Underground Lovers (sometimes stylised as undergroundLOVERS) are an Australian pop-rock band whose sound encompasses elements of indie rock, electronic music, and shoegaze. Founding members Glenn Bennie (guitar, vocals) and Vincent Giarrusso (vocals, guitar, keyboards) formed the group GBVG in 1988, and by May 1990, they had changed the name of the group to Underground Lovers and were joined by Richard Andrew (drums), Maurice Argiro (bass guitar), and Philippa Nihill (vocals, guitar and keyboard).
History
1988-1999
Glenn Bennie and Vincent Giarrusso met in a suburban Melbourne high school during the 1970s. Both were influenced by Joy Division, New Order, the Cure and the local underground electronic and experimental music scenes. While later studying drama at university, they formed a music duo called GBVG, and released a single, "Blast", in 1988. Australian music journalist Ed Nimmervoll praised how well "Glenn's striking hypnotic guitar atmospheres balanced against Vince's acute pop sense."
New members Richard Andrew, Stephen Downes, and Philippa Nihill were recruited throughout 1989, and by the end of the year, they had changed the name of the group to Underground Lovers, borrowing from the title of an Italian surrealist play. Their first gig, in May 1990, was at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, supporting the Macguffins. Maurice Argiro, formerly of No Nonsense, replaced Downes on bass guitar after the first show.
The members of Underground Lovers self-financed the recording of their self-titled debut album, with producer Simon Grounds; it was picked up by the independent record label Shock Records, and released nationally in March 1991. Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane noted that the record contained "melancholy guitar pop ('Girl Afraid', 'Wasted'), rhythmic dance pop ('Yes I Do', 'Round and Round') and reflective, acoustic folk ('My American Accent')." Two singles were released from the album: "Round and Round" in February and "Looking for Rain" in April. In November, they issued a new non-album single, "Lick the Boot", which was their first release in the United Kingdom. With hype for the band beginning to grow outside of Australia, Shock released a new version of the album for the UK and US markets, changing the title to Get to Notice (the name of the opening track) and replacing the penultimate track ("Ascend Up") with "Lick the Boot".
The band finished out 1991 with the release of a four-track EP of new material called Nice, as well as an exclusive track, "Ripe", on rooArt's Youngblood 3 compilation album. Beat magazine selected Nice as their single of the week, describing it as "pop rich in all the right ingredients" and "awesome". Bevan Hannan of The Canberra Times wrote that "Nice G.I.", which dealt with "the early stages of the Gulf War about the commandos orchestrating the bombing of Iraq," was the "outstanding cut" from the EP. Hannan also praised "Ripe" as "by far the best" track on Youngblood 3.
In January 1992, the group entered the studio to record their second album, this time with Bennie and Giarrusso co-producing with Wayne Connolly (of the Welcome Mat). At the ARIA Music Awards of 1992 in March, they won the Best New Artist award for Underground Lovers; it had also been nominated for Best Independent Release. The second album, Leaves Me Blind, was a more layered and experimental work. It was first released in August in the UK by the short-lived 4AD sublabel Guernica.; by that stage, Polydor had signed the group for the rest of the world, and released Leaves Me Blind locally in December. Mathieson described them as "so far ahead of their contemporaries that they passed over the horizon, borne on a rolling sea of sound that would become their signature." Over the following year, three singles were released: "Ladies Choice", "I Was Right", and "Your Eyes". Mathieson called the latter track a "telling example of their refusal to be contained... The focus is on the bedroom, one person looking into the eyes of another, as the bassline dips and rises like a heart beginning to race with excitement." Underground Lovers also supported both the Cure and My Bloody Valentine on their respective Australian tours in 1992.