Thirsty Merc

Frontman Rai Thistlethwayte, bassist Phil Stack, drummer Karl Robertson, and guitarist Matthew Baker formed the Australian rock band Thirsty Merc in Sydney in 2002. Influenced by genres like jazz, pop, R&B, and classical, the band unveiled its broadly diverse sound with a debut EP, First Work, in 2003, followed by a full-length self-titled album one year later. The eponymous Thirsty Merc proved to be a platinum-certified success, peaking at Number 15 in Australia and Number 29 in New Zealand. Three of the album's songs became Top 40 hits, as well, with the ARIA-nominated "Someday, Someday" peaking at Number 19 in Australia and "In the Summertime" climbing to Number 12 in New Zealand. Three years later, the band returned with a new guitar player, Sean Carey, and a new album, Slideshows. Both the album and its most successful single, "20 Good Reasons," peaked at Number 4 in Australia and later earned gold certifications. Thirsty Merc's lineup had shifted one again by the time the band released a third album, Mousetrap Heart, in 2010, with Matthew Smith — a member of the reggae band The Strides — replacing Sean Carey as the band's guitarist. The album hit Number 14 in Australia, with Shifting Gears stalling at Number 68 five years later.

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