News from 6/2020

NEWS : MON, JUL 6, 2020 at 6:00 PM

Sub Pop and Hardly Art Have ‘Got You Covered’ (A Cover Song Series)

Artists from the labels’ rosters are covering their favorite Sub Pop/Hardly Art songs.

Sub Pop and Hardly Art are, together, very excited to announce Got You Covered (a cover song series)! Got You Covered will feature Hardly Art and Sub Pop artists covering their favorite songs from the labels’ catalogs. Beginning today, Monday, July 6th at 6 pm PT (and every weekday evening this week), artists like Yuno, Chad VanGaalen, Lala Lala, Whitmer Thomas, and Jenn Champion will offer their takes on songs by Beach House, The Vaselines, Chastity Belt, and Nirvana.

The first installment of Got You Covered, Yuno’s excellent and sweetly affecting rendition of the Beach House song “Zebra,” is available to see/hear right now here.

Second in the series, here now is Jenn Champion’s take on Nirvana’s “Dive.”

Number three from the Big Baby himself: comedian / musician / world-famous actor Whitmer Thomas covers his friends Chastity Belt’s anthemic hit “Different Now” over here.

Please join us here in our appreciation of multi-talented weirdo Chad VanGaalen covering The Vaselines “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam.”

Polish singer and producer Perfect Son covers Chad VanGaalen’s “Molten Light” from beloved (and recently repressed to vinyl!) album ’Soft Airplane’ here.

Here’s Lala Lala’s lovely rendition of Beach House’s “Space Song.”

Prepare to be mesmerized here by Morgan Delt covering another mellifluous Beach House classic, “PPP.”

Rounding out this week’s collection of ‘Got You Covered’ tunes, here’s Alicia aka Bully absolutely shredding a cover of Sub Pop alum Orville Peck’s hit song ‘Turn to Hate.”




Posted by Rachel White

NEWS : TUE, JUN 23, 2020 at 6:58 AM

Sub Pop signs Flock of Dimes for the world and releases ‘Like So Much Desire’, her label debut

Stream Like So Much Desire everywhere, here now -> smarturl.it/FlockofDimes_LSMD

Sub Pop has signed Flock of Dimes, the solo outlet for songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jenn Wasner, to release her music throughout the world. We are also announcing today the release of Like So Much Desire, her excellent five-song effort and label debut (and first new Flock of Dimes material since 2016’s If You See Me, Say Yes), which is available now through all DSPs. 
 
Like So Much Desire, the new EP from Jenn Wasner’s Flock of Dimes, is about the inseparable nature of desire and grief. It’s a collection of songs about finding peace amidst personal hardships, an offering of both comfort and personal reflection, reaching out across the unknown in search of connection. Moving and strikingly intimate, Like So Much Desire is Wasner’s most personal work yet.

Also of note: Flock of Dimes has scheduled a live concert stream via NoonChorus on Tuesday, June 30th at 7 pm ET.

Flock of Dimes
Like So Much Desire

Tracklisting:
1. Spring in Water
2. Like So Much Desire
3. Again (For the First Time)
4. When the Body Does Not
5. Thank You Friends and Strangers

Like So Much Desire, which includes standouts like the slow-burn title track, “Spring In Winter” and “Again (For the First Time),” was written and produced by Wasner, mixed by Ari Picker and mastered by Ryan Pickett.

The EP’s title track is a masterclass in slow burn, a song that deals directly with how you have to lose to gain, an acoustic beginning growing into a tangle of whirring gadgetry. The subdued, mellow prettiness of “Again (For the First Time)” offers reassurance, the sonic equivalent of leaning on someone’s shoulder. The piano-based “Spring in Winter” sounds near-hymnal, warmed by strings, dealing with the fleeting beauty of North Carolina’s unexpected springtime popping up in the cold, while “Thank You Friends and Strangers” opens on chirping birds and outside sounds – the sounds of nature and normalcy. Like So Much Desire blends all of these worlds seamlessly.

In many ways, Like So Much Desire feels like postcards sent from a strange new world. And fittingly, the work came together at a distance. The bulk of the songs were recorded by Wasner in her home in isolation, with other pieces coming from across the country; drummer JT Bates recorded his parts from Minneapolis, while the subtly-cinematic, swelling strings came via New York’s Paul Wiancko, Michi Wiancko, and Ayane Kozasa. The final product balances sparseness and fullness. Strange, glitchy synths flit in and out, an echo of distant playfulness, but the main instrument is the depth of Wasner’s voice and how she uses space around it.

