Water called the EP an "immediate radio success."[16]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu, Caleb Harper and Kieran Lama; "Feeding the Family" co-written by Amelia Murray.
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