Nirvana released an EP only in Australia and Japan 30 years ago today

When it comes to the discography of Nirvana, everyone knows their iconic three albums, Bleach, Nevermind, and In Utero; most will also know their famed live album, MTV Unplugged in New York.

What’s less known, however, is the EP Hormoaning. Why is it less well known? Arriving on January 27th 1992, Hormoaning was only released in two countries, Australia and Japan.

The EP was made to coincide with the band’s tour of Australia. Just three days before its release, they played their first-ever show in the country at The Phoenician Club in Sydney. Containing just six songs, it was cover-heavy: four of the songs were covers which hadn’t been previously released. They had history behind them, though, all four being recorded for a prestigious Peel Session at BBC Radio 1 on October 21st 1990.

The covers showcased a lighter side to the grunge trio and, you feel, allowed Kurt Cobain’s underlying pop sensibility to come out. They covered new wave band Devo (‘Turnaround’), two songs by Glasgow’s beloved indie pop band The Vaselines (‘Son of a Gun’ and ‘Molly’s Lips’), and one song by punk rockers the Wipers (‘D-7’). The first three appeared on another Nirvana EP, Incesticide, while the Wipers cover appeared on the U.K. version of the ‘Lithium’ single. The two originals were ‘Aneurysm’ and ‘Even in His Youth’, which both featured on the seminal ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ single.

And it might have been a minor release but it still attracted some strong reviews. Giving it an A-, major music critic Robert Christgau found it to be almost as good as Nevermind. “Without David Grohl they’re sludge monkeys” and “Kurt Cobain yowls like John Hancock crosses his k’s” were particular highlights of his appraisal. He would even include it in his annual Pazz & Job poll for The Village Voice, placing it 33rd in his list of the best albums of 1992.

Only 15,000 official copies of Hormoaning were released in Australia and the EP is now considered a rarity due to the limited pressing numbers. The EP quickly became highly sought-after by collectors and fans, and it stands as a revealing entry in the Nirvana catalogue.

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