On Avery Island is the debut studio album by American rock band Neutral Milk Hotel, released on March 26, 1996, by Merge Records. At the time, Neutral Milk Hotel was a solo project of American musician Jeff Mangum, who recorded the album with producer Robert Schneider from February to May 1995. On Avery Island is an indie rock and psychedelic folk album, with a lo-fi sound. Background and recording Neutral Milk Hotel was formed in Ruston, Louisiana, in the late 1980s, as one of the many home recording projects of musician Jeff Mangum. The simple home recordings Mangum made with his friends Robert Schneider, Bill Doss, and Will Cullen Hart led to the formation of the Elephant 6 musical collective. After graduating from high school, Mangum moved to Seattle, and released the single "Everything Is" on Cher Doll Records, under the alias Neutral Milk Hotel. The single's exposure convinced Mangum to record more music under this name. He moved to Denver, and began working with Schneider to record his first album On Avery Island. On Avery Island was recorded from February to May 1995, and was produced and engineered by Schneider. According to the album’s liner notes, among a number of instrumental credits, Mangum played guitar, drums and vocals, and Schneider played bass, organ, and composed horn arrangements; the horn parts were played by trombonist Rick Benjamin. It was recorded at two different locations: about half of the album was recorded at the house of musicians Dane Terry and Marisa Bissinger, and the other half was recorded at Pet Sounds Studio. Composition On Avery Island is an indie rock and psychedelic folk album with a lo-fi sound. The Rolling Stone Album Guide likened the album's music to other 1990s lo-fi indie rock acts like Smog and Guided by Voices. On Avery Island most experimental song is the thirteen-minute closing track "Pree-Sisters Swallowing a Donkey's Eye," which is a drone song influenced by gamelan and noise music. "Naomi" is about Naomi Yang of Galaxie 500 and Damon and Naomi. Release and reception On Avery Island was released in the United States on March 26, 1996, by Merge Records, and in the United Kingdom on September 30, 1996, by Fire Records. It sold around 5,000 copies, which Merge considered a success. On Avery Island received positive reviews from critics. Kurt Wolff of the Houston Chronicle gave the album four out of five