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Barlow, Lou [Reason To Live] May 28 street date. After decades on the road and the never-ending hustle of life as an artist, Lou Barlow has tapped into a new confidence in the chaos. On his new solo album, "Reason To Live", he has come to an understanding of that swirl rather than trying to contain it. As a long-time indie legend, Barlow has found a life akin to a middle-class musician. And yet rather than settle into a comfortable malaise or yearn for the open road, Barlow's strengthened urgency finds a way to merge the two instincts. "Reason To Live" is shambolic and grand yet intimate and doting, warmly acoustic and crackling with grit. By folding the many facets of his life into one package, "Reason To Live" radiates with a renewed balance and calm. |
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black midi [Cavalcade (picture disc)] May 28 street date. Picture disc limited to 100 copies. "Cavalcade" is a dynamic, hellacious, and inventive follow-up to 2019's widely-praised "Schlagenheim". It scales beautiful new heights, pulling widely from a plethora of genres and influences, reaching ever upwards from an already lofty base of early achievements. black midi - Geordie Greep (guitar, primary vocals), Cameron Picton (bass, vocals), and Morgan Simpson (drums) - picture "Cavalcade" as a line of larger than life figures, from a cult leader fallen on hard times and an ancient corpse found in a diamond mine to legendary cabaret singer Marlene Dietrich, strolling seductively past them. "When you're listening, you can imagine all the characters form a sort of cavalcade. Each tells their story one by one and as each track ends they overtake you, replaced by the next in line," comments Picton. With original band member guitarist/vocalist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin taking time away from the group to focus on his mental health, black midi chose to augment their sound on "Cavalcade", rather than replicate it, with saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi and keyboard player Seth Evans. |
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Chai [WINK] May 21 street date. Since breaking out in 2018, CHAI have been associated with explosive joy. At the core of their music, CHAI have upheld a stated mission to deconstruct the standards of beauty and cuteness that can be so oppressive in Japan. Like all musicians, CHAI spent 2020 forced to rethink the fabric of their work and lives. But CHAI took this as an opportunity to shake up their process and bring their music somewhere thrillingly new. Having previously used their maximalist recordings to capture the exuberance of their live shows, with the audiences' reactions in mind, CHAI instead focused on crafting the slightly-subtler and more introspective kinds of songs they enjoy listening to at home. Their third full-length and first for Sub Pop, "WINK" contains CHAI's mellowest and most minimal music, and also their most affecting and exciting songwriting by far. CHAI draw R&B and hip-hop into their mix of dance-punk and pop-rock, all while remaining undeniably CHAI. |
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Current Joys [Voyager] May 14 street date. "Voyager", the seventh LP from Current Joys, rattles with the live-wire feeling that's thrummed through all of Nick Rattigan's previous releases: quavering, scream-itself-hoarse vocals and self-interrogation via song. But here, that bristling, sentimental rock 'n' roll cacophony is overlaid with a soundtrack orchestra guiding it along. It's an odyssey, a grand-sounding journey of self-discovery spread across sixteen tracks. Part ekphrasis, part personal, it's Rattigan learning new ways to understand his own feelings and identity while inspired by the highly-stylized, striking storytelling of filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, Terrence Malick, Agnès Varda, and Andrei Tarkovsky. "Voyager" is unlike anything Current Joys has released before. Rattigan's creative process imbues "Voyager" with an intensity and intimacy - with the sense that you're getting to hear, all at once, the disparate parts that make a project - or person - into a sprawling, cinematic whole. |
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Elevator To Hell [Eerieconsiliation (2LP "Extra" edition/colour)] Please note new street date: May 14. Blue Fog Recordings now brings to you this sweet fully remastered double vinyl gatefold reissue of this classic album. Record one features the original 16 song album and record two has 16 more songs from the "Eerie" sessions including original 7 inch only tracks, rarities, live tracks and 3 completely never before heard out-takes. All the original artwork has been freshly rescanned and is looking better than ever with a new layout including lots of photos and lyrics. Coloured vinyl. |
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Hatfield, Juliana [Blood] May 14 street date. "Blood" is Juliana Hatfield's 19th solo studio album of originals, and a deep dive into the dark side. The album is a brutal and critical look at modern human psychology and behavior; at personal and societal sickness. "I think these songs are a reaction to how seriously and negatively a lot of people have been affected by the past four years," says Juliana. "But it's fun, musically. There's a lot of playing around. I didn't really have a plan when I started this project". "Chunks" and "Had A Dream" are gritty and abrasive while "Mouthful of Blood" and "Gorgon" are groovy and ultra-melodic. All of it is eminently hummable and thought-provoking. Sophisticated but catchy. Challenging but danceable. |
