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Der belgische Barock-Folk-Dichter Loverman veröffentlicht sein Debütalbum "Lovesongs". Alle Songs wurden von Loverman geschrieben und von Pieterjan Maertens und Jo Francken produziert, die vor allem für ihre Arbeit mit Tamino und Zaz bekannt sind. Die Liebe ist das zentrale Motiv des Albums und schwingt in jedem der 11 Songs mit - eine warme, intime und offene Atmosphäre durchdringt die ganze Platte.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra came to life in basements and bedrooms, the musical vision of Portlander-via-New Zealand Ruban Nielson that fused guitar-god riffs, choppy percussion, soul and funk. II, the sophomore album from UMO, emerged in an era rampant hedonism and isolationism and became the blueprint for everything Nielson has become renowned for. It was, and is, the solidification of Unknown Mortal Orchestra as an endlessly intriguing, brave and addictive band. Ten years on, it's back with an expanded edition. Written during a punishing, debauched touring schedule during which Nielson feared for both his sanity and health, II illustrates the emotional turmoil of life on the road, painting surrealist, cartoonish portraits of loneliness, love and despair. These conflicting themes are evident immediately; on the album's sleeve is an unnerving image of Janet Farrar, the famous British witch, Wiccan, author and teacher of witchcraft. The chilling refrain of opener "Into The Sun" sees Nielson deliver the line "Isolation can put a gun in your hand," softly, his words starkly intelligible above a warm, slow-burning melody that quickly brands itself onto your brain. His playful imagery ("I'm so lonely I've gotta eat my popcorn all alone") mirrors the melody, before a solo that borders on psychotropic ends II`s introduction. UMO is unafraid to dig deeper than the rest, their intoxicating, opiate groove bringing rock'n'roll's exaggerated myths to life. And as it unfolds, II does find Nielson reenergized. "One At A Time" and "Faded In The Morning" boast dizzying choruses and instrumentals; these crusty hunks could have been excavated from a lost 1960s treasure trove. "Monki" unravels over seven minutes like the yarn from a stoner's cardigan with an eye-frying pattern. "Dawn" is a minute of disconcerting noise that stands out between the nooks and crannies of the choruses, guitar solos, groove-heavy bass and drums that were recorded live by newly-recruited drummer Greg Rogove and Kody Nielson in a move away from the electronic percussion employed on album one. II closes with "Secret Xtians," a tender observational puzzle that fizzes to a satisfied end. In celebration of the album's 10th anniversary Nielson's complete collection from the II era is finally available in one compilation, and features the five acoustic tracks from the Blue EP as well as two additional B-sides. Unknown Mortal Orchestra was once Nielson's closeted concern. With an album that uses his singular musical imagination and extraordinary talent to parade his emotions with unyielding honesty, it is now a fully realized band operating at the peak of its powers ten years on.

Taipan Tiger Girls’ third and final LP is a hypnotic, cosmic freakout that combines analogue electronics, drums, guitar and the mammoth drones of the Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ. Recorded live at Melbourne Music Week in 2017 in front of an ecstatic sold out hometown crowd, this record marks the zenith of the short but incendiary career of an extraordinary band. An instrumental outfit with a relentless drive to experiment, Taipan Tiger Girls are composer, producer and all-round electric statesman Ollie Olsen (WhirlyWirld / Max Q / NO / Third-Eye / Psy-Harmonics), experimental drummer and synth obsessive Mat Watson (Boredoms BoaDrum / E.S.G / ULMD / Other Places), and feedback guitar droner and organist Lisa MacKinney (Mystic Eyes / Hospital Pass / Super-Luminum). On Live At the Melbourne Town Hall they are joined by very special guest guitarist Bonnie Mercer (Grey Daturas/Hospital Pass/Breathing Shrine) with MacKinney commanding the historic Melbourne Town Hall pipe organ. Live at the Melbourne Town Hall is a monument to the combined talents of a group of phenomenal musicians whose fusion created a magic elixir made all the more precious by its temporary nature. Showcasing the improvisatory prowess of the band at the peak of their powers and bolting off into the stratosphere in a thrilling surge of psychedelic expansion. GENRE: EXPERIMENTAL, DRONE, ELECTRONIC, ANALOGUE SYNTH, LIVE, PSYCHEDELIC, IMPROVISED Released in conjunction with Heavy Machinery Records

David Byrne is a modern renaissance man - and that’s not just a cliché. From the heady days as co-founder of the celebrated art new-wave group Talking Heads (1976-88) through his own constantly evolving and innovative solo music career, he has pursued his muse on many different artistic fronts. He’s been the driving force behind a body of work that has been both intellectually daring and commercially successful...and he shows no signs of slowing down decades later. This show, captured on November 28, 2001, came on the heels of his hit single, “Like Humans Do” and the release of the album Look Into The Eyeball, which was another typically eclectic musical stew reflecting a variety of styles and influences, from Philly soul to a D.C. Go-Go inspired groove and his first-ever Spanish composition, “Desconocido Soy.” Critics at the time called it his best work in years, and his performance on the Austin City Limits stage shows why. Joined by Austin’s own eclectic tango ensemble Tosca, Byrne takes us down many different musical roads in his ACL debut. Of course, besides the brilliant songwriter and performer that he is, he’s also an accomplished performance artist, photographer, web journalist, film writer / director, composer of motion picture soundtracks, and founder of his own world music label, Luaka Bop Records. He also has a collection of Grammys, Oscars and Golden Globes on his mantel. His music may be complex and poetic, but he makes no bones about his ultimate intent: “I want to move people to dance and cry at the same time. - Terry Lickona (Producer Austin City Limits)

Two and a half decades into a career that's never delivered the stardom forecast by legions of champions, John Hiatt has settled into a niche that's about as comfortable as a maturing singer-songwriter could ask for. No longer a major-label priority, Hiatt has hooked up with the stalwart folk label Vanguard for his 15th release. Crossing Muddy Waters adroitly captures Hiatt's comfort and confidence. Not so much blues as blusey, Crossing Muddy Waters features 11 new Hiatt compositions, half of which feel instantly familiar. The rambunctious "Lift Up Every Stone" sounds a little like some of Tom Waits's more accessible recent efforts, while "Take It Down" is a love-lost lament that's as heavy as a foggy evening. Crossing Muddy Waters was cut in three days and features only two accompanists--the uncommonly sympathetic Davey Faragher and David Immerglück. Just goes to show that Hiatt moves just fine when he's not dragging a lot of added weight and heavy expectations behind him.

