Sub Pop is currently accepting resumes from energetic, responsible, detail-oriented, and dependable candidates for a Part-time sales clerk, nights and weekends (temp) at our terribly impressive store at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. This guy.
Responsibilities include:
• Greeting and assisting customers in a friendly manner. • Full compliance with Sea-Tac operation rules and strict TSA regulations and restrictions. • Efficient handling of cash and credit card transactions. • Ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively. • Availability to work nights, weekends, and holidays. • Assisting in organizing and restocking the store. • Maintaining the general appearance of the store. • Contributing to the team retail effort by accomplishing related tasks as needed.
Qualified candidates will have:
• Previous experience in the retail environment. • Knowledge of the Sub Pop catalog, Pacific Northwest music, the Seattle music community, and the City of Seattle. • A friendly and enthusiastic disposition with customers and staff. • Strong and clear communication skills. • A general understanding of retail Point of Sale systems. • Flexibility in schedule and willingness to work early or late hours.
Store hours 7am-9 pm everyday / 6 am-9 pm
Salary: $20.00 an hour
Benefits: Competitive pay, flexible scheduling, paid time off, holiday pay, store discount, growth opportunities, and more!
Following The Bug Club’s signing announcement last month, Sub Pop can now share the full details for On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System, the band’s full-length label debut, which will be released worldwide on Friday, August 30th, 2024. The album features the previously released highlight “Quality Pints,” along with other feel-good ditties like “War Movies,” “A Bit Like James Bond,” “We Don’t Care About That” and today’s offering, “Lonsdale Slipons.”
On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System sees the band serve up a beefy slab of their signature Modern-Lovers-meets-Nuggets garage rock, featuring B-52’s call-and-response fun mixed with AC/DC power chord grunt. Leaning towards fast-paced punk, opening double salvo “War Movies” and the previously released “Quality Pints” sets the scene: duel vocal piss taking, surreal takes on everyday topics that go full circle and become profound, riffs all day long and then all the next day too. “Quality Pints” deals with the pressing concerns of any conscientious touring outfit, taking to heart the rule of the three R’s as penned by renowned fellow pints fan Mark E Smith of The Fall. Repetition, repetition, repetition. If it’s that important, which it is, it’s worth saying again. “War Movies” dresses distorted chugging with a comprehensive ‘best of’ list for the genre, with Sam Willmett offering a solo casually chucked out in a way that will make your dad promptly give up any resurgent guitar-playing ambitions.
Melody is still ever-present, with the hilariously meta “Pop Single” channeling Ray Davies at his most self-aware. You ask for a pop single, that’s what you get - The Bug Club don’t mess about. And it’s this confidently silly strain that gives us “Lonsdale Slipons,” which finally sees the UK’s worst-ever shoes paid tribute to in song form, and “We Don’t Care About That,” which tells us all to stop talking about lots of things. Considering attempting a tentative review of what you’re listening to? Well stop. “Better Than Good” has you covered there, too. You’re getting what you’re given, and thankfully everybody seems happy with that - especially this track’s lo-fi production, Violent Femmes bass, and Sterling Morrison solo. Best to leave the hot takes to The Bug Club, we reckon. This record backs us up.
Initially comprising the songwriting core of Sam Willmett (vocals/guitar) and Tilly Harris (vocals/bass) with Dan Matthew (drums), The Bug Club started plying their trade in 2016. They were signed by UK label Bingo Records in Autumn 2020 and first single “We Don’t Need Room For Lovin” was released in February 2021. It quickly established The Bug Club as the tongue-in-cheek and live-focused antidote to the previous year’s penned-in pandemic drudgery. BBC 6 Music’s Marc Riley was an early champion, hammering the single, booking the band in for a session as soon as it was allowed and rightfully praising songwriters capable of singing the whole alphabet in a two-minute song and making it work (read more at Sub Pop).
The Bug Club will support On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System with their previously announced UK tour dates, which resume Saturday, 6th July, in Usk, UK, at The Weekend Rumble and end Saturday, 16th November, in Norwich, UK, at Norwich Arts Centre. International dates will be announced soon.
