Ammonia's 1995 Classic Album, Mint 400, To Finally Receive Vinyl Reissue

Love As Fiction Records is releasing a reissue of Ammonia's 1995 iconic debut album, Mint 400, coming to vinyl for the first time since its original release.

The Perth grunge/rock band comprising vocalist and guitarist Dave Johnstone, drummer Allan Balmont and bassist Simon Hensworth, made an immediate impact on Australian music with singles like Ken Carter, Drugs and Suzi Q.

Ammonia were one of the first bands to sign with the label Murmur, alongside Aussie music icons Silverchair, Something For Kate, Bluebottle Kiss and Jebediah. 

The vinyl reissue contains remastered audio (by Chris Hanszek of Hanszek Audio earlier this year), restored original artwork with new liner notes from Dave Johnstone for this year in a new gatefold sleeve, 500 copies of pink and blue marble vinyl, and multiple screen-printed t-shirts. Pre-orders currently have an expected release date of June 2023.

For diehard fans, Love As Fiction are selling just three test copies of Mint 400. As it's a review copy, it's important to note that there is no artwork on the sleeve or label, and it's black vinyl only. Pre-order your copy of Mint 400 vinyl or t-shirts here.

"From humble beginnings in our hometown of Perth, we managed to record an album that took us around the world and gave us experiences we could have only dreamt of," Johnstone shared in a statement. Indeed, the album did that: Mint 400 debuted at #15 on the ARIA Albums Chart and went out of print by March 2002. 

The album's release took the band on international tours, and they released two albums over their career before breaking up in 1999. Their debut album Mint 400, was produced by Kevin “Caveman” Shirley over ten days at Festival Studios in Sydney, recorded to analogue tape.

Love As Fiction Records was founded in 2021 in Perth, WA and has released one record to date, a reissue of Bluebottle Kiss’ Somnambulist Homesick Blues on vinyl, which was also produced under licence from Sony. It's currently sold out.