For The Nude Party, nearly a decade has flown by in the blink of an eye. In that time, the New
York-based band has released a pair of well-received albums, an EP and played numerous shows.
The band has historically worked with a producer to help them create a distinct sound in their records
but with their latest effort, Rides On, the band decided to handle production duties by themselves. The
hands-on approach allowed the band to have as much fun creating as they ever had at any other point
in their career. They recorded over 20 songs, including some that dabbled in electro-pop and
stripped-down country before settling on the final 14 songs containing the best elements of ‘70s-driven
blues rock. The relaxed vibe of the session also unleashed a diverse sonic texture compared to their
previous releases. Sonically, the album is reminiscent of Sticky Fingers-era Stones, but the lyrics are
mini-vignettes that embody the spirit of what The Nude Party are going for — and their growth as a
band. Rides On, the band confidently says, is their best record. It’s also the most homegrown and
organic record The Nude Party has created to date.

This is the first color pressing of this performance. Doug Sahm AKA Sir Doug was both a Texas rock & roll legend and pioneer. True, there were others before him (Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison come to mind), but the Sir Douglas Quintet counterattacked the British invasion of the mid 1960’s with their own brand of Chicano-influenced rock that they had been playing around their hometown of San Antonio. Wearing their tight-fitting, English-looking suits, they hit the charts with “She’s About A Mover” in ’65, riding the waves with Doug’s incessant guitar twangs and Augie Meyer’s much-imitated, two-to-a-beat Vox electric organ chords. This performance, recorded October 14, 1975, came after Doug had temporarily retired the Sir Douglas name, but features original member Meyer along with musical compadres Martin Steitle, John Barber, Steve McDaniels and Harry Hess. All the Sir Douglas Quintet classics are here, including “She’s About a Mover,” “Mendocino,” and “Rains Came,” and Doug ventures into other musical territory ranging from T-Bone Walker to Bob Wills. Long before the Quintet, Doug had been making music since even before the birth of rock & roll. He began his career as “Little Doug,” a guitar-playing prodigy who was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry when he was only 13. Over time, with the help of his irrepressible personality, he became a voice for Texas music, the original “cosmic cowboy” back in the heyday of the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin. But his influence went beyond Texas; in 1973 he even lured Bob Dylan out of hermitage to record with him, and Bob in turn invited him to join his legendary Rolling Thunder Review Tour. Doug left us suddenly in 1999, but he left behind a unique legacy, a “Groover’s Paradise” indeed. - Terry Lickona (Producer Austin City Limits®)

Bathed in a green haze, the crowd oozed to the mutant rock and roll roaring from the basement's dusty depths — everything and everyone was sweaty and sticky. But as Speedy Ortiz crammed into the back corner, their grins just inches away from ours, D.C.’s Dougout became a moshed-and-sloshed sauna of 20-somethings delirious on rock euphoria.

After spending much of the new millennium bored out of my skull by network soap indie, Speedy Ortiz — not to mention its pals in Pile, Ovlov, Grass is Green and the rest of New England’s burgeoning basement scene — was rock's wild howl. The songs were unpredictable, yet weirdly memorable, swaggering with a winky and wry sense of self. Riffs would twist with a topsy tenderness, then slam a ruptured discord. Sadie Dupuis' sphinxian-yet-sensitive lyrics were not only matched but accentuated by her coil-sprung vibrato. How could Speedy Ortiz not immediately become my new favorite band?

What began as a short-lived solo project recorded in Dupuis' off-hours as a rock camp counselor became a four-piece band in Northampton, Mass., by the end of 2011: Dupuis on guitar and vocals with drummer Mike Falcone, bassist Darl Ferm and guitarist Matt Robidoux. They made cool mixtapes, cracked inside jokes and gushed about teenagers that opened for them on tour. They freaked out (via LiveJournal) when they met the bassist from Polvo or Helium's Mary Timony, but also rolled their eyes at '90s indie-rock comparisons. The band's first single — the gender-bending got-laid grunge yowler "Taylor Swift'' — elicited that rare response of the simultaneous giggle and headbang. The Sports EP amped up the taut yet rubbery riffery.

Released July 9, 2013, Major Arcana is filled with wedding chapel exorcisms, oiled-down attractants and criminally twisted puny little villains — this is Dupuis' haunted lexicon as she scales the toxic Aggro Crag of a breakup. And while Dupuis wrote these songs, the band's convulsing arrangements and diverse influences sprawled the squigglier edges of feedbacked fuzz to mete out matters of the heart. Falcone — who, it's worth noting, has a knack for vocal harmony — swung as much as he smashed the drums. In easily tipoverable songs, Ferm's burly bass and percussive overdubs gave the unruly glee its momentum. Robidoux ripped skronky guitar solos and countered Dupuis' riffs with decorative splatter. Over a four-day marathon session at Sonelab in Easthampton, recording engineer Justin Pizzoferrato sparked the studio imagination of Speedy Ortiz — not only leaning into gritty tones but layer-caking dense dynamics that made these songs pop and pulverize.

For all her sweet-toothed seething, Dupuis was not easy on herself. Everyone's allowed the idiot growing pains of your 20s and the misery that follows, but I can only imagine the emotional exhaustion that playing these songs on the road, night after night, must have wrought. "But you left something on my lips: a mark so sick," she repeats over the doomy destruction that ends the album. Thinking back to the many Speedy Ortiz shows I caught in those early years, including an unofficial after-after party for my own wedding, "MKVI" often served as the noisy down-and-out closer — heads would bang in solidarity as the crowd became co-authors in the chaos, the biting phrase now a hex, Speedy Ortiz forever our coven. —Lars Gotrich

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Major Arcana, Speedy Ortiz release a remastered edition on Carpark Records.

Encore!? Say no more.. Plush number 4 is here!
Elusive local live hero JCow soft launches into the arms of Plush Records, bringing a modern day classique to the underground masses. The Berlin based producer & DJ has been humbly making waves amongst prancers and dancers; unless you’ve been living under a rock!

“Wish U Were Here W Me” is a pupil dilating, rump shaking sunrise anthem; a melodic masterclass with a bassline that puts funky town to shame. Vocals expertly extracted from Brandy’s “Long Distance'' which soar like silk over a breathtaking breakdown.. tugging at heartstrings across the globe. The Emotional Breakdown mix is catering to the softies out there, stripped back and filling up your cup, pure natural ecstasy.

