Feeding the Family explained

Feeding the Family
Cover:Spacey Jane Feeding the Family.jpg
Alt:A dog searches the lid a fallen garbage bin filled with cardboard boxes of superimposed images of city buildings. Hand-written text at the bottom states the band name and EP title.
Type:single
Artist:Spacey Jane
Ep:No Way to Treat an Animal
Released:29 September 2017
Studio:Poons Head, Fremantle
Producer:Dave Parkin
Prev Title:Still Running
Prev Year:2017
Feeding the Family
Year:2017
Next Title:Thrills
Next Year:2017

"Feeding the Family" is a song by Australian indie rock band Spacey Jane, released on 29 September 2017 as the second single to their debut extended play, No Way to Treat an Animal. It achieved double platinum status in Australia in 2024 for selling more than 140,000 units. The track is often credited with the band's rise in popularity, and has been described by many publications as their breakthrough hit.

Composition and release

Regarding the song's composition, frontman Caleb Harper claimed himself and drummer Kieran Lama had "been sitting on the progression for a while". Lead guitarist Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu's opening riff was "materialised on the spot",[1] with Harper revealing: “I remember being so blown away by how Ashton wrote that – almost simultaneously".[2]

The song was released on 29 September 2017, premiered at Mojo's Bar in Fremantle, as the second single to the band's debut extended play, No Way to Treat an Animal (2017). Its cover art was handled by visual artist Alice Ford.

In 2024, "Feeding the Family" was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for selling more than 70,000 units. As of January 2024, the track has over 45 million streams on Spotify.

Reception

The track was labelled "an immediate radio hit" by Time Out upon its release.[3] Ali Shutler of NME called the track a "wonky-indie gem with buckets of personality",[4] while Australian music publication Pilerats claimed the single to "disregard psychedelic sensibilities and pay homage to a cleaner, harder rock sound".[5] Writing for Scenestr, Gareth Bryant wrote "Feeding the Family" is a "sensational ear-worm with an infectious riff". In 2022, the track polled at number 44 on Perth radio station RTRFM's countdown which ranked the 45 greatest songs from Western Australia.[6]

Legacy

Many publications including NME and the Canberra Times have described "Feeding the Family" as Spacey Jane's breakout single.[7] [8] Music outlet The AU Review claimed the band's "trajectory has generally been upward since they burst on to the scene in 2017" with the track,[9] and Tone Deaf explicitly credited the song for the group "fast becoming a favourite of music fans across the whole country".[10] Online magazine Clash wrote it was "arguably the song that first cemented Spacey Jane as a big game player".[11] Despite Harper claiming the band "don't love playing" the song live anymore, saying it has "gotten a bit old", it remains a mainstay on their set lists.[12] [13]

In September 2022, during Triple J's radio event Requestival, Mark McGowan, the Premier of Western Australia, personally requested the station to play "Feeding the Family". He introduced the song before it played, concluding "there's some great talent coming out of the West".[14]

Release history

Release formats of "Feeding the Family"!Release date!Region!Format!Label
29 September 2017[15] VariousDigital download, streamingSpacey Jane (independent)
May 2020United Kingdom7" single ("Head Cold")

Personnel

Credits adapted from Bandcamp.

Spacey Jane

Additional personnel

References

  1. Web site: Bryant . Gareth . 28 October 2017 . Fremantle Indie Rockers Spacey Jane Really Love Their Dogs . 16 February 2023 . Scenestr . en-gb.
  2. Web site: Lavell-Lee . Jackson . 21 June 2019 . Spacey Jane fired up for tour . 17 February 2023 . Busselton-Dunsborough Times . en.
  3. Web site: Maier . Adena . 8 July 2022 . Get tickets to see Spacey Jane at the Forum . 16 February 2023 . Time Out Melbourne . en-AU.
  4. Web site: Shutler . Ali . 18 June 2020 . Spacey Jane – 'Sunlight' review: huge songs at no expense of heartfelt honesty . 16 February 2023 . . en-AU.
  5. Web site: 24 June 2021 . Spacey Jane, and the meaningful magic of Booster Seat one year on . 16 February 2023 . Pilerats.
  6. Web site: 1 April 2022 . RTRFM's 45 Greatest WA Songs . 16 February 2023 . . en.
  7. Web site: Leeson . Josh . 10 June 2020 . REVIEW: Spacey Jane - Sunlight . 16 February 2023 . . en-AU.
  8. Web site: Martin . Josh . 8 June 2020 . Spacey Jane are the Fremantle garage rock optimists letting the 'Sunlight' in . 16 February 2023 . NME . en-AU.
  9. Web site: Somerford . Ben . 19 November 2020 . Interview: Spacey Jane talk J Awards & returning to touring, "I'll never take live music for granted anymore" . 16 February 2023 . The AU Review . en-AU.
  10. Web site: Jenke . Tyler . 12 June 2020 . Spacey Jane have unleashed their stunning debut album, 'Sunlight' . 16 February 2023 . Tone Deaf . en-AU.
  11. Web site: 13 February 2023 . Live Report: Spacey Jane - Roundhouse, London . 16 February 2023 . . en-GB.
  12. Web site: Lefevre . Jules . 9 March 2021 . Spacey Jane On 'Booster Seat', Their New Album, And The Song They Can't Stand To Play . 16 February 2023 . . en-US.
  13. Web site: Lefevre . Jules . 26 May 2021 . Spacey Jane's Victory Lap Has Only Just Begun . 16 February 2023 . Junkee . en-US.
  14. Web site: Disalvo . Tom . 29 September 2022 . WA premier Mark McGowan requests Spacey Jane during triple j's Requestival . 16 February 2023 . NME . en-AU.
  15. Web site: 1 October 2017 . Feeding the Family . 16 February 2023 . . en.