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Interrupters [Live In Tokyo!] June 4 street date. Los Angeles based alt-rock quartet The Interrupters are releasing their first-ever live album "Live In Tokyo!" with a set list that captures the live power that made them one of the busiest touring bands in the world, with fan favourite songs from each of the band's three albums. The past three years have been pivotal for The Interrupters. The band toured the world in support of their "Fight the Good Fight" album (2018), including their first ever tour stop in Japan, where they captured this energetic live performance for their first live album "Live In Tokyo!". This recording captures the band that is know for their powerful live performances with features the band's most popular track from their three Hellcat Records albums. "Fight the Good Fight" debuted on the Billboard charts at #1 Heatseekers, #5 Current Rock, and #5 Current Alternative Album. The band have recently announced rescheduled tour dates this fall on the epic Hella Mega stadium tour opening up for Weezer, Fall Out Boy, and Green Day. |
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Iron & Wine [Archive Series Vol. 5: Tallahassee Recordings (LOSER edition)] May 7 street date. "Archive Series Volume No. 5: Tallahassee" is the lost-in-time debut album from Iron & Wine. A collection of songs recorded three years prior to his official Sub Pop debut, "The Creek Drank the Cradle" (2002). A period before the concept of Iron & Wine existed and principal songwriter Sam Beam was studying at Florida State University with the intent of pursuing a career in film. "Tallahassee Recordings" documents the very first steps on a journey that would lead to a career as one of America's most original and distinctive singer-songwriters. "Creek" arrived like a thief in the night with its lo-fi, hushed vocals and intimate nature, while almost inversely "Tallahassee" comes with a strange sense of confidence. Perhaps an almost youthful discretion that likely comes from being too young to know better and too naïve to give a shit. The recordings themselves are more polished than "Creek" and give a peek into what a studio version of that record might have offered up. |
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Japanese Breakfast [Jubilee] June 4 street date. From the moment she began writing her new album, Japanese Breakfast's Michelle Zauner knew that she wanted to call it "Jubilee". After all, a jubilee is a celebration of the passage of time - a festival to usher in the hope of a new era in brilliant technicolor. Zauner's first two albums garnered acclaim for the way they grappled with anguish; "Psychopomp" was written as her mother underwent cancer treatment, while "Soft Sounds From Another Planet" took the grief she held from her mother's death and used it as a conduit to explore the cosmos. Now, at the start of a new decade, Japanese Breakfast is ready to fight for happiness, an all-too-scarce resource in our seemingly crumbling world. Inspired by records like Bjork's "Homogenic", Zauner delivers bigness throughout - big ideas, big textures, colours, sounds and feelings. At a time when virtually everything feels extreme, "Jubilee" sets its sights on maximal joy, imagination, and exhilaration. |
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Lambchop [Showtunes (Peak Vinyl indie shop edition)] May 21 street date. In late 2019, Kurt Wagner was experimenting with something new, something that would eventually reveal itself as Lambchop's "Showtunes". By taking simple guitar tracks and converting them into MIDI piano tracks, "suddenly I discovered I could ‘play’ the piano", he says. "It was a revelation that from those conversions, I was able to manipulate each note and add, subtract, arrange the chords and melody into a form that didn't have any of the limitations I had with my previous methods of writing with a guitar". Removing these limitations led to a surprising new sound, something akin to show tunes but with edges sanded down and viewed through Kurt's own specific lens. For the first time, longtime friend and collaborator James McNew of Yo La Tengo joins on upright bass. As for the content of the songs, it's tempting to look at everything through the lens of the world we now live in. However, Kurt is quick to point out that these songs were conceived pre-COVID. |
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Maidza, Tkay [Last Year Was Weird Vol. 2] May 7 street date. Tkay Maidza announces the release of her assertive 8-song EP "Last Year Was Weird Vol. 2" Released on streaming services in August 2020, this is her first release on 4AD, following 2018's "Last Year Was Weird Vol. 1", which established her as one of the most exciting voices in the new guard of hip-hop. "Vol. 2" will include 2019's trap-infused, ARIA-nominated single ‘Awake’ featuring JPEGMAFIA, which earned a best of the decade nod from The Needle Drop, as well as praise from Pitchfork, The FADER, Dazed, Complex, and others. |
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Mergia, Hailu & The Walias [Tezeta] June 4 street date. From their genesis as members of the Venus club in-house band in the early 1970s, Hailu Mergia and the Walias Band were at the forefront of the musical revolution during an era where modern instruments and foreign styles superseded the traditional fare to become the staple sound of Ethiopia. No one would argue that the Walias were the trailblazing powerhouse of modern Ethiopian music. This "Tezeta" album, the band’s second recording, released in 1975, is one of those that have been impossible to find for nearly three decades. Sourced by Awesome Tapes From Africa and expertly remastered by Jessica Thompson, its unique and funky renditions of standards and popular songs of the day are so quintessentially Walias, flavorful and evocative. Hailu's melodic organ, unashamedly front and center in every track, makes even the complex pieces accessible. |