Close your eyes and get lost in the groove.

Second album from the danish DJ & producer features 8 club tracks that explores pulse-racing, cartoonish and colourful atmospheres and textures.

On the album you will find classic disco references morphed into ultra vivid sound design and up to date dance bangers. You'll also find threefold narrative bliss boiled into a dance adventure and fresh takes on classic dub techno with clear spy trance references.

Once again Kasper shows his ability to take something well-known, combine it and create something new and fresh yet original with a clear artistic marque.

Freshly delivered by Axces Recordings for your dancing pleasure and next level club experiences.

Taisha Records Sales Pack including:
* Avilynn - Anaesthesia TAI001
* Avilynn - Five Million Sunsets [TAI002]
* Avilynn - 6 [TAI003]

Originally released in 2003 on CD via Post-Parlo Records, and two years later on vinyl via Morr Music, the »Home EP« sees Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service) and Andrew Kenny (The American Analog Set) each contributing three original tracks and playing one of the other's songs. This 2023 vinyl edition is released via Morr Music (EU+UK) and Barsuk Records (US). It features the artwork by Jan Kruse, that was originally made for the 2005 Morr Music version.

The EP was released as the fifth and final volume of the early-’00s series of split albums on Austin, TX indie Post-Parlo, the Gibbard/Kenny pairing followed short contributions in the series from such varied notable early-aughts indie artists as Kind of Like Spitting, Britt Daniel (Spoon), Bright Eyes, Pavo and Super XX Man.

Gibbard and Kenny’s installment came out during a prolific era for both writers: The American Analog Set had released the classic »Know By Heart« album in 2001 and followed it in 2003 with the acclaimed »Promise of Love«, while Gibbard’s profile was rising significantly via the critical and commercial success of The Postal Service’s »Give Up« and Death Cab’s »Transatlanticism«. Unlike the more lush arrangements of their main projects, both Kenny and Gibbard took a simple approach for their entry into the Home series, recording on cassette four-track machines in their respective living rooms in New York and Seattle and each performing four exclusive stripped-down tracks (including a cover of one of the other’s songs – Kenny choosing a rendition of Death Cab’s »Line of Best Fit« and Gibbard delivering his version of AmAnSet’s »Choir Vandals«).

»Home EP« showcases two brilliant songwriters whose legacies continue to shine twenty years later. The American Analog Set recently announced »For Forever«, their seventh album and first new music in 18 years, which was released last week and followed the band’s announcement earlier this year that The Numero Group will reissue their first three albums »The Fun of Watching Fireworks« (1996), »From Our Living Room to Yours «(1997), and »The Golden Band« (1999) as a vinyl boxset in early 2024.

Benjamin Gibbard has recently finished fronting both bands on the sold out Death Cab for Cutie / The Postal Service co-headline tour of arenas and amphitheaters in the United States celebrating the 20th anniversary of »Give Up« and »Transatlanticism«.

Univers Zero's new album (since 10 years) follows the lineage of 'Phosphorescent Dreams', originally released only on CD in Japan in 2014, and reissued as an LP on the Sub Rosa label in 2019. Lueur is the fruit of two years' work and reflection, the foundations of which were laid by Daniel Denis (keyboards, drums, percussion...), then enriched by the contributions of Nicolas Dechêne (guitars), Kurt Budé (clarinet / bass clarinet) and Nicolas Denis (bass, percussion, vocals), all three present on Phosphorescent Dreams.

With this reduced line-up, Lueur offers a dense journey, rooted in the balance between power and calm, raging and serene sound. A balance, too, between complex arrangements and more contemplative moments. While this album continues the avant-rock tradition of Univers Zero, it also features some very short pieces, more electronic, tribal and haunting sounds, and voice work that is new to the U.Z. universe. Between tradition and subtle evolution, Lueur is a major new contribution to the discography of this band, which will be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary in 2024.

Univers Zero represents one of the longest-living bands in Belgium. It was established in 1974. Drummer Daniel Denis had the brilliant idea to gather together a team of professionals sharing the same taste for music. The band has adopted an instrumental progressive style. Over the last couple of decades, the band has also implemented a series of influences from chamber music - most commonly, chamber music from the 20th century. Even if the line-up changes a lot over the years, the overall sound of UZ remained fairly consistent.

Univers Zero's new album (since 10 years) follows the lineage of 'Phosphorescent Dreams', originally released only on CD in Japan in 2014, and reissued as an LP on the Sub Rosa label in 2019. Lueur is the fruit of two years' work and reflection, the foundations of which were laid by Daniel Denis (keyboards, drums, percussion...), then enriched by the contributions of Nicolas Dechêne (guitars), Kurt Budé (clarinet / bass clarinet) and Nicolas Denis (bass, percussion, vocals), all three present on Phosphorescent Dreams.

With this reduced line-up, Lueur offers a dense journey, rooted in the balance between power and calm, raging and serene sound. A balance, too, between complex arrangements and more contemplative moments. While this album continues the avant-rock tradition of Univers Zero, it also features some very short pieces, more electronic, tribal and haunting sounds, and voice work that is new to the U.Z. universe. Between tradition and subtle evolution, Lueur is a major new contribution to the discography of this band, which will be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary in 2024.

Univers Zero represents one of the longest-living bands in Belgium. It was established in 1974. Drummer Daniel Denis had the brilliant idea to gather together a team of professionals sharing the same taste for music. The band has adopted an instrumental progressive style. Over the last couple of decades, the band has also implemented a series of influences from chamber music - most commonly, chamber music from the 20th century. Even if the line-up changes a lot over the years, the overall sound of UZ remained fairly consistent.

After a hiatus of quite some time, the Belgian duo composed by the world renowned model Kim Peers and post-metal band Amenra’s guitarist Mathieu Vandekerckhove, is finally back with a new full-length album.

Four years have passed since their debut Benevolence. Meanwhile Skemer took the time to let all sides of their personality grow and eventually explode. You remember their minimalist cold wave deconstructions equally made of brutal and erotic components. A duality deeply rooted in the band’s music as well as in their line-up and obviously their live shows, where romantic and ethereal atmospheres collide with the gothic side of electronic and techno music. This is even more present on their new LP Toasts & Sentiments.

