| The Field Mice | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London |
| Genres | Twee pop Indie pop |
| Years active | 1987–1991 |
| Labels | Sarah Records |
The Field Mice were an indie pop band on the indie label Sarah Records. Initially a duo from South London suburb of Mitcham comprising Robert Wratten and Michael Hiscock, their first EP, Emma's House, was released in November 1988, and reached number 20 in the UK Independent Chart.[1][2] But it was with their second single "Sensitive" that they first received significant critical attention, giving them a top-20 indie hit and with a subsequent placing in John Peel's 1989 Festive 50.[3] Debut mini-album Snowball reached number 3 on the indie albums chart.[2] The original duo were joined by Harvey Williams (of Another Sunny Day) on guitar and in 1990 the band expanded to include Annemari Davies on guitar and keyboards and Mark Dobson on drums, the first fruits of this new line-up being the Skywriting mini-LP.[1]
Over a three year career the band were often dogged with the reputation of having a post-C86 indiepop or generic Sarah Records sound despite producing tracks with numerous styles and influences. Early singles and even their sleeves harked back to early Factory Records bands such as New Order and The Wake, with many tracks often featuring sequencers and samples. Many of the group's recordings, notably "Triangle" and their epic seven-minute swan song, "Missing the Moon", displayed a strong influence from the popular dance music of the time. Most of the group's records were produced by Ian Catt, who later went on to develop the pop dance sound of "Missing The Moon" further with Saint Etienne (whose second single was a cover version of the Field Mice's "Kiss & Make Up").[1]
The band split up in 1991 after a fractious tour to promote the For Keeps album, during which lead singer/guitarist Robert Wratten announced he was leaving.
Later, Field Mice members Wratten, Annemari Davies (Wratten's ex-girlfriend), and Mark Dobson briefly formed Yesterday Sky before becoming the more synth-oriented outfit Northern Picture Library, and then Wratten went on to form Trembling Blue Stars in 1995.
A double-album compilation of the now long-deleted Field Mice releases, Where'd You Learn To Kiss That Way? was released in 1999 and sold more copies than any Field Mice record ever sold at the time. Their entire back catalogue was reissued on CD for the first time by LTM Recordings in 2005.
Contents |
Expanded versions of Snowball, Skywriting, and For Keeps were issued on LTM in 2005.