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Mighty Mighty Bosstones [When God Was Great (2LP/indie shop verion/yellow)] May 7 street date. Since their formation in 1983, the BossToneS have been credited as one of the forefathers of ska punk and the creators of its subgenre, ska-core. With a career spanning over 30-years, Boston's best dressed band has built and continued to build a devoted following with their unique brass-infused brand of punk rock. Here with their 11th studio album, "When God Was Great", their first for Hellcat Records, produced by Tim Armstrong (of Rancid) and Ted Hutt (of Flogging Molly), and featuring guest artists from the many punk and ska bands that they have influenced. The Mighty Mighty BossToneS are vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, saxophonists Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and Leon Silva, Bosstone Ben Carr, drummer Joe Sirois, guitarists Nate Albert and Lawrence Katz, keyboardist John Goetchius, and trombonist Chris Rhodes. |
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Moctar, Mdou [Afrique Victime (indie exclusive/purple)] May 21 street date. On May 21, Matador Records will release "Afrique Victime", the long-awaited new album by Mdou Moctar. On "Afrique Victime", the prodigious Tuareg guitarist and songwriter rips a new hole in the sky boldly reforging contemporary Saharan music and "rock music" by melding guitar pyrotechnics, full-blast noise, and field recordings with poetic meditations on love, religion, women's rights inequality, and Western Africa's exploitation at the hands of colonial powers. |
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Morcheeba [Blackest Blue (black vinyl)] May 14 street date. Pioneers of the British music scene, ‘Blackest Blue’ will be the Morcheeba's 10th studio album in a discography that spans three decades. ‘Blackest Blue’ is a refined 10 track album that fuses previous incarnations and sound of the band - such as downbeat, chill, electro-pop, and soul - into one cohesive record that dives deep into the soul of the band's genre-mashing musical heritage. As usual, the band didn't approach the album with any pre-conceptions, and instead created an organic journey that represents everything great about Morcheeba. Skye Edwards' lyrics are primarily focused on positivity and overcoming personal adversity that lies within. The album includes features with Duke Garwood (known for his work with Mark Lanegan, amongst others) and Brad Barr (The Slip, The Barr Brothers). Morcheeba's global reach is impressive, taking them to every corner of the world. Their signature chilled electronic/organic sound has been border-hopping ever since the London-based band emerged as a household name. |
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Mother Mother [Eureka (10th anniversary edition-translucent green)] May 14 street date. "Eureka" is the fourth record from seminal Vancouver alt-rock band Mother Mother, who have experienced a resurgence in online attention based on a series of viral Tik Tok trends this past year. The album celebrates its 10 year anniversary in 2021, and is available for the first time ever on translucent green vinyl. Mother Mother has had a whirlwind decade; over 830 million streams and views, more than 14 million monthly listeners and counting on digital platforms and 2 million Shazam searches. After over a decade of releasing music, a new global audience discovered the band via TikTok, resulting in rapid growth across all platforms and a Rolling Stone feature on this unique artist development story. In November of 2020, the band's 10-year-old song "Hayloft" was the most searched set of lyrics in the US, and second most searched in the world, and the band have made several appearances on Billboard's Top 10 Emerging Artists chart. The band currently have over 1M followers on TiKTok and Spotify and counting. |
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Phair, Liz [Soberish (indie exclusive-milky clear vinyl)] June 4 street date. Liz Phair brashly but effortlessly drops lyrical nuggets into her melody-driven, lo-fi songs. It makes for a devastating back catalogue; each of her records acts as another timely klaxon call for a generation not prepared to sit back nor shut up. It's a career that's heralded her Grammy Award nominations, a spot on Rolling Stone's albums of all-time list, and decades of critical acclaim that has inspired and influenced some of the brightest new faces of yesterday and today, veering from cult icon to mainstream concern. Over a decade since her last record was released, Liz Phair now returns with another bagful of fireworks already fizzing to be let off in the shape of new album "Soberish". Liz maintains the sass that propelled her to become such a critical darling, and that innate ear for melody and razor sharp way with words." Hey Lou" is the record's opening gambit, a mischievous ode to Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson, and Liz's jaunty lament back into our ears. Welcome back Miss Phair, we've missed you. |
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Portal [AVOW] May 28 street date. "AVOW" is the sixth full-length album from the mysterious influential avant-garde Australian death metal surrealists Portal, and the follow-up to 2018's acclaimed album "ION". One of the flagship artists and one of the longest running artists for Profound Lore Records, Portal have been recognized as one of the most influential avant-garde and experimental death metal bands of our time, musically and even visually with countless other artists (some being quite high profile) in their wake being highly influenced and even copying the band’s aesthetics. While unmistakably Portal in sound and nature, "AVOW" presents itself as another different, singular, and unique expression within the unparalleled Portal repertoire. |