Eleven new cuts where every side of Skemer’s nature gets its own share of expression only to leave you wrapped in one pitch black cloak. A few episodes in the duo’s native language Dutch, add even more mystery to the occult receipt.

Get in the introspective, tranche insistent riff on the opening track Eyelashes and get catapulted, quite literally, on the dark side of the moon. Keep on wandering the alien surface with Seen and its solemn gait. Pick up your pace with the pounding drums of Easy To Embrace and Kiss Me Kill Me. Go down the stairs to the dungeon of the club culture with lead singles Overgave and Out Of Favor claustrophobic electro. Remain bogged down in the darkness with New Born Babe, get slapped by Apocalypse’s industrial trance crescendo. Rest and collapse with the final track’s texture of ambient synths and reverberating guitars.

It may have taken four years for Skemer to present their new creation but it was definitely worth the wait. Walk the night with us.

The earth rotates, seasons change_there is but one long day_ Time is a beguiling, indistinct entity_sometimes standing still, sometimes bending back upon itself with premonitions or memories of the future. Growing out of a pen pal style correspondence that took place over the course of a year, separated by the Atlantic Ocean, Gloria de Oliveira and Dean Hurley passed thoughts and music back and forth that would eventually form their collaborative album, Oceans of Time. The result is an aural tapestry of that exchange: woven from conceptual threads of the celestial within, mortality and the realm beyond stars. The duo's partnership is an effortless merge, yet it's the steady presence of de Oliveira's vocals that endows the record with its sense of potency. Throughout the album, there is an innate understanding of how a lyric across a chordal color can sharpen an emotional truth. Much like a sunbeam that pierces a spiderweb to reveal its intricacy, her lyric and melody are purposely aimed in order to illuminate the truths deep within oneself_a process that ties us all to the universal. The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, a professed influence, wrote about the truth as something that was inherently subjective, less about the concrete reality of what is believed and more about how it is experienced by the believer. Frequent David Lynch collaborator Dean Hurley sets the tonal and sonic landscape of each track on the album, lending a layered ether that envelops, frames and holds de Oliveira's vocals. With its impressionistic synths, shimmering guitars, and ethereal sonics, Oceans of Time at moments recalls the foundational dreampop of 4AD acts like Cocteau Twins and Lush. The album feels especially attuned to the connections between the physical and transcendental realms, and the best dreampop has a way of making the veil between two worlds feel just a little bit thinner. Oceans of Time is a key that has the power to release its listener from the handcuffs of reality, however briefly_

The earth rotates, seasons change_there is but one long day_ Time is a beguiling, indistinct entity_sometimes standing still, sometimes bending back upon itself with premonitions or memories of the future. Growing out of a pen pal style correspondence that took place over the course of a year, separated by the Atlantic Ocean, Gloria de Oliveira and Dean Hurley passed thoughts and music back and forth that would eventually form their collaborative album, Oceans of Time. The result is an aural tapestry of that exchange: woven from conceptual threads of the celestial within, mortality and the realm beyond stars. The duo's partnership is an effortless merge, yet it's the steady presence of de Oliveira's vocals that endows the record with its sense of potency. Throughout the album, there is an innate understanding of how a lyric across a chordal color can sharpen an emotional truth. Much like a sunbeam that pierces a spiderweb to reveal its intricacy, her lyric and melody are purposely aimed in order to illuminate the truths deep within oneself_a process that ties us all to the universal. The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, a professed influence, wrote about the truth as something that was inherently subjective, less about the concrete reality of what is believed and more about how it is experienced by the believer. Frequent David Lynch collaborator Dean Hurley sets the tonal and sonic landscape of each track on the album, lending a layered ether that envelops, frames and holds de Oliveira's vocals. With its impressionistic synths, shimmering guitars, and ethereal sonics, Oceans of Time at moments recalls the foundational dreampop of 4AD acts like Cocteau Twins and Lush. The album feels especially attuned to the connections between the physical and transcendental realms, and the best dreampop has a way of making the veil between two worlds feel just a little bit thinner. Oceans of Time is a key that has the power to release its listener from the handcuffs of reality, however briefly_

Tin Fingers takes on a darker, melancholic direction on their second full album. Felix Machtelinckx' weeping vocals, preaching, searching, and trying to understand God, form the leitmotif. With rich melodies, haunting piano sounds, improvisations, first takes and no overdubs, Tin Fingers is searching for pureness and keeping things human and simple. The band is playing together intuitively, without a computer, without ego, just for the sake of music

The creation of the album was very fluent and spontaneous. Singer Felix wrote the backbones of the songs and the lyrics on acoustic guitar and piano. He wanted to have songs ready in order to be able to record and write arrangements fast. With an eye for details but without overthinking, keeping the ideas fresh. 'I wanted to stay in love with the music.' he explains. 'It needed to go fast, very fast, in just two weeks the entire album was recorded and ready to be mixed.'

In the studio, the band especially focused on picking the right mood rather than playing the right notes.

They were fed up with working on a computer for many hours, overthinking production choices, and adding instruments on top of each other as if they were Lego blocks. This time they decided to work in a more traditional way, going for first takes, jams, and essentially working with analog gear. No computers, no screens, no distractions. Only four humans in a studio trying to make a sound together by keeping things spontaneous and raw. They said goodbye to perfection and worked towards an unfinished product, a snapshot.

Tin Fingers also didn't want to sound like any other artist on this record. They decided not to listen to music during the sessions, and to never express ideas by referencing other bands. Just before the studio session, however, bass player Simen Wouters broke the rules and shared Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's, I See Darkness. Its dark and searching sound ended up inspiring the band unmistakably.

Once the recording was finished, the band decided to keep the volatile rhythm going and asked reputable NYC-based mixer and producer D. James Goodwin to finish the job. Goodwin, known for his analog folk productions with a real American punchy sound but a tender touch, proved the right man for the job. He opened up the songs and kept things poetic, minimal but impressive.