As a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Wasner has been a longtime omnipresent force in modern music. As half of beloved duo Wye Oak she’s worked with everyone from Metropolis Ensemble to the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and more recently she’s been a member of both Bon Iver and Sylvan Esso. But for all her collaborative expertise, it’s Wasner’s solo work as Flock of Dimes that is most salient, her songwriting at the forefront, strange, beautiful, and dazzling at the same time.
 
For Wasner, the making of this EP had to do with rediscovering the powerful, healing connection of making music, the peace it offers, the way it makes it possible to bridge a gap – and as such, Like So Much Desire strives to offer comfort during upheaval and uncertainty. Both sorrow and joy all at once, it looks at halves of a whole, the broken-up spectrum of human experience distilled into just five tracks.

Now is the perfect time to follow Flock of Dimes in all the places:  

Spotify | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | flockofdimes.com


Posted by Rachel White

NEWS : MON, JUN 15, 2020 at 8:57 AM

Hear Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 5 tracks from Clarke and the Himselfs and Guerilla Toss available now at all DSPs

Photo Credits:
Clarke and The Himselfs by Julian LaVergne
Guerilla Toss by Vanessa Castro

Listen hereClarke and the Himselfs - Guerilla Toss

Subscribe to Single Club Vol. 5 right here.

Clarke and the Himselfs and Guerilla Toss’s contributions to the Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 5 are available now for the first time at all DSPs.


NYC (via Boston) band Guerilla Toss present “Human Girl” and “Own Zone,” two new, exclusive tracks that perfectly capture the exuberant, danceable fusion of post-punk, funk, and experimental rock that Guerilla Toss have been serving up since 2012.


LA’s Clarke and the Himselfs has been releasing compelling, catchy, heart-warming rock and roll since starting as a solo project in Boise in 2011. “Mary Rae Says” and “Crystal Blue” are new, exclusive tracks produced by Don Bolles (Germs, 45 Grave), who also contributed drums, bass, and vocals to “Crystal Blue.”

Both singles will also be released as limited-edition 7”s only available to Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 5 subscribers. The series will also include singles by Father John Misty, Moor Mother, Ohmme, Julia Jacklin, Sumac, TEKE::TEKE,  Redd Kross, and more. Subscribe to Single Club Vol. 5 right here.




Posted by Rachel White

NEWS : WED, JUN 3, 2020 at 6:58 AM

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever release new single, “Cameo” - Their highly anticipated new album ‘Sideways to New Italy’ is out this Friday

Melbourne-based band Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever will release their highly-anticipated second album, Sideways to New Italy, this Friday,  June 5th via Sub Pop. Today, they release the album’s fourth single, “Cameo,” which follows “Falling Thunder,” “She’s There,” and “Cars in Space.” ‘Cameo’ begins with open guitar strums and Fran Keaney’s lone voice, before building to a swirling roar, showcasing a band at the peak of their powers both instrumentally and lyrically.

“This is a love song. It’s about reaching through time portals,” says Keaney. “The lyrics were pieced together over about a year like a little puzzle. I found the first pieces in Rushworth, and the last pieces in Darwin.”


Sideways to New Italy is available for preorder from Sub Pop. Preorders of the LP through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in North America, the U.K., and Europe, will receive the limited Loser edition (while supplies last).



Posted by Rachel White

NEWS : THU, JUN 11, 2020 at 7:00 AM

Bully to release SUGAREGG on August 21st worldwide through Sub Pop, shares official video for lead single “Where to Start”

Yes indeed, you read that headline right. Bully will release SUGAREGG, her third album, worldwide on August 21st through Sub Pop. The 12-track effort was produced and mixed by John Congleton and Bully’s Alicia Bognanno, with additional production and mixing by Graham Walsh, recorded at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, and Palace Sound in Toronto, Ontario, and mastered by Heba Kadry. You can now watch the official video for the cathartic lead single  “Where to Start” right here. The visual is directed by Alan Del Rio Ortiz and Bognanno.

