Indie Exclusive Releases
The Head And The Heart
Every Shade of Blue [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Transparent Orange Crush 2LP]
From the anthemic “Virginia (Wind In The Night),” an ode to Russell’s native state to which he’s recently relocated (“If it was solely up to me, I’d live her for the rest of my life,” he says), to the minimal but momentous “Tiebreaker,” Every Shade of Blue showcases The Head and the Heart’s unique ability to dip its toes into a variety of musical genres. It’s the band’s knack for supreme melody, however, that remains a constant. And it’s why many of the songs on Every Shade of Blue, including the slow-rolling title track, “Every Shade of Blue,” which Russell says has “a Sinatra vibe,” are undeniable pop-radio missiles. The band’s ability to create music that appeals to listeners’ common denominator, Russell says, is something he not only won’t shy away from but is immensely proud of.
Flocked blacklight glow in the dark cover jacket, discobag and neon magenta vinyl.
When two artists as esteemed & talented as Apollo Brown & Stalley come together, they shine, even in the dark. “Blacklight” represents the combination of two titans of hip-hop, both largely recognized as legends in their own right while also being overlooked by some when the discussions of “best alive” come up.
Detroit underground rap staple Quelle Chris will be releasing his new album "Deathfame" on 12/2. It features appearances by Navy Blue, Pink Siifu, Denmark Vessey, Cavalier, J Jig Cicero, and Moruf, and was largely produced by Quelle Chris himself, with contributions from Chris Keys on multiple tracks and Knxwledge on one track.
Symposium, the pop-punk band heralded as ‘the best live band in Britain’ by Melody Maker in the 90’s, release their first Best Of compilation: ‘Do You Remember How It Was?’ A compilation that gathers together their finest moments in one place and provides a fully rounded view of what made them so intoxicating in the first place. Symposium’s achievements in just six years of being a band read like a 90’s rock‘n’roll-call; supported by the likes of John Peel, Jo Whiley, and Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 1, heralded by music mags such as Melody Maker, Kerrang! and NME, and performing on TV shows such as TFI Friday and Top of the Pops. During their appearance on Top of the Pops in 1997 performing ‘Fairweather Friend’ completely live, frontman Ross became the only singer in the show’s history to stage dive, and the band received only the third ever stage invasion from the audience after Nirvana and Oasis. This set contains the hit singles ‘Farewell To Twilight’, ‘Fairweather Friend’, ‘Drink The Sunshine’, and the previously unreleased track ‘Bleach’
Dr. John
Things Happen That Way [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Garden District Green LP + Bonus 7in]
Vinyl: $23.38 PREORDER
Throughout his six-decade long career, Dr. John embodied a near-mythic multitude of musical identities: Global Ambassador of New Orleans funk and jazz and R&B, visionary bluesman, rock and roll innovator, and a massively revered high priest of psychedelic voodoo.
Things Happen That Way, his final studio album, adds another dimension to his musicality: a lifelong affinity for country & western. It's a glorious farewell from one of the most essential figures in music history.
Skid Row
The Gang's All Here [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Black, Red, White Splatter LP]
Vinyl: $29.68 PREORDER
Skid Row are out to reclaim their turf as kings of hard rock and proclaim, “The Gang’s All Here”!
“The Gang’s All Here” is an oath to joy triumphant, bursting with euphoric energy that makes us hunger for more. It is the logical next-generation leap of the band’s trademark sound which stomps out new ground with singer Erik Grönwall (formerly of H.E.A.T, one of the best frontmen of this or any hard rock era) joining the family.
Produced by Nick Raskulinecz, long-time fan and much in-demand producer (Foo Fighters, Rush, Alice In Chains, Halestorm, Evanescence), Skid Row are ablaze. They are re-energized, picking up exactly where they left us wanting more, kicking their sound way up to modern hard rock royalty.
Action Bronson
Cocodrillo Turbo [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Ultra Clear LP]
Vinyl: $23.38 PREORDER
It’s impossible to describe Action Bronson in a way he hasn’t already thought of. First and foremost though, Action Bronson is a principled MC, a Queens legend respected for his idiosyncratic pen and vivid raps, now a decade into his career and still deepening his skillset. “TRUST WHEN I SAY IT AIN’T SAFE FOR ANY OF THESE ANIMALS THE ANCIENT APEX PREDATOR IS BACK ON THE PROWL.” – ACTION BRONSON
Various Artists
Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2 [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition LP]
Even real places become imaginary when they are so far out of reach. Named for an idyllic island near Ibiza off the coast of Spain, Formentera is a place that, for Metric, only existed on a page in a “dream destinations” travel book that lay open on a desk in the new recording studio that guitarist Jimmy Shaw built in 2020, in a rural hamlet north of Toronto. This is the setting where the band’s eighth album took shape. Shaw brought on Synthetica collaborator Liam O’Neil as well as longtime friend Gus van Go (The Stills) to co-engineer and co-produce with him. When the border opened, Metric bassist Joshua Winstead and drummer Joules Scott Key came in from the U.S to record, adding live energy and sonic depth to complete the Metric sound.