Second chances are rare in rock 'n' roll. Most bands only get one shot at the brass ring, and once the opportunity passes by, it's gone forever. Maybe that's why Uncle Lucius sounds like a band reborn on Like It's The Last One Left, a cathartic comeback album that reunites the platinum-selling group — and pumps new blood into its roster — after a five-year hiatus. Written and recorded in the band's hometown of Austin, Texas, Like It's The Last One Left isn't just a return to form; it's an expansion, bolstering Uncle Lucius' mix of amped-up Americana and greasy roots-rock with string arrangements, adventurous production, and the sharpest songwriting of the group's career. "There are no limitations this time around," says frontman Kevin Galloway. "We're exploring different areas of American roots music, and we're doing it our own way. There's a new perspective that comes with stepping away from something for a while, then coming back to it. You can see it with new eyes." Rooted in lyrics about resolve and resilience, Like It's The Last One Left blurs the boundaries between genre and generation. It's a battle cry from a band that's rededicated itself to fighting the good fight, trading the breakneck pace of the group's past for something a little more swaggering, stabilizing, and singular. "Remember to breathe," Galloway sings during the album's final moments, delivering those lines like a veteran road warrior who's seen his share of exhaustion. That's good advice. After spending a decade in the trenches, Uncle Lucius has caught its breath, seized the moment, and enjoyed a much-deserved victory lap. Like It's The Last One Left is the soundtrack to the next leg of the journey.

‘Double Pink’ is the debut album by And Is Phi (Andrea Isabelle Phillips), a multidisciplinary artist from Norway and the Philippines now based in South East London. ‘Double Pink’ is a nuanced world that draws on colours and texture; with influences of Joni Mitchell and Frank Zappa, 90's R&B and Madlib’s ‘Shades Of Blue’ blending languidly to produce a base for uncovering layers of self, a deep release, and fragile new form.

Written by Andrea and co-produced with Fiona Roberts and Lorenz Okello over a nine month period; ‘Double Pink’ thematically explores the many movements of internal change, speaking from a deep inner voice inside the body. The title track is an invitation to be as unapologetically hungry as you please after a long absence of life giving passion and trust in oneself. ‘White Noise’ is a recovery song playing in your soul the first time you made it back out to the dance floor after a heart break so massive it laid rest to the person you used to be. Songs like ‘Working’ and ‘Staaar’ come from a candid and contemplative aspect. Stages of grief and resilience and wonder and wisdom are all touched upon.

“The album explores metamorphosis, liminal spaces, and the multiple faces of love”, says Andrea. “I mention love as a key ingredient, because anyone who has had to push and pull and hold and yield themselves through great loss and transformation knows it ain’t gonna happen without love. Tough times ask for double love, a stronger heart, something like a double pink”.

Andrea’s story dots between periods spent living in Norway, the Philippines and England - experiencing joy and beauty battling corruption and violence in Manila, DJing in Oslo, losing her sizable record collection in a warehouse fire before making friends and family in the jazz scene in London. Every story needs a scene, a landscape, an environment; all things Andrea visualises when writing songs.

“At my heart I am emotional and imaginative, searching for freedom for my spirit. What grounds it all is coming from a family of storytellers. My father played drums and percussion, he was a great dancer and a true collector and connoisseur of music from everywhere. My wise mother instilled in me a sense of faith and grace”.

Andrea is far from new to the scene, having performed with Steamdown, Emma Jean Thackray, Hector Plimmer, Scrimshire, William Florelle and many more as a valuable and inspiring creative force within the South London music scene. Andrea also created the album’s artwork and music videos: musicality and painting evolved from her initial creative languages of drawing and dance. All aspects are dialects of her common language: singing what can’t be painted and painting what can’t be sung.

When Black Pumas made their self-titled debut in 2019, the Austin-bred duo set off a reaction almost as combustible and rapturous as their music itself. Along with earning a career total of seven Grammy Award nominations (including Album Of The Year) and winning praise from leading outlets like Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada achieved massive success as a live act, touring large theatres all over Europe and North and South America and delivering a transcendent show Burton aptly refers to as “electric church.” As they set to work on their highly awaited sophomore album, the band broadened their palette to include a dazzling expanse of musical forms: heavenly hybrids of soul and symphonic pop, mind-bending excursions into jazz-funk and psychedelia, starry-eyed love songs that feel dropped down from the cosmos. Wilder and weirder and more extravagantly composed than its predecessor, Chronicles of a Diamond arrives as the fullest expression yet of Black Pumas’ frenetic creativity and limitless vision.

“‘Bashed Out’... will also likely be her breakout... get ready to hear a lot more from her.” - Stereogum  This Is The Kit is the much beloved musical project of Kate Stables, born in England and based in Paris. ‘Bashed Out’ was produced Aaron Dessner, a member of The National known for both minting indie icons (Sharon Van Etten, Local Natives) and, more recently, becoming a producer to stars like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran. Dessner’s former client Sharon Van Etten called This Is The Kit her “favorite new artist” in Pitchfork.  The backing band gathered for ‘Bashed Out’ combines the talents of This Is The Kit’s touring members alongside session players drawn from the Brooklyn music scene: Bryce Dessner, Thomas Bartlett (Doveman, The Gloaming), Matt Barrick (The Walkmen) and Ben Lanz (Beirut, The National) made key contributions.  Since this LP’s initial release Kate made significant contributions to The National’s 2019 album/film ‘I Am Easy To Find’ and became a touring member on subsequent live dates. In 2020, ‘Bashed Out’’s title track became a streaming hit after an impactful needle drop in a key episode of Netflix’s ‘Sex Education’ series.  This music is honest, human and humane - a folky-lovely slowrumble. It’s rock but of the groovy, hangover-friendly, stoner variety. Stables’ voice hearkens back to the singer-songwriter era - her distinctive, cutting vocals up front in the mix.  The Line of Best Fit has the band as an “essential fixture of British folk music for the past 10 years… one of a handful of truly innovate songwriters working with the British folk template today.”  For fans of Joni Mitchell, Bon Iver, Sharon Van Etten, Father John Misty, Gillian Welch, Laura Marling, Natalie Prass, Jose Gonzalez.  This is the first time ‘Bashed Out’ has been widely available on vinyl since 2019.  ‘Green Eyed Muddy Puddle’ eco-vinyl variant.  Heavy touring in UK, Europe and North American to support the June 2023 release on Rough Trade, ‘Careful Of Your Keepers’.

With a voice of pure gold and a startling sensitivity for heartfelt pop songwriting, on No Reino Dos Afetos (In the Realm of Affections), Berle firmly embraces earnestness, through starry-eyed Brazilian love songs, ambient vignettes, warm, home-cooked beats and gentle strokes of MPB genius.