Rolling Stone had this to say of the single, “’Where to Start’ boasts Bully’s characteristic high-energy snarl, as growling guitars lead into Bognanno’s raspy-throated condemnation: “I don’t know where to start/I don’t know where to start with you.” Decidedly more jangly guitars then usher us all the way into the guts of the song — a mixture of sweet and sour, soft and frustrated (see video premiere June 11th, 2020).”

Preorders of SUGAREGG are now available from Sub Pop. LP preorders through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in North America will receive the limited Loser edition on a translucent blue w/white “smoke” colored vinyl. Meanwhile, preorders in the U.K. and Europe through select independent retailers will receive the Loser edition on transparent red vinyl. There will also be a new t-shirt design available.

 

Bully
SUGAREGG
 
Tracklisting:
1. Add It On
2. Every Tradition
3. Where to Start
4. Prism
5. You
6. Let You
7. Like Fire
8. Stuck in Your Head
9. Come Down
10. Not Ashamed
11. Hours and Hours
12. What I Wanted
 
About Bully’s SUGAREGG
A very old saying goes that no one saves us but ourselves. Recognizing and breaking free from the patterns impeding our forward progress can be transformative — just ask Bully’s Alicia Bognanno. Indeed, the third Bully album, SUGAREGG, may not ever have come to fruition had Bognanno not navigated every kind of upheaval imaginable and completely overhauled her working process along the way.
 
“There was change that needed to happen and it happened on this record,” she says. “Derailing my ego and insecurities allowed me to give these songs the attention they deserved.”
 
SUGAREGG roars from the speakers and jumpstarts both heart and mind. Like My Bloody Valentine after three double espressos, opener “Add It On” zooms heavenward within seconds, epitomizing Bognanno’s newfound clarity of purpose, while the bass-driven melodies and propulsive beats of “Where to Start” and “Let You” are the musical equivalents of the sun piercing through a perpetually cloudy sky.
 
On songs like the strident “Every Tradition” and “Not Ashamed,” Bognanno doesn’t shy away from addressing “how I feel as a human holds up against what society expects or assumes of me as a woman, and what it feels like to naturally challenge those expectations.”
 
But amongst the more dense topics, there’s also a lightheartedness that was lacking on Bully’s last album, 2017’s Losing. Pointing to “Where to Start,” “You” and “Let You,” Bognanno says “there are more songs about erratic, dysfunctional love in an upbeat way, like, ‘I’m going down and that’s the only way I want to go because the momentary joy is worth it.’”

[Photo Credit: Angelina Castillo]
 
The artist admits that finding the proper treatment for bipolar 2 disorder radically altered her mindset, freeing her from a cycle of paranoia and insecurity about her work. “Being able to finally navigate that opened the door for me to write about it,” she says, pointing to the sweet, swirly “Like Fire” and slower, more contemplative songs such as “Prism” and “Come Down” as having been born of this new headspace. Even small changes like listening to music instead of the news first thing in the morning “made me want to write and bring that pleasure to other people.”
 
An unexpected foray into the film world also helped set the table for Sugaregg when Bognanno was asked to write songs for the 2019 movie Her Smell, starring Elisabeth Moss as the frontwoman of the fictional rock band Something She. “It got me motivated to play music again after the last album,” she says. “I loved reading the script and trying to think, what music would the character write? People asked if I’d play those songs with Bully but the whole point was for them to not be Bully songs. It was nice to get my head out of my own ass for a second and work on a project for someone else,” she says with a laugh.
 
A highly accomplished engineer who ran the boards herself on the first two Bully albums, Bognanno was ready to be free “from the weight of feeling like I had to prove to the world I was capable of engineering a record, and wanted to be content knowing for myself what I can do without needing the approval of others to validate that.”
 
So for SUGAREGG, she yielded recording and mixing responsibilities to outside collaborators for the first time and trekked to the remote Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minn., an unexpected return to her home state. Behind the console was John Congleton, a Grammy-winner who has worked with everyone from St. Vincent and Sleater-Kinney to The War on Drugs and Modest Mouse. “Naturally, I still had reservations, but John was sensitive to where I was coming from,” Bognanno says. “He was very respectful that I’d never worked with a producer before.”
 
The studio’s rich history (classics such as Nirvana’s In Utero, PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me and Superchunk’s Foolish were recorded there) and woodsy setting quickly put Bognanno’s mind at ease. Being able to bring her dog Mezzi along for the trip didn’t hurt either. “I had never tracked a record in the summer, so waking up and going outside with her before we started each day was a great way to refresh,” she says.
 
