The classic Australian album that September 11 derailed

When the members of Australian band Gerling woke up in Broome on September 11, 2001, no-one knew the world would be changed forever by the time they went to bed that night.

And the Sydney indie band certainly weren't prepared for the impact that day would have on their musical ambitions.

The band had just returned from a Japanese tour that saw them play the Fuji Rock festival alongside Oasis, Eminem and Neil Young, and then Australian shows with fellow Aussies Regurgitator, which brought them to Broome.

"Seeing this on TV, we're in the middle of nowhere, we've probably had a few drinks … it was all a bit surreal," guitarist and vocalist Burke Reid remembers.

Amid an incomprehensible tragedy and the most heightened social tensions in memory, Gerling had another problem.

The album they were set to release just days after the attack was called When Young Terrorists Chase The Sun.

Its front cover featured two men, running, with their faces hidden, one wrapped in a checked keffiyeh-style scarf.

The album's third track was called High Jackers Manual.

"I mean, the repercussions … everything just got pulled from the shelves, and everything had to be redone," Reid recalls. "It was a major hiccup."

Gerling's had taken off with the 1998 album Children of Telepathic Experiences, and its songs Enter, Space Capsule and Death To The Apple Gerls.

They made the most of the attention, delivering ludicrously fun live shows, wearing backpacks and brimming with enthusiasm.

When Young Terrorists Chase The Sun was to be the record that took the band to the next level.

"It was our first big foray into bigger things," Reid says. "It felt like a professional album.

"Tours got bigger; music was potentially going to be the thing that we did, at least for the next couple of years. We were able to quit our jobs. It was exciting."

Suddenly, the excitement turned to stress.

With a title no-one wanted to say out loud, the album was pulled from shelves in Japan, where it had been released early; its title was changed to Headzcleaner for its UK release, and its artwork and song titles were amended.

The momentum building around the band ground to a halt.

Now, 25 years on, the album gets another life, being released on vinyl with re-imagined artwork and five bonus tracks.

The record sounds great in 2026: their mash of rock, electro and hip hop that felt novel at the time is now common.

Not that Reid knew how the record had aged: Gerling was a big part of his life, but one that remains in the rear view.

"We haven't really talked to each other for years," he admits.

"I had not listened to that record in probably 25 years. I was a bit nervous to put it back on. It's a bit like opening up a photo album and just like looking back and like, 'Whoa'."

From loungey opener Phazer Kidz In The Windy City to the bleepy retro futurism of Hot Computer and straight-up indie rock of The Deer In You, the album pulses with playful energy.

"I hear us being young and ambitious to try and interpret the music we were listening to at the time through our ears and abilities," Reid says. "Enthusiasm and no limits."

Gerling's luck was lousy in 2001. A year earlier it had been spectacular.

While in London, the band received a curious and exciting offer from a fellow Aussie who was about to enjoy a massive resurgence.

"'Kylie's going to be in the UK. Do you want to meet?'" Reid recalls someone from his publishing company saying.

"'If this works, would you like to go into the studio with her?'"

It worked. The unlikely meeting couldn't have gone better.

"We met her in a pub and were pretty awe-struck," Reid says. "She was beyond nice, just super genuine and lovely. I mean, we were just bedazzled by her.

"She was like, 'I would love to work with you guys.'"

Kylie appears on the track G House Project, her voice repeating the line "Forever and ever and ever and ever", adding a splash of Kylie magic to the song's texture and mood.

"The next day we went into the studio," Reid recalls.

"She had a cold, so she came in late, which was great because we had no idea what to do.

"We'd never been in this position or worked with anyone of this calibre. We didn't have any lyrics or any game plan.

"That hour or so that she was delayed, we scribbled things out and tried to put something together to present to her when she got in. When she did, she was a consummate professional."

"She did her bit, we got a photo together, and off she went," Reid recalls. "The next day, Spinning Around came out, and her career got very resurrected.

"Had it been a week later, I don't necessarily know if Kylie would have been on our record."

The furore around their second album didn't kill Gerling, but it took a toll.

"The wind was taken out of our sails a bit from the Terrorists record," Reid says. "There was momentum, and then that got sort of stunted."

They were rightfully proud of the album, but relatively soft sales meant the fickle music industry was ready to move on.

"There was a little bit of, 'Okay, make another record' from everyone. And it's like, 'Whoa, we just poured so much into this.'

"By our last record, we were burnt out with each other, with trying to push a very heavy boulder up a hill."

Tired and irritable, the band broke up mid-tour after their fourth album. Once the decision was made, Gerling finished on a high note.

"We were all getting along, because we knew we'd planned an end," Reid says. "I think we stopped when it was right."

While the band discussed reforming to play live alongside the re-release, Reid believes some things are best left in the past.

"Obviously that was going to be brought up," Reid says.

"I don't think Gerling is really that kind of band. The memories of it and the performance side of things were a big part of it. We're just different now.

"That music was of its time, and who we were at the time. So, getting back together to do shows again wasn't really ever going to be on the cards.

"I don't think, if we went out and tried to perform, it would have the same charm as it might have back in the day. There's some things I think it's good to leave. Some memories don't need to be brought back in high definition.

"The three of us kind of joining hands on stage again? I don't know … I don't think that would be great."

The 25th anniversary edition of When Young Terrorists Chase The Sun is out now.