Maceió, the capital of Brazil’s Alagoas state on its sprawling east-coast, is home to pastel coloured colonial houses, white sand beaches and a brilliant young composer, poet and multi-instrumentalist named Bruno Berle.
With a voice of pure gold and a startling sensitivity for heartfelt pop songwriting, on No Reino Dos Afetos (In the Realm of Affections), Berle firmly embraces earnestness, through starry-eyed Brazilian love songs, ambient vignettes, warm, home-cooked beats and gentle strokes of MPB genius.

“It’s an album that was built from my desire to find beauty”, Berle explains - his simple, graceful words mirroring the graceful simplicity in his music. But amongst the simplicity, the compositions, arrangements and productions on No Reino Dos Afetos tingle with nuance and detail.

On the contemporary R&B inspired lead single “Quero Dizer” - produced by Berle and longtime friend and collaborator Batata Boy - the swirling, lo-fi, kalimba and guitar-fronted beat is turned into a feel-good hit by the ingenuity of Berle’s honey-soaked vocal melody.

Powerfully intimate, “O Nome Do Meu Amor” (My Love’s Name) is a guaranteed tearjerker, with Berle’s stunning voice soaring over gently plucked acoustic guitar and the textural flutter of soft movement, as if we hear him writing the song in the moment.
Drawing upon a close-knit, collaborative scene of Maceió artists and musicians, (of which Berle and Batata Boy are vital members), Berle also recorded some of his friends songs on the album, including João Menezes’ “Até Meu Violao”, the album’s beautifully laid back sunshine soul opener, which has all the charm of early-70s João Donato.

Having cut his teeth in soft-rock group Troco em Bala, and more recently finding himself embedded in both Rio and Sao Paulo’s contemporary music scenes - collaborating with the likes of Ana Frango Eletrico, who took the photo for the album cover - No Reino Dos Afetos is as musically diverse as Bruno himself. It’s hazy indie rock (“É Preciso Ter Amor”), calming ambient and field recording (“Virginia Talk”) as well as Berle’s own take on West African High Life (“Som Nyame”).

Instantly recognisable as a truly special artist, Berle’s character fills every corner of the sound, which is unsurprising considering he played most of the instruments.

Das Weihnachtsalbum von Bright Eyes beginnt mit einer von Klavier, Flöte, Ambient-Geräuschen und Sägeinstrumenten getriebenen Version von "Away in a Manger" und hilft dabei, Gelegenheits-Weihnachtsmusikliebhaber auszusortieren. Die gläubigsten Jünger von Conor Oberst hatten bereits 2002 mit der ursprünglichen Saddle Creek-Veröffentlichung von "A Christmas Album" gelernt, dass die Wärme der Weihnachtszeit nur noch von ihrem Potential an Melancholie übertrumpft wird. Oberst und eine kleine Armee von Freunden in seinem Haus jamborieren durch Weihnachtsklassiker wie "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" und "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem". Festtagsstimmung, wenn sie mit Obersts Markenzeichen, dem Zittern in der Stimme, vorgetragen wird, klingt eher wie ein Klagelied als wie eine Hymne der kirchlichen Freude. Die zerbrechliche, hausbackene, und etwas scheuklappenartige Stimmung, die das Album durchdringt entspricht, sowohl seltsam als auch befriedigend, wahrscheinlich mehr dem wahren Geist der Jahreszeit.

Das Weihnachtsalbum von Bright Eyes beginnt mit einer von Klavier, Flöte, Ambient-Geräuschen und Sägeinstrumenten getriebenen Version von "Away in a Manger" und hilft dabei, Gelegenheits-Weihnachtsmusikliebhaber auszusortieren. Die gläubigsten Jünger von Conor Oberst hatten bereits 2002 mit der ursprünglichen Saddle Creek-Veröffentlichung von "A Christmas Album" gelernt, dass die Wärme der Weihnachtszeit nur noch von ihrem Potential an Melancholie übertrumpft wird. Oberst und eine kleine Armee von Freunden in seinem Haus jamborieren durch Weihnachtsklassiker wie "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" und "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem". Festtagsstimmung, wenn sie mit Obersts Markenzeichen, dem Zittern in der Stimme, vorgetragen wird, klingt eher wie ein Klagelied als wie eine Hymne der kirchlichen Freude. Die zerbrechliche, hausbackene, und etwas scheuklappenartige Stimmung, die das Album durchdringt entspricht, sowohl seltsam als auch befriedigend, wahrscheinlich mehr dem wahren Geist der Jahreszeit.

Das Weihnachtsalbum von Bright Eyes beginnt mit einer von Klavier, Flöte, Ambient-Geräuschen und Sägeinstrumenten getriebenen Version von "Away in a Manger" und hilft dabei, Gelegenheits-Weihnachtsmusikliebhaber auszusortieren. Die gläubigsten Jünger von Conor Oberst hatten bereits 2002 mit der ursprünglichen Saddle Creek-Veröffentlichung von "A Christmas Album" gelernt, dass die Wärme der Weihnachtszeit nur noch von ihrem Potential an Melancholie übertrumpft wird. Oberst und eine kleine Armee von Freunden in seinem Haus jamborieren durch Weihnachtsklassiker wie "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" und "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem". Festtagsstimmung, wenn sie mit Obersts Markenzeichen, dem Zittern in der Stimme, vorgetragen wird, klingt eher wie ein Klagelied als wie eine Hymne der kirchlichen Freude. Die zerbrechliche, hausbackene, und etwas scheuklappenartige Stimmung, die das Album durchdringt entspricht, sowohl seltsam als auch befriedigend, wahrscheinlich mehr dem wahren Geist der Jahreszeit.

