''Life Was Better'' is the second

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

release by Australian rock band

Magic Dirt Magic Dirt is an Australian rock band, which formed in 1991 in Geelong, Victoria, with Daniel Herring on guitar, Adam Robertson on drums, Adalita Srsen on vocals and guitar, and Dean Turner on bass guitar. Initially forming an alternative und ...

. It was released in November 1994 on the

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

label

Au Go Go Records Au Go Go Records is a Melbourne, Australia based independent record label. It was founded by Bruce Milne and Philip Morland from a house in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy in 1979 and was later operated by Greta Moon. The label started releasing ...

. The EP originally peaked at number 71 on the

Australian singles chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

, selling over 20,000 copies. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 1995 The Ninth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) was held on 20 October 1995 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. There had been a 18-month gap since the ...

, the EP was nominated for four awards; Best New Talent, Best Independent Release, Breakthrough Artist – Single and Best Alternative Release. In 2020, the EP was re-released on CD and vinyl and it entered the

Australian albums chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

at number 26.

Background and release

After the release of their debut '' Signs of Satanic Youth'' in 1993, and a heady succession of touring with the likes of

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...

Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. ...

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970), known mononymously as Beck, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi mus ...

and

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was an American three-piece rock band from New York City, formed in 1991. The group consisted of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spen ...

, Magic Dirt weathered the hysteria of 'the next big thing' tag and a storm of major label interest by breaking up and getting back together four times. After regrouping for good and hiring help in the way of management and an agent, Magic Dirt reconvened in the middle of 1994 to record ''Life Was Better''. The cover art for ''Life Was Better'' was heavily influenced by Aussie cult movie ''

Puberty Blues Puberty Blues may refer to: * ''Puberty Blues'' (novel), a 1979 novel by Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette * ''Puberty Blues'' (film), a 1981 film based on the novel * "Puberty Blues" (song), a song by Jenny Morris for the film * ''Puberty Blues'' ...

'', with which the band were obsessed. Follow its release, the band featured heavily on alternative press and garnered the band a national spot on the

Big Day Out The Big Day Out (BDO) was an annual music festival that was held in five Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as Auckland, New Zealand. The festival was held during summer, typi ...

, supported

Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid Body (physics), body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in m ...

Silverchair Silverchair was an Australian Rock music, rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, Ben Gillies on drums, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got thei ...

and

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throughout 1995. Late in 1995, they signed a record deal in the USA.

Reception

In November 1994, OTS said "Geelong's favourite sons (and daughter) do it again, with five tracks of pure alterno magic... this is a guaranteed indie hit and one of the archetypal Australian releases of the year." In December 1994, D.D. Forte called the EP "the kind of feedback-laced gutter pop to knock the loneliness out of your head". In January 1995, Tracey Grimson from OTS said "It's clear that Magic Dirt take their lessons from a combination of the punk of new indie mixed with the roots of older alternative rock... What rises up is hard, heavy, contagious rock 'n' roll – a new breed." In December 1995, Nazz from Rip It Up said "It sounds like something sweet, like

The Bangles The Bangles are an American all-female band, all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest ...

... as covered by an air conditioner and a cement mixer". In 2020, Jeff Jenkins from Stack Magazine said ''Life Was Better'' "...shows a band that should have conquered the world.

Adalita Srsen Adalita Srsen (, born 25 February 1971), known mononymously as Adalita, is an Australian rock musician who is a founding member of the rock bands Magic Dirt and Bleak Squad, as well as a solo artist. She released her first solo album, ''Adalit ...

sits comfortably alongside

Chrissy Amphlett Christine Joy Amphlett (; 25 October 1959 – 21 April 2013) was an Australian singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the frontwoman of the rock band Divinyls. She was notable for her brash, overtly sexual persona and subversive hu ...

as a rock goddess.".

CD track listing

Personnel

– vocals, guitar * Dean Turner – bass *Adam Robertson – drums *Daniel Herring – guitar

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1994 EPs Magic Dirt albums Au Go Go Records EPs Indie pop EPs EPs by Australian artists