SUGAREGG features additional contributions from longtime touring drummer Wesley Mitchell and bassist Zach Dawes, renowned for his work on recent albums by Sharon Van Etten and Lana Del Rey. Dawes and Bognanno met at Pachyderm to work on parts just two days before tracking, “but it ended up being so much less stressful than I had expected and I loved it,” she says. “Zach wanted to be there to help and make my vision happen.”
 
With 14 songs on tape, Bognanno and friends left Pachyderm thinking SUGAREGG was done. But once back home in Nashville, she realized there was more to be written, and spent the next five months doing exactly that. Moving to Palace Studios in Toronto with Graham Walsh (Alvvays, METZ, !!!), Bognanno and Mitchell recorded “Where to Start” and “Let You,” which proved to be two of the new album’s key tracks.
 
Ultimately, SUGAREGG is a testament that profound change can yield profound results — in this case, the most expressive and powerful music of Bognanno’s career. “This is me longing to see the bigger picture, motivated and eager for contentment in the best way,” she says. “I hope the happy go lucky / fuck-it-all attitude shines through some of these songs because I really did feel like I was reentering a place I hadn’t been to in a while and was excited to be back there.”


Posted by Rachel White

NEWS : TUE, JUN 9, 2020 at 12:00 PM

Get Involved

Giving and volunteer work have always been fundamental components of Sub Pop’s and Hardly Art’s culture and business. We don’t always share this side of our business; for better or worse, we typically handle our gifts privately. Because we’ve been asked recently about the organizations we support, we’re sharing info about those organizations we’ve donated to and done volunteer work with, over the past four years. We’re proud to shine whatever light we can on all of these organizations, and help support the excellent work they do. Brief descriptions and links follow for organizations we’ve donated to in the last couple of years, and we encourage anyone curious to learn more.

In the last month we’ve contributed to:

The core activists and organizers of BLM Seattle-King County is a group of Black and other people of color focused on dismantling anti-black systems and policies of oppression.

Langston Seattle

LANGSTON guides generative programs and community partnerships that center Black art, artists and audiences and honor the ongoing legacy of Seattle’s Black Central Area. We support a variety of enriching programs, across multiple disciplines, rooted in our mission and values.

Preservation Hall Foundation

The Preservation Hall Foundation’s primary activity is to serve the next generation of New Orleans musicians and listeners through our education and community engagement programs.

Seattle King County NAACP

The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.

During the current administration we’ve contributed to:

350

350 is building a future that’s just, prosperous, equitable and safe from the effects of the climate crisis.

ACLU

The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union — beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.

Alki Community Council

The Alki Community Council is a neighborhood, residential group organized to promote the orderly and comprehensive enhancement, preservation and improvement of our neighborhood and beach.

American Diabetes Foundation

Improving the lives of all people with diabetes while moving us closer toward a cure.

Arts Corps

Arts Corps revolutionizes arts education by igniting the creative power of young people through culturally engaging learning experiences.

Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County

The core activists and organizers of BLM Seattle-King County is a group of Black and other people of color focused on dismantling anti-black systems and policies of oppression.

Black Prisoners’ Caucus

The BPC fosters respect, responsibility, self-worth and unity. The organization stands as a testimony to the potential of the African American community to create a healthier future for ourselves. The BPC promotes cultural growth and provides incarcerated men and women the tools and platform to confront social issues that perpetuate discrimination, inequality and oppression among prisoners and poor communities of color.

Cascade Bicycle Club / Major Taylor Project

Named after African-American world champion cyclist Marshall “Major” Taylor, the Major Taylor Project (MTP) empowers youth through bicycling. In after-school bicycling clubs MTP students explore their communities, build confidence and leadership skills, and discover their power to effect change.

CCAN Climate

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) is the first grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting global warming in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Community Enterprise Foundation - Bendigo AUS

At Community Enterprise Foundation™ we offer communities and not-for-profit organisations across Australia the opportunity to raise and distribute tax-effective donations to benefit their own communities.

Forterra

Forterra is a Washington-based nonprofit that enhances, supports and stewards the region’s most precious resources- its communities and its ecosystems

Hedgebrook

A literary nonprofit, our mission is to support visionary women writers whose stories and ideas shape our culture now and for generations

HoC Foundation  (Hospice of Chattanooga)

Compassion, Accountability, Communication, Enthusiasm, Excellence. We at Hospice of Chattanooga will take the time to listen, honor your choices, and walk with you through life’s journey.