Bas Jan return with a polished and poignant collection of perfectly-crafted pop songs that retains their authentic indie edginess. 'Back To The Swamp' is a heady tussle between their incorrigible DIY ethics and new responsibilities. Serafina Steer, Charlotte Stock, Emma Smith and Rachel Horwood cast an examining eye over modern times, lost love, Tarot intuition and long days in an everyday swamp. Awash with lush chorale effects, orchestral hewn loops, pin sharp electronic beats and sublime harmonies. Back To The Swamp is filled with thought-provoking stories, it's a reflective worldview. It's a polished and poignant collection of perfectly-crafted pop songs that retains their authentic indie edginess. These new studio recordings feature more accomplished pop production; filled with cerebral one-liners that pluck at the senses. And, there's a nod to an eclectic mix of influences; The Pet Shop Boys, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Kate Bush, Heaven 17 and Jon Hassell by way of Brian Eno. Witches, Tarot readings, road signs, Salt-N-Pepa namechecks and a river all cried out, welcome to the swamp_ "Beautifully fractured art-pop" MOJO

Daneshevskaya (Dawn-eh-shev-sky-uh), the project of New York's Anna Beckerman, writes songs steeped in the folklore of her own personal history. Her artist (and real middle) name comes from her Russian-Jewish great-grandmother, a person whose presence she has always felt although their paths never crossed in real life. Beckerman grew up in a musical family; her father is a music professor, her mother studied opera and her own songs often feel spiritual, less so by any religious connotation and more as a hymn-like, archival record of Beckerman's own past, present and future. Her first release on Winspear, Long is the Tunnel, contemplates how the people you meet impact the pathway you travel. Through songs like the poignant "Somewhere in the Middle," the lilting "Challenger Deep" and the surreal "Big Bird," the EP paints a distinctive collage between traditional songwriting and modern turns of phrase that remain spellbound in the unadulterated luster of self discovery. The seven songs read as both patchwork memories/diary entries and elegies to those in her life. Co-produced by Ruben Radlauer and Hayden Ticehurst of Model/Actriz and Artur Szerejko, the final versions of these initial demos also saw contributions from Lewis Evans of Black Country, New Road (saxophone), Maddy Leshner (keys) and Finnegan Shanahan (violin), adding to the gleaming instrumentation that makes each song sound like a world within itself. Long is the Tunnel is filled with hyperreal imagery that denotes a form of escapism: two of the songs reference birds, which Beckerman describes as about being transfixed by something you can't take your eyes o‑ while also being able to leave at will. Long is the Tunnel prolongs this feeling of being completely immersed: by desire, emotion, and fantasy, though the somber melancholy of her love songs are often more manifestations to her internal self than anyone else.

Daneshevskaya (Dawn-eh-shev-sky-uh), the project of New York's Anna Beckerman, writes songs steeped in the folklore of her own personal history. Her artist (and real middle) name comes from her Russian-Jewish great-grandmother, a person whose presence she has always felt although their paths never crossed in real life. Beckerman grew up in a musical family; her father is a music professor, her mother studied opera and her own songs often feel spiritual, less so by any religious connotation and more as a hymn-like, archival record of Beckerman's own past, present and future. Her first release on Winspear, Long is the Tunnel, contemplates how the people you meet impact the pathway you travel. Through songs like the poignant "Somewhere in the Middle," the lilting "Challenger Deep" and the surreal "Big Bird," the EP paints a distinctive collage between traditional songwriting and modern turns of phrase that remain spellbound in the unadulterated luster of self discovery. The seven songs read as both patchwork memories/diary entries and elegies to those in her life. Co-produced by Ruben Radlauer and Hayden Ticehurst of Model/Actriz and Artur Szerejko, the final versions of these initial demos also saw contributions from Lewis Evans of Black Country, New Road (saxophone), Maddy Leshner (keys) and Finnegan Shanahan (violin), adding to the gleaming instrumentation that makes each song sound like a world within itself. Long is the Tunnel is filled with hyperreal imagery that denotes a form of escapism: two of the songs reference birds, which Beckerman describes as about being transfixed by something you can't take your eyes o‑ while also being able to leave at will. Long is the Tunnel prolongs this feeling of being completely immersed: by desire, emotion, and fantasy, though the somber melancholy of her love songs are often more manifestations to her internal self than anyone else.

Daneshevskaya (Dawn-eh-shev-sky-uh), the project of New York's Anna Beckerman, writes songs steeped in the folklore of her own personal history. Her artist (and real middle) name comes from her Russian-Jewish great-grandmother, a person whose presence she has always felt although their paths never crossed in real life. Beckerman grew up in a musical family; her father is a music professor, her mother studied opera and her own songs often feel spiritual, less so by any religious connotation and more as a hymn-like, archival record of Beckerman's own past, present and future. Her first release on Winspear, Long is the Tunnel, contemplates how the people you meet impact the pathway you travel. Through songs like the poignant "Somewhere in the Middle," the lilting "Challenger Deep" and the surreal "Big Bird," the EP paints a distinctive collage between traditional songwriting and modern turns of phrase that remain spellbound in the unadulterated luster of self discovery. The seven songs read as both patchwork memories/diary entries and elegies to those in her life. Co-produced by Ruben Radlauer and Hayden Ticehurst of Model/Actriz and Artur Szerejko, the final versions of these initial demos also saw contributions from Lewis Evans of Black Country, New Road (saxophone), Maddy Leshner (keys) and Finnegan Shanahan (violin), adding to the gleaming instrumentation that makes each song sound like a world within itself. Long is the Tunnel is filled with hyperreal imagery that denotes a form of escapism: two of the songs reference birds, which Beckerman describes as about being transfixed by something you can't take your eyes o‑ while also being able to leave at will. Long is the Tunnel prolongs this feeling of being completely immersed: by desire, emotion, and fantasy, though the somber melancholy of her love songs are often more manifestations to her internal self than anyone else.

AUTARKH (Ex-DODECAHEDRON, EXIVIOUS) sind ein Perpetuum mobile. Schon ihr Debüt klang wie eine Botschaft aus der Zukunft, aber ihr zweites Album verkörpert wirklich, was es heißt, im digitalen Zeitalter zu leben. "Emergent" verbindet die Intensität des modernen Metals mit düsterem Industrial-Drone und ätherischem, klingendem Post-Rock - und das alles in einem einzigen Song. In "Strife" befinden sich die Sänger Michel Nienhuis und David Luiten in einem Kampf mit inneren Dämonen, deren seelische Qualen durch tausend Megawatt industrieller Riffs verstärkt werden, bevor sie durch ein Lichtloch entkommen. Nur wenige Bands haben etwas so Innovatives geschaffen.

High Roller Records, reissue 2023, doublemint vinyl, ltd 400, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert printed on uncoated paper, poster, Transfer, audio restoration and mastering by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in March 2023. Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels... The ultimate audiophile reissue of this German Metal classic!

High Roller Records, reissue 2023, doublemint vinyl, ltd 400, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert printed on uncoated paper, poster, Transfer, audio restoration and mastering by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in March 2023. Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels... The ultimate audiophile reissue of this German Metal classic!