Sat. Jul. 06 - Usk, UK - The Weekend Rumble Fri. Jul. 26 - Rock, UK - Rock Oyster Festival Thu. Aug. 01 - London, UK - Shacklewell Arms (SOLD OUT) Fri. Aug. 02 - Pikehall, UK - Y Not Festival Thu. Aug. 29 - Brighton, Resident Records (instore) Fri. Aug. 30 - Brighton, UK - Brighton Psych Fest Sat. Aug 31 - Hull, UK - The Adelphi Sun. Sep. 01 - Edinburgh, UK - Edinburgh Psych Fest Mon. Sep. 02 - Riley & Coe Session, BBC Radio 6 Music Tue. Sep. 03 - Liverpool, UK - Rough Trade (instore) Wed. Sep. 04 - Nottingham, UK - Rough Trade (instore) Thu. Sep. 05 - London, UK - Rough Trade East, (instore) Thu. Nov. 07 - Bournemouth, UK - Bear Cave Fri. Nov. 08 - Margate, UK - Lido Sat. Nov. 09 - Bedford, UK - Esquires Wed. Nov. 13 - Newcastle, UK - The Cluny Thu. Nov. 14 - Hebden Bridge, UK - The Trades Club Fri. Nov. 15 - Leicester, UK - The SoundHouse Sat. Nov. 16 - Norwich, UK - Norwich Arts Centre
The Bug Club’s On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System is available to preorder on CD/LP/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com (North America), Mega Mart 2 (UK/EU), and independent retailers worldwide will receive the limited Loser edition vinyl on Transparent Grey Smoke (US) and Orange/Red Marble (UK/EU) (whilst stock lasts!). On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System’s album cover artwork is from UK illustrator and comic book artist Willem Hampson.
What people are saying about The Bug Club: “‘Quality Pints’ is a wild two-minute rager that reminds me of the Buzzcocks and the Vaselines. It’s all about something the band has surely experienced during all that touring: the search for a decent beer in various cities around the world. In addition to the explosive punk-rock energy, the song has a hip-shaking rock ‘n’ roll element, manifested in a rattling tambourine and occasional outbursts of electric-shock lead guitar” - STEREOGUM
“…the kind of indie punk ripper that feels custom built to send audiences into a shout-along, beer-fueled frenzy.” [“Quality Pints”] BROOKLYN VEGAN
“The amped-up punk track is a blast of shout-along energy, and vicious guitar solos following the pair’s journey to secure a solid pint of beer… It’s as ridiculous as it is fun, and Harris and Willmett are bringing their particular flavor of absurdity to Sub Pop’s legendary roster. Cheers, indeed.” [“Quality Pints”] “Best New Songs” - PASTE
The Bug Club On The Intricate Inner Workings of the System
Tracklisting: 1. War Movies 2. Quality Pints 3. Pop Single 4. Best Looking Strangers in the Cemetery 5. A Bit Like James Bond 6. We Don’t Care About That 7. Lonsdale Slipons 8. Better Than Good 9. Actual Pain 10. Cold. Hard. Love. 11. The Intricate Inner Workings of the System
Sub Pop Publishing is seeking a full-time Music Licensing Manager based in Los Angeles. We are looking for an individual who has great interpersonal skills, is a self-starter, is detail-oriented, and has the ability to work in an open group environment.
Sub Pop Publishing was founded in 2011 and is the publishing division of Sub Pop Records, an independent record company founded in 1988. We work with Sub Pop Records artists such as Bully, Shabazz Palaces, clipping., Guerilla Toss, Mudhoney, La Luz and Frankie Cosmos, and our writers have contributed to songs by A$AP Rocky, Joey Bada$$, Christine and the Queens, SYML, Olafur Arnalds, SZA, KayCyy and others.
Specific responsibilities include:
Working to place the Sub Pop Publishing catalog in advertisements, TV, film, video games, web-videos, social media, podcasts and more by soliciting and responding to music searches and licensing requests
Actively pitching our catalog in a manner tailored to the taste and project requirements of individual music supervisors, editors, filmmakers, and producers
Listening to and quickly learning a large catalog of material and applying that knowledge to searches/requests for material
Ingesting, organizing and maintaining the audio storage system
Managing outstanding invoices and licenses
Logging all licensing activity and preparing reports on such activity as requested
Seeking out, developing and maintaining relationships directly with music supervisors, ad agencies, filmmakers and other potential licensing contacts
Organizing and attending artist functions for music supervisors, ad agencies and others when appropriate
Sending out email blasts, playlists, show invites and other forms of promotion
Quoting, clearing, negotiating and preparing synchronization licenses
Some travel may be necessary
Qualifications include:
Minimum 3 years experience working in a similar role within a label, publisher or licensing company
Knowledge and passion for music in general is a must, as is familiarity with the Sub Pop Publishing catalog
Interest in music licensing, film and advertising
Competent computer skills
Ability to work independently and take initiative
Ability to juggle and prioritize multiple projects
Positive attitude, great communication skills and an enthusiastic team spirit
Supervisor: Director of Publishing
Salary Range: $55,000 - $65,000
To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to jobapplicants@subpop.com.
We are accepting resumes through the position closing date of July 29th, 2024.
Description of Benefits: PTO (Paid time off including sick time) beginning at 15 days per year, 14 paid holiday days, 401k plan with partial employer match, medical/dental/vision insurance paid for employees and partially paid for their family, transportation benefits, discounted merchandise. Sub Pop Records is an equal-opportunity employer. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, veteran or disability status. Sub Pop Records will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.
Today, July 25th, Sub Pop & Royal Mountain Records will digitally release “Bending Over Backwards” from Bria Salmena. This stand-alone single from the Canadian artist marks the first original music released under her full name. It also follows Salmena and her longtime collaborator and producer Duncan Hay Jennings’s departure from Orville Peck’s band.
