Amyl and the Sniffers

History

Four housemates in Balaclava, Melbourne—Amy Taylor, Bryce Wilson, Declan Mehrtens, and Calum Newton—formed the band. They wrote, recorded, and released their debut EP, Giddy Up, in just twelve hours. Newton later left for a solo career, and Gus Romer took his place in early 2017. A second EP, Big Attraction, came out in March 2017.

For their first full-length album, the band worked with producer Ross Orton, a former drummer for Add N to (X). The self-titled album arrived on 24 May 2019, earning a 7.2 from Pitchfork and four-star reviews from NME and AllMusic. Happy Mag ranked the band ninth on its list of fifteen Australian female artists changing the game, calling Taylor one of the hardest-rocking people alive. The 2018 single "Some Mutts" appeared in Warwick Thornton's vampire series Firebite.

At the 2019 ARIA Music Awards, the album won Best Rock Album, and in February 2020 it was nominated for the Australian Music Prize. On 7 July 2021, the band announced their second album, Comfort to Me, with the lead single "Guided by Angels." Later that month they dropped "Security," and three days before the album's release they put out "Hertz" with a music video. Originally set for early October 2021, Comfort to Me was moved up to 10 September and recorded at Sound Park in Melbourne.

In June and July 2022, the band opened for Weezer, Fall Out Boy, and Green Day on the European leg of the Hella Mega Tour. In April 2023, they toured with the Smashing Pumpkins and Jane's Addiction.

Awards and nominations

At the Australian Independent Record (AIR) Awards, Comfort to Me was nominated in 2022 for Independent Album of the Year and Best Independent Punk Album or EP. In 2025, Cartoon Darkness received nominations for Independent Album of the Year and Best Independent Punk Album or EP, and the single 'U Should Not Be Doing That' was nominated for Independent Song of the Year. At the APRA Music Awards, 'U Should Not Be Doing That' was nominated for Song of the Year in 2025.

In 2026, the band received three nominations: 'Jerkin'' for Song of the Year and Most Performed Rock Work, and the band itself for Songwriter of the Year. At the ARIA Music Awards, the band won Best Rock Album in 2019 for Amyl and the Sniffers, and was also nominated for Best Cover Art. In 2022, Comfort to Me received six nominations: Album of the Year, Best Group, Best Rock Album, Best Video for 'Hertz', Best Live Act for the Comfort to Me Tour 2022, and Producer – Best Produced Album.

In 2024, John Angus Stewart won Best Video for 'U Should Not Be Doing That'. In 2025, Cartoon Darkness received six nominations: Album of the Year, Best Group, Best Rock Album, Best Video for 'Big Dreams', Best Australian Live Act for the Cartoon Darkness World Tour, and Best Cover Art. The band was nominated for the Australian Music Prize in 2019 for Amyl and the Sniffers.