Rechtzeitig zum 20-jährigen Jubiläum des selbstbetitelten Melodic Power Metal-Meisterwerks wird das Debütalbum von Masterplan in drei Varianten neu aufgelegt! Die Masterplan (Anniversary Edition) wird erhältlich sein als limitierte Silber Doppel-Vinyl, limitierte transparent-gelbe Doppel-Vinyl und als Digipak inklusive Bonus DVD (FSK: 6). Freut euch auf den Release am 10. November!

Rechtzeitig zum 20-jährigen Jubiläum des selbstbetitelten Melodic Power Metal-Meisterwerks wird das Debütalbum von Masterplan in drei Varianten neu aufgelegt! Die Masterplan (Anniversary Edition) wird erhältlich sein als limitierte Silber Doppel-Vinyl, limitierte transparent-gelbe Doppel-Vinyl und als Digipak inklusive Bonus DVD (FSK: 6). Freut euch auf den Release am 10. November!

StriIn 2013, Blue Smiley officially formed in Brian Nowell and John Slavin’s rodent-infested North
Philadelphia apartment. With Nowell primarily composing from the hammock he used as a bed, Blue
Smiley created three short recordings within a year, featuring drummers Gracie Clements, Tim
McMonigle, and Joe Veltri. Matt McGraw, drummer and childhood friend of Slavin’s, later joined the
group to galvanize a sound that helped define Philadelphia indie rock of the 2010’s. Blue Smiley’s first
professionally recorded album ok released in 2015, featuring dystopian noise-pop compositions with
fuzzy effects, unique for its focus on groove and precipitous tempo changes. Slavin then relocated to
Austin, TX while close friend and bassist Michael Corso joined Nowell for the next iteration of the
group. True to the Blue Smiley ethos, their next full-length return soon followed, replete with snappy,
short songs that waste no time getting to the point. On return, Nowell’s hushed vocals settle deeper
into the band’s tapestry, like an iridescent thread that catches your eye at just the right moment.
During their last tour, the band introduced a handful of new songs, but never made it to the studio.
While celebrating his upcoming 27th birthday with his parents, Nowell expressed his intentions to put
these tracks together for a third LP. Tragically, Nowell was found unresponsive in his room the
following morning on October 8, 2017, a victim of fentanyl poisoning. In spite of the band’s premature
ending, their legacy is now immortalized with this physical recording.

StriIn 2013, Blue Smiley officially formed in Brian Nowell and John Slavin’s rodent-infested North
Philadelphia apartment. With Nowell primarily composing from the hammock he used as a bed, Blue
Smiley created three short recordings within a year, featuring drummers Gracie Clements, Tim
McMonigle, and Joe Veltri. Matt McGraw, drummer and childhood friend of Slavin’s, later joined the
group to galvanize a sound that helped define Philadelphia indie rock of the 2010’s. Blue Smiley’s first
professionally recorded album ok released in 2015, featuring dystopian noise-pop compositions with
fuzzy effects, unique for its focus on groove and precipitous tempo changes. Slavin then relocated to
Austin, TX while close friend and bassist Michael Corso joined Nowell for the next iteration of the
group. True to the Blue Smiley ethos, their next full-length return soon followed, replete with snappy,
short songs that waste no time getting to the point. On return, Nowell’s hushed vocals settle deeper
into the band’s tapestry, like an iridescent thread that catches your eye at just the right moment.
During their last tour, the band introduced a handful of new songs, but never made it to the studio.
While celebrating his upcoming 27th birthday with his parents, Nowell expressed his intentions to put
these tracks together for a third LP. Tragically, Nowell was found unresponsive in his room the
following morning on October 8, 2017, a victim of fentanyl poisoning. In spite of the band’s premature
ending, their legacy is now immortalized with this physical recording.

In 2013, Blue Smiley officially formed in Brian Nowell and John Slavin’s rodent-infested North Philadelphia apartment. With Nowell primarily composing from the hammock he used as a bed, Blue
Smiley created three short recordings within a year, featuring
rummers Gracie Clements, Tim McMonigle, and Joe Veltri. Matt McGraw, drummer and childhood friend of Slavin’s, later joined the
group to galvanize a sound that helped define Philadelphia indie rock of the 2010’s. Blue Smiley’s first professionally recorded album ok released in 2015, featuring dystopian noise-pop compositions with
fuzzy effects, unique for its focus on groove and precipitous tempo changes. Slavin then relocated to Austin, TX while close friend and bassist Michael Corso joined Nowell for the next iteration of the
group. True to the Blue Smiley ethos, their next full-length return soon followed, replete with snappy, short songs that waste no time getting to the point. On return, Nowell’s hushed vocals settle deeper
into the band’s tapestry, like an iridescent thread that catches your eye at just the right moment.

During their last tour, the band introduced a handful of new songs, but never made it to the studio. While celebrating his upcoming 27th birthday with his parents, Nowell expressed his intentions to put
these tracks together for a third LP. Tragically, Nowell was found unresponsive in his room the following morning on October 8, 2017, a victim of fentanyl poisoning. In spite of the band’s premature ending, their legacy is now immortalized with this physical recording.

In 2013, Blue Smiley officially formed in Brian Nowell and John Slavin’s rodent-infested North Philadelphia apartment. With Nowell primarily composing from the hammock he used as a bed, Blue
Smiley created three short recordings within a year, featuring
rummers Gracie Clements, Tim McMonigle, and Joe Veltri. Matt McGraw, drummer and childhood friend of Slavin’s, later joined the
group to galvanize a sound that helped define Philadelphia indie rock of the 2010’s. Blue Smiley’s first professionally recorded album ok released in 2015, featuring dystopian noise-pop compositions with
fuzzy effects, unique for its focus on groove and precipitous tempo changes. Slavin then relocated to Austin, TX while close friend and bassist Michael Corso joined Nowell for the next iteration of the
group. True to the Blue Smiley ethos, their next full-length return soon followed, replete with snappy, short songs that waste no time getting to the point. On return, Nowell’s hushed vocals settle deeper
into the band’s tapestry, like an iridescent thread that catches your eye at just the right moment.

During their last tour, the band introduced a handful of new songs, but never made it to the studio. While celebrating his upcoming 27th birthday with his parents, Nowell expressed his intentions to put
these tracks together for a third LP. Tragically, Nowell was found unresponsive in his room the following morning on October 8, 2017, a victim of fentanyl poisoning. In spite of the band’s premature ending, their legacy is now immortalized with this physical recording.