No Way to Treat an Animal

Spacey Jane was formed in 2016 by Caleb Harper and Kieran Lama from Geraldton, Western Australia. Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu and Amelia Murray met through university; Lama then met Le Cornu through a mutual relationship.[3] From 2016 to 2017, the band played at local venues very regularly, with Lama estimating that when they started, they "played one or two shows a week for a good year and a half."[3]

The bulk of recording and mastering from No Way to Treat an Animal was done at Poons Head in East Fremantle with Rob Grant. "Still Running" was produced and mixed over the space of nearly two years, with band members in and out for travel.[4]

In an interview with Perth-based music publication Pilerats, frontman Caleb 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."[5]

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.[6][7] Just five days before the EP's release, on 11 November, the third and final single "Thrills" was premiered on Perth community station RTRFM.[8]

Spacey Jane would later win the annual Needle In The Hay Australian music competition for "Thrills", with a limited-run vinyl pressing and music video released as the prize.[9] The band held a launch party for the EP at The Bird, a bar in Perth, on 16 November 2017, with supporting performances by Carla Geneve and Childsaint.[10]

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."[5] Fremantle-based visual artist Alice Ford designed the cover art as well as promotional posters for its release.[11]

Australian music publication 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."[5] 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."[12] 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."[4]

Gareth Bryant writing for online publication Scenestr commended "Feeding the Family" as a "sensational ear-worm with an infectious riff."[13] The track was also ranked number 44 on Perth station RTRFM's 2022 listener poll ranking the 45 greatest songs from Western Australia.[14] Online magazine Eat Your Water called the EP an "immediate radio success."[15]

Credits adapted from Bandcamp.[16]

Musicians

• Caleb Harper – vocals, guitar, writing
• Amelia Murray – bass guitar, writing (track 2)
• Ashton Le Cornu – lead guitar, writing
• Kieran Lama – drums, writing

Additional personnel

• Nick Ireland – producer (track 6), mixing
• Calum McLaughlin – producer (track 6), mixing
• Rob Grant – producer (tracks 1, 3–4, 6), mastering
• Chet Morgan – producer (track 5)
• Alice Ford – cover art