In October 1998 they issued, "Death to the Apple Gerls", on Festival's in-house indie label Reliant – which was set up by Bruce Milne (former CEO of Au Go Go Records). In the following month they released their debut album, "Children of Telepathic Experiences", which peaked at No.21 on the ARIA Alternative Albums Chart. McFarlane noticed "an entertaining mix of Gerling's live punky-pop sound and a background of layered electronica." For the first time the group incorporated electronica in their music, they also built a recording studio, Gerlog, in Alexandria where band members produced and remixed tracks.