Butterfly Child

Led by the multi-talented Joe Cassidy (the only constant member), a native of Belfast, North Ireland, Butterfly Child burst onto the music scene in '91 with two well-received EPs on A.R. Kane's H.ark label. Signing to Rough Trade in '93, Butterfly Child released both the brilliant Ghetto Speak EP and equally wonderful Onomatopoeia album. It was obvious upon release that Butterfly Child would be hard to classify. Their visionary sound was not unlike Brian Wilson trapped inside a Cocteau Twins recording session while John Cage battled with John Cale over production. Lost in a world of fads and short lived music scenes (Madchester, shoegazing and grunge), Butterfly Child received kudos from the press but failed to set the world on fire, sales-wise. Signing with Dedicated Records, Butterfly Child released their second album, The Honeymoon Suite, in 1995. More kudos followed ("the record the term 'perfect pop' should have been invented for" said Melody Maker) but Butterfly Child still remained just outside the mainstream, adored by their fanbase (which was growing bigger with each release). By the time the second album had been released, Chicago's Hit It Records had released the first album in the U.S., followed by a release of the second album in '96. Joe Cassidy relocated to Chicago in '97 and began work on Butterfly Child's third album, their masterpiece, Soft Explosives, which was released on Hit It in late '98. ~ Steve "Spaz" Schnee, All Music Guide