Featuring Sarah Hardiman and Jensen Tjhung on guitars, Nick Pratt on bass, Daniel Twomey on drums, and all four on vocals, the band claim to have started out with two guiding principles: that they need not concern themselves with making music that will last, and that if they're unsure of what to do next while performing, the best option is to go for feedback. With this in mind, not long after forming, the band recorded ten songs that they self-released on CD-R, and played a pair of shows before Hardiman left the group to move to the United Kingdom. Originally, Deaf Wish took this as a sign to call it a day, but as their homemade album continued to circulate, the band's reputation grew, and in 2008 Deaf Wish decided to bend their own rules a bit and returned to duty, with guitarist Pete Dickinson to take Hardiman's place. The Australian label Stained Circles struck a deal with Deaf Wish, and the group's second album, Reality & Visions, appeared in 2009. By the time the band finished touring in support of the LP, Deaf Wish had once again broken up, as Nick Pratt had moved to Perth and Dickinson left the band. But when Hardiman returned to Melbourne for a visit several months later, the group reconvened and cut another album, 2010's Mercy. The release was intended to be Deaf Wish's final statement, but in 2014, Hardiman was once again living in Melbourne, and Deaf Wish decided to give their band another try. Sub Pop Records, the noted American indie label that had long shown their appreciation for the Australian underground scene, signed Deaf Wish, and they released a four-song EP, St. Vincent, in the fall of the year, followed by touring in Australia and the United States. In August 2015, Deaf Wish dropped their first album for Sub Pop, the concisely titled Pain. ~ Mark Deming