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Reigning Sound [A Little More Time With Reigning Sound] May 21 street date. "A Little More Time", Reigning Sound's seventh proper full-length, is the original lineup's first in-studio collaboration since 2005's "Home for Orphans" LP, which Merge reissued last year. Ultimately, that 2020 reissue laid the groundwork for the outfit's reunification. In addition to working with old bandmates, Cartwright enlisted acclaimed producer Scott Bomar (Al Green, William Bell) at Electraphonic Recording, to produce in downtown Memphis. For the new LP, Cartwright employed a string section, an additional percussionist, and a pedal steel player on some of the tracks. Beyond that, Coco Hames (The Ettes, Parting Gifts) sings co-lead vocals on "Just Say When". |
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Rhys, Gruff [Seeking New Gods (die cut envelope-style/colour)] May 21 street date. Gruff Rhys is releasing his seventh solo album, "Seeking New Gods", recorded following a US tour with his band and mixed in LA with superstar producer Mario C (Beastie Boys). The album concept was originally driven to be the biography of a mountain, Mount Paektu (an East Asian active volcano). However, as Gruff's writing began to reflect on the inhuman timescale of a peak's existence and the intimate features that bring it to mythological life, both the songs and the mountain became more and more personal. |
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Richard, Dawn [Second Line] April 30 street date. Much like the New Orleans born artist who created it, "Second Line" is an unapologetic genre bender that pushes boundaries, expands possibilities, and shatters expectations. It's more than just an album: "Second Line" is a cohesive sensory experience that questions traditional ideas of sound, production, and visual aesthetics as they relate to music. Its interlocking parts tell an epic story about the quest for artistic expression, with Dawn describing her project as "a movement to bring pioneering Black women in electronic music to the forefront". "Second Line" cuts to the chase with its opening suite of dancefloor bangers, immediately displaying Dawn's mastery of layered production and melodic hooks. The album treats Louisiana Creole culture, New Orleans bounce, and Southern Swag as elemental, allowing Dawn to weave in and out of house, footwork, R&B, and more. |
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Rock, Pete & C.L. Smooth [Mecca And The Soul Brother (2LP-clear vinyl)] May 28 street date. Clear vinyl edition! "Mecca And The Soul Brother", the 1992 full-length debut from Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, is considered as one of the greatest Hip Hop albums of all time. The first single, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)", a dedication to their deceased friend "Trouble T-Roy", went on to become not only their signature hit, but also one of Hip Hop's all-time great songs. The album is propelled forward by Rock's quick, soulful interludes; usually bits of old R&B tunes layered with his signature trumpet and sax loops. Smooth's liquid freestyle delivery pieces together the perfect vocal match that, together, creates a sprawling, nearly 80-minute-long album on which not a single song or interlude is a throwaway or a superfluous piece. |
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Rostam [Changephobia (black vinyl)] June 4 street date. "Changephobia" is the second full-length solo record from Grammy Award-winning songwriter, producer, and composer Rostam Batmanglij. An adventurous new direction for Rostam, the songs collected on "Changephobia" are deeply personal, yet universal for anyone who has ever experienced doubt. In addition to being a founding member of the seminal New York indie rock band Vampire Weekend, Rostam has been described as "one of the great pop and indie-rock producers of his generation". Rostam has produced & co-written critically heralded recent albums by Clairo and Haim, as well as singles from Maggie Rogers, Solange, Charli XCX, Frank Ocean, Santigold, and others. |
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Yaeji [What We Drew (blue 1 year anniversary)] May 21 street date. One year ago NYC-via-Seoul electronic producer, DJ, and vocalist Yaeji released her debut, full-length project in the form of a diary-like mixtape titled "What We Drew". To commemorate the project's anniversary, Yaeji has issued a new limited-edition blue vinyl version of the album. Noted by Time Magazine, Stereogum, Billboard, Gorilla vs Bear, New Yorker, Pitchfork and more as one of the best albums of 2020, "What We Drew" is a reflection of Yaeji's gratitude towards her community, family and friends during a period of growth that resulted in a new found laser-focused creative vision for the artist. |
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RECORD STORE DAY DROPS 2021 For RSD approved Indie Record Stores To search: Type “2021RSD” in the TITLE field. For June 12 Drop titles only, type “2021RSD1” into the TITLE field. For July 17 Drop titles only, type “2021RSD2” into the TITLE field. Quantities are limited; no guarantees on fill. As always, these special editions will be available for a limited time only and in limited quantities. Order early for your best chance at good fill. Please note: For the safety of our staff and our community, we continue to work in a very limited capacity so that we can follow physical distancing protocols. |
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