“Bending Over Backwards” is a hazy, euphoric song with a pulsing trance-like beat and anthemic chorus, showcasing Salmena’s range as a vocalist. “It’s about some crazy life experiences that I’ve had in the past four years and the work that it takes to go into chaos and come out of it,” she says. Describing the song as “a manic conversation with myself,” Salmena developed different vocal styles for the different parts, pushing herself to sing in an uncomfortable falsetto for the verses, demonstrating her heartfelt desire to embrace change and discomfort in pursuit of artistic authenticity.
Directed by Talvi Faustmann, you can watch the official video for “Bending Over Backwards” here.
“Bending Over Backwards” was co-produced by Duncan Hay Jennings and Meg Remy (U.S. Girls), mixed by Graham Walsh & Steve Chahley, and mastered by Heba Kadry. Additional instrumentation from Evan Cartwright (Cola) on drums, Lucas Savatti (FRIGS) on bass guitar and piano, with backing vocals from Jaime McCuaig and saxophone from Andy Manktelow.
For the better part of the last decade, Bria Salmena has refused to be pigeonholed, effortlessly exploring various genres. Initially becoming known as the frontwoman for critically-acclaimed Canadian experimental post-punk group FRIGS, which she co-founded with producer and multi-instrumentalist Duncan Hay Jennings, Salmena then joined up with the enigmatic sensation Orville Peck, with whom she toured the world for the past half-decade as an indispensable and instantly recognizable member of his live band. Between tours, Salmena and Jennings (also a Peck collaborator) recorded two well-received covers EPs, giving classic and modern Americana songs a gothy dream pop spin, pushing the boundaries of the country genre; the cheekily named Cuntry Covers Vol. 1 & 2 were previously released on Sub Pop under the mononym Bria.
Yet the artistically restless Salmena was ready to start carving out her own sound after conquering both the worlds of punk and country—and that meant it was time to lean into the sense of vulnerability that comes with being a solo artist, even if it scared the shit out of her. “I have a really hard time defining myself so concretely because I think that’s just creatively boring,” she says. “I want to do a bunch of different things and explore in all sorts of ways, so it’s nerve-wracking—but it’s also me taking ownership, and that feels good.”
And she isn’t entirely on her own, either. Jennings remains Salmena’s closest creative collaborator— since both left Peck’s band earlier this year, they have dedicated themselves to mapping out a musical path that feels artistically authentic and fresh, forging new territory free from past expectations. “I come from a punk background, and then I explored my affection for country music. I feel like those two worlds are combining, and I’m finding my own sound within that,” says Salmena.
In her solo music, Salmena pairs various eras of brooding rock music—from austere goth and cottony shoegaze to hypnotic krautrock and gleaming coldwave—with an introspective singer-songwriter approach, her rich, distinctive vocals a perfect match for evocatively personal lyrics. Similar in vibe to the idiosyncratic chamber pop of Aldous Harding or Kate Bush, the raw art rock PJ Harvey, and the long-form ambient of Grouper, Salmena approaches genre like a puzzle, her music a strangely beautiful amalgamation that feels immediate, intimate, and original.
On September 27th, Sub Pop will release White Roses, My God, the debut solo effort from Alan Sparhawk. Though he’s obviously (and justifiably) best known for his thirty years in the legendary band Low, a look at Sparhawk’s many side projects across that same span of time shows him experimenting with everything from punk and funk to production work and improvisation. Low itself never settled for a set sound or approach. The band was always a collaboration—a conversation, a romance—between Sparhawk and his wife, Mimi Parker, who was the band’s co-founder, drummer, co-lead vocalist, and its blazing irreplaceable heart. Parker passed away in 2022 after a long battle with cancer.
There is no question that White Roses, My God is a record borne of grief. However, it would be reductive, even foolish, to see grief as the sole source or the final limit of this taut, brilliant, provocative, thrilling album, whose bold experimentation is powered by profound lyrics and propulsive beats. White Roses, My God is an exorcism whose purpose is not to banish the spirit but to set it free.
Recorded at 20 Below Studios in Duluth, MN, White Roses, My God was co-produced and engineered by Alan Sparhawk and Nat Harvie, mixed by Nat Harvie, and mastered by Heba Kadry. The album features standout singles “Get Still” and “Heaven,” alongside today’s release for the album’s pulsating debut offering, “Can U Hear,” the video for which was directed by Rick Alverson.
Alan Sparhawk’s tour schedule in support of White Roses, My God begins November 2nd, 2024, in Dublin, IE, at Opium and currently ends January 25th, 2025, in Denver at the Bluebird.
This announcement features a new, eight-date headlining run in the US (Jan. 13th-25th), which includes a stop at Brooklyn’s Elsewhere on April 5th. These shows will follow his previously announced 2024 