Few Australian bands have been as influential as HTRK: the Melbourne duo of Nigel Yang and Jonnine Standish, who have been performing underground music with their idiosyncratic mix of atmospheric electronic and guitar-based squall for the past 21 years. In that time, the duo has grown from playing loud, dirty early-aughts Melbourne clubs to touring the world multiple times, and collaborating with renowned musicians and visual artists. Last year, they got the ultimate stamp of approval: Arca, the doyenne of electronic music, posted a video singing along to their music.
They have also weathered the deaths of founding member Sean Stewart in 2010, and their friend and mentor Rowland S Howard, a year before, as well as the constantly shifting sands of the music industry. At 21, though, Standish and Yang seem sage and strong, godparents of a new generation of hazy ambient pop musicians that includes artists like Acopia and a.s.o. This birthday, Standish says, is a far cry from the 21sts she used to witness growing up in Moorabbin.