KEXP

KEXP’s mission is to enrich your life by championing music and discovery. KEXP is a nonprofit arts organization serving music lovers through in-person, broadcast and online programming.

Lambert House

Lambert House is an international leader in LGBTQ youth community building – the primary prevention strategy for the constellation of risks that disproportionately affects all LGBTQ youth.

Langston Seattle

LANGSTON guides generative programs and community partnerships that center Black art, artists and audiences and honor the ongoing legacy of Seattle’s Black Central Area. We support a variety of enriching programs, across multiple disciplines, rooted in our mission and values.

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is at the forefront of the fight to cure cancer. We are the largest nonprofit dedicated to creating a world without blood cancers.

Mary’s Place

Mary’s Place is a nonprofit organization in Seattle that provides safe, inclusive shelter and services for women, children and families on their journey out of homelessness.

Musicares

MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares’ services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality.

NRDC

NRDC works to safeguard the earth—its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.

NW Parkinson’s Foundation

Our mission is to transform the way people live with Parkinson’s through awareness, education, advocacy, and care.

Preservation Hall Foundation

The Preservation Hall Foundation’s primary activity is to serve the next generation of New Orleans musicians and listeners through our education and community engagement programs.

Plymouth Housing

Plymouth Housing works to eliminate homelessness and address its causes by preserving, developing and operating safe, quality, supportive housing and by providing adults experiencing homelessness with opportunities to stabilize and improve their lives.

Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation

We provide hope, care and cures to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible.

Seattle King County NAACP

The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.

Share It Music

Support independent musical artists and advance community organizations by merging music and social causes. 

SMooCH

Seattle Musicians in support of uncompensated care at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Social Justice Fund NW

Social Justice Fund NW is a foundation working at the frontlines of social change

The Solutions Project

Committing 100% to racial and gender justice by supporting frontline leaders making 100% clean energy for all, happen. 100.org

Sweet Relief

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians and music industry workers who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.

The Pablove Foundation

The Pablove foundation is a US pediatric cancer nonprofit organization. At the Pablove Foundation, we approach pediatric cancer at the intersection of art and science.

The Painted Turtle

To provide a year-round, life-changing environment and authentic camp experience for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.

Totem Star

Totem Star supports a diverse community of young recording artists learning music and life skills through mentorship and meaningful relationships. Our work in the studio and on the stage fosters growth in collaboration, leadership, and self-identity.

Vera Project

Vera strives to fulfill its mission to foster a participatory creative culture through popular music concerts, arts programs, experiential learning and volunteer opportunities for all ages, especially young people.

The Village of Hope Seattle

The Village of Hope is rooted in an African/African American experience, and we are committed to a powerful and unified community. We welcome and embrace all people who are in the struggle to end racism and usher in justice.

Youthcare

YouthCare works to end youth homelessness and to ensure that young people are valued for who they are and empowered to achieve their potential.

We’re also fortunate to have been afforded the opportunity to organize volunteer efforts during work hours. Here are some of the organizations and causes we’ve supported in that way:

Bike Everywhere Day (Cascade Bicycle Club)

Black Prisoners’ Caucus

Bloodworks Northwest

Bureau of Fearless Ideas

Chicken Soup Brigade

Forterra

Mary’s Place

Motley Zoo Animal Rescue

National Voter Registration Day + The Washington Bus

NW Harvest

NW Parkinson’s Foundation

Operation Sack Lunch

Plymouth Housing Group

Planned Parenthood

Pike Place Market Foundation

Puget Soundkeeper

Rain City Rock Camp for Girls

Rainier Beach HS: Building Leaders of Change (BLOC Party)

Safe Consumption Sites

Salvation Army

Save the Showbox

Skate Like A Girl

South Park Info & Resource Center

Totem Star

UW Arboretum

The Vera Project

Veteran’s Affairs (The VA)

The Village of Hope Seattle

WA Trail Association

WA Talking Book and Braille Library

Washington Ceasefire

West Seattle Helpline

Youngstown Cultural Arts Center / Delridge Neighborhood Development Association (DNDA)

YouthCare


Posted by Chris Jacobs