The result is a conceptual arc that progresses from tension and turmoil to dance-floor abandon, beginning with the edgy ten-minute album opener “Doomscroller,” and progressing through a color wheel of emotions, from determined perseverance on “What Feels Like Eternity” to self-emancipation in full orchestral bloom on the title track as Haines poses the question, “Why not just let go?” There’s a sense of resolution in the very matter-of-fact, deceptively catchy “False Dichotomy,” and the album ends on a melancholy high with “Paths in the Sky,” a love song to lifelong friendship, a thematic companion track to “All Comes Crashing,” an end-of-days banger and the first single.
“This is what we’re all thinking about,” Haines says. “So let’s address it, let’s have this whole expansive emotional experience that can feel collective instead of all going through it alone.”
Shygirl is a multidisciplinary artist from the East London club scene. She has finished her first major body of work, her debut album entitled, Nymph. Written and produced by Shygirl, alongside long-term collaborator Sega Bodega, it features additional production by Mura Masa, Bloodpop, Danny L Harle, and Noah Goldstein among others. The 12-track album is a stunningly innovative and diverse collection of songs exploring themes of friendship, community, escapism, love, and loss. Indie Exclusive Translucent Blue LP.
Dr. John
Things Happen That Way [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition CD + Bonus Track]
CD: $13.48 PREORDER
Throughout his six-decade long career, Dr. John embodied a near-mythic multitude of musical identities: Global Ambassador of New Orleans funk and jazz and R&B, visionary bluesman, rock and roll innovator, and a massively revered high priest of psychedelic voodoo.
Things Happen That Way, his final studio album, adds another dimension to his musicality: a lifelong affinity for country & western. It's a glorious farewell from one of the most essential figures in music history.
Death Cab for Cutie
Asphalt Meadows [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Pink LP]
Vinyl: $26.08 PREORDER
Anticipated new album from platinum-selling indie greats Death Cab for Cutie coming late this summer!
8x GRAMMY® Award-nominated rock band Death Cab for Cutie return today with “Roman Candles,” the first track off their highly-anticipated tenth studio album Asphalt Meadows. The new track from the indie rock veterans – now in their 25th year as a band – arrives with an official lyric video designed by Juliet Bryant (Justin Vernon, Japanese Breakfast, Laura Jane Grace) – watch here.
As with the forthcoming album in its entirety, “Roman Candles” was produced by GRAMMY® Award-winner John Congleton (St. Vincent, Sharon Van Etten, Wallows).
Of the inspiration for the song, the band shares: “‘Roman Candles’ is about the crippling, existential dread that goes hand in hand with living in a nervous city on a dying planet. And that the only way to be in the moment is to let it all go.” The track was born from co-founder, lead vocalist, and guitarist Benjamin Gibbard’s determination to create something succinct, loud, and strikingly direct. He shares: “The lyrics were cobbled from a couple of different songs dealing with my general sense of anxiety; the feeling that the fabric that weaves a functioning society together was crumbling during the pandemic.”
Tell All Your Friends is the groundbreaking debut album from Long Island’s Taking Back Sunday. Boasting the hit singles “Cute Without The ‘E’ (Cut From The Team),” “Great Romances of the 20th Century” and “You’re So Last Summer,” the album is highly acclaimed and has influenced artists of all sizes and genres over the last 20 years. This 20th Anniversary Edition 2-disc album includes a bonus 10” featuring four previously unreleased demos.
Stray From The Path
Euthanasia [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Opaque Light Pink LP]
Vinyl: $18.88 PREORDER
The Heartbreakers
L.A.M.F. - The Found '77 Masters [RSD Essential Neon Pink & White LP]
A recently-found copy master of the original 1977 Track Records tape, without mud! This classic punk album, recorded in London by the NYC band featuring two New York Dolls, was always controversial - and not just for the acronym. On release in 1977 on Track Records, it was widely condemned in the press for having a "muddy mix" - later discovered to be a mastering fault. When Track went bust the following year, manager Leee Black Childers burgled the office and liberated the tapes - he found everything except the master tape.
Subsequent releases were remixes or compiled from outtake mixes - the latter "lost '77 mixes" in 1994 being the version commonly known since. Meanwhile, fans found the 1977 cassette version didn't have the infamous "mud", neither did certain European vinyl matrixes.
In 2020 a chance meeting led to Danny Secunda's archives. Danny was an old-school music biz pioneer who understood punk. He became a Track Records director and the Heartbreakers L.A.M.F. co-producer. In amongst his tape box archive were two with no artist name, marked "Copy Master 12.7.77". They turned out to be a crystal-clear "L.A.M.F.", just as the band and producers intended it.
Sadly, none of the Heartbreakers lived to hear of the discovery. In 2020 the Heartbreakers co-lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Walter passed away, the last of the Heartbreakers "L.A.M.F." line-up. First released as a much-in-demand RSD release in 2021, it now returns for its 45th Anniversary as a 'Record Store Day Essentials' release. A limited-edition in neon pink and white vinyl. With inner bag and notes by Simon Wright, and a new RSDE obi-strip.
Namir Blade will have a new release called Metropolis on 6/24 via Mello Music Group. Namir Blade was recently featured in the NBA2k22 game. Also named #1 Hiphop artist by Nashville Scene Weekly Paper. Namir wrote the NPR Nashville Affiliate WXNP theme song. There is production featured on Joell Ortiz (Slaughterhouse) album with CyHi the Prynce.
YUNGBLUD is the self-titled third album by 24-year-old singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist YUNGBLUD (Dominic Harrison). Following the success of 2018’s 21st Century Liability and 2020’s weird!, his third record is simply titled YUNGBLUD: it’s a reclamation of his own narrative and the consolidation of his artistic identity. YUNGBLUD is out September 2, 2022. Indie Exclusive Pink LP.
Noah Gundersen returns with his much anticipated new album, ‘A Pillar of Salt’ out October 8th ahead of a US headline tour kicking off October 9th. The project is a return to form for Gundersen, coupling heartfelt lyrics with his signature understated vocal performance. Featuring singles “Sleepless in Seattle” and “Atlantis,” a stunning duet with Phoebe Bridgers, fans old and new will be celebrating this triumphant piece of art.
Steve Earle & The Dukes
JERRY JEFF [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Clear LP]
Vinyl: $28.78 PREORDER
Steve Earle has been creating intimate and personal music for well over four decades now. His songwriting has wound itself along a path from Texas to Tennessee and his education came in the form of learning from the best. 2009’s Grammy-nominated record, TOWNES, was a tribute to his dear friend and mentor, Townes Van Zandt. Ten years later Earle released, GUY. An album concentrated on paying homage to the late Guy Clark and the indelible friendship that they had formed in stories told through song. 2022 welcomes the release of JERRY JEFF. A 10-song collection of songs written by the gypsy songman, Jerry Jeff Walker. Featuring hits like, “Mr. Bojangles” and “Gettin’ By”, Earle & The Dukes honor the late Texan by amplifying the concept and sound of each song with a full-band recording.
This album was created in Los Angeles and London and is influenced by the increasing uncertainty and instability in the world. A pandemic, new wars in Europe, massive protests & riots, an attempted insurrection, Western democracy wavering, rising authoritarianism, wildfires and natural disasters and the destabilisation of the global order all informed Will Of The People. It has been a worrying and scary time for all of us as the Western empire and the natural world, which have cradled us for so long are genuinely threatened. This album is a personal navigation through those fears and preparation for what comes next.
25-year-old GRAMMY-nominated artist Marcus King prepares to release his new album, Young Blood, produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys via Rick Rubin's American Recordings/Republic Records. He has toured with The Marcus King Band for over 10 years, as well as tours with Chris Stapleton, Greta Van Fleet, and Nathanial Rateliff. He’s released 3 LPs with The Marcus King Band before his GRAMMY-nominated 2021 solo debut LP, El Dorado. Indie Exclusive Yellow LP.
Lupe Fiasco
DRILL MUSIC IN ZION [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Opaque Blue 2LP]
Vinyl: $26.08 PREORDER
Twisting and contorting the English language to fit the meter and his every whim, Lupe Fiasco uses his superb lyrical skill to process the changing world in which he lives. Drawing connections between the concrete and spiritual in his hometown of Chicago, Lupe announces DRILL MUSIC IN ZION, his next album. The product of a burst of thoughtful spontaneity, Lupe created the new album over a short period, diving into a folder of beats sent by his longtime producer Soundtrakk and emerging with a fully-realized album in just three days. “Soundtrakk is the swordmaker, I’m the samurai," says Lupe. "He’s the mechanic, and I’m the driver.” Armed with Soundtrakk's soulful sounds, Lupe creates a focused statement that reflects on the past and paves a way forward, preaching strength through mindfulness and self-sustaining community. DRILL MUSIC IN ZION arrives digitally on June 24th via 1st & 15th/Thirty Tigers. The physical release is set for August 26 (CD, Black Vinyl, and Indie-retail exclusive blue vinyl).
His first new album since 2018's DROGAS WAVE, DRILL MUSIC IN ZION marks the start of another chapter in Lupe's illustrious career. The proud Chicago native has already had a busy 2022, marked with sold out shows, new music, and much more. Lupe recently closed out his "Food & Liquor Tour," a series of performances in which he plays his debut album in full. He paid tribute to his hometown in the reflective, self-produced "100 Chicagos," and dug into the archives to share "Hustlaz," a previously-unreleased song originally recorded before the release of the now-classic debut album Food & Liquor. Beyond music, Lupe continues to focus on the community organizations he founded, including We Are M.U.R.A.L, The Neighborhood Start-Up Fund, Society of Spoken Art, and his cross-cultural content venture, Studio SV.
Oddisee
People Hear What They See [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Bowlero Storm Edition LP]
Vinyl: $24.28 PREORDER
"This album is about influence, inspiration, perception & reality. Every song was written in an outside environment, so that I could observe the subjects that would become my subject matter. All too often in Hip Hop, reality is limited to that of the artists own, actual experiences. People Hear What They See is my attempt to liberate the MC from those constraints & allow reality to be penned other than my own. Listening to congressmen & lawyers converse on the steps of the supreme court inspired 'American Greed', Watching a couple argue over the phone in a bar inspired 'Maybes'. By having a visual representation of my subject matter, my hopes are that the listener will see them through the worlds & melodies of my songs."
American Aquarium
Chicamacomico [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Translucent Green w/ Black Smoke LP]
Vinyl: $22.48 PREORDER
The Old North State is tattooed on the bones of front man BJ Barham, who has never lived more than two hours from his hometown in Reidsville. But, more so, what better to represent an album about loss than a place built to save the lives of shipwrecked mariners and passengers? Song as a sort of salvation is something Barham hopes this album can do for the band’s established and growing fanbase. Sometimes when we’re drowning, music keeps us afloat.
“When these massive life changes happen, we feel like we are the only ones facing these problems,” Barham said. “I hope this album serves as a salve to anyone who has experienced this sort of loss over the last few years. I hope it makes them feel a little less isolated and disconnected. I want them to know that someone out there is going through the exact same shit and that they are not alone.”
With tracks tackling personal loss—the loss of his mother and grandmother, the loss of a child, the loss of youth and time and the creative spark that drives him—Chicamacomico feels stripped down and bare-boned in its instrumentation compared to earlier records. The orchestration is dialed back leaving the lyrics to stand naked front and center. It’s reminiscent of Rockingham, Barham’s 2016 solo album, and this may be in part a result of producer Brad Cook, who produced both albums as well as the band’s 2015 record Wolves. But it’s likely more a sign of the maturing sound and expanding scope of a songwriter now fully comfortable and confident in his own skin.
“When you are young, you want to play everything loud and fast and I think that comes, at least in part, from uncertainty. I hadn't fully found my voice back in those early days so the louder and faster the songs were the less chance someone could actually hear what I was saying. I'm not afraid of the lyrics sitting way out front anymore because I am confident in the songwriting. The band can still cut loose and take over a song, but they aren't expected to do all the heavy lifting these days.”
Few songwriters swing the hammer as hard and precise as Barham and it is a testament to the humility and trust of his bandmates that they take the back seat and allow his storytelling to drive us home. With a heavy tour the rest of the year and a backlist of brass-knuckled bangers, each will surely have their fair share of time at the wheel.
But as for this record, be thankful for the subtlety, for the stillness and for the quiet. For ten songs, Chicamacomico will hold your head above water.
Experimental psych-punk institutionOnediareturns with Success, the band’s most guitar-centric, rocking album in decades. Long straddling the gray area between the NYC punk/psych/rock community and the art/experimental world, the music of Oneidais celebrated for its mix of abstract, atmo-spheric sounds and pulsing, hammering anthems. Successfinds the band getting to the core of what makes minimal rock music so good - songs pared back to beat and melody with a limited number of guitar chords. If a song or two gets ripped in half later by a corrosive guitar solo, well, what did you expect? This is Oneida
Rich Ruth
I Survived, It's Over [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Opaque Light Blue LP]
Vinyl: $19.78 PREORDER
THE BEST ALBUM SINCE LIFE’S A BEACH. Upgrade your life and enrich your ears with 15 new tracks from easy life, laid out over 45 blissful minutes. The new album features the songs “BEESWAX” and “DEAR MISS HOLLOWAY” featuring Kevin Abstract. The full tracklisting and feature list will be revealed soon – you will not be disappointed. Indie Exclusive Pink LP.