Brisbane 3-piece THE GRATES have scored the latest J Award nomination for their energetic second album Teeth Lost, Hearts Won. The album retains the band’s trademark shambolic fun, but injects new layers and grunt into proceedings.

This time, Patience, Alana and John come armed with sharpened technical chops, killer arrangements and newfound songwriting oomph. John’s rough-and-tumble guitars, Patience’s signature banshee yelps, and Alana’s churning drums deliver a sophisticated ‘punch-in-the-guts kind of catchy’ – tracks like heavily requested triple j single Burn Bridges, pop shoe-shuffler Two Kinds of Right, and fist-raising rally anthem Aw Yeah.

triple j’s Music Director, Richard Kingsmill says:

“I reckon a few people thought The Grates were going to be a one album wonder. Or that the energy of what they do would wear thin. But they put to bed any doubts of their worth with this release. It still has the vibrancy of their debut, but it’s got greater depth in the sounds and songwriting. They’ve got a great grasp of what makes great pop music. That’s why they’re called The Grates I guess!”

THE GRATES join Sparkadia, Eddy Current Suppression Ring, TZU, Birds of Tokyo, Bliss N Eso, The Presets, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Cut Copy and Cog as nominees for the 2008 J Award for Australian Album of the Year.

More nominees for the Australian Album Of The Year award and the inaugural Australian Music Video Of The Year award will be announced throughout Ausmusic Month (November). The Unearthed Award nominations, full eligibility and selection criteria, can be found here

The J Awards will be announced at an event in Sydney on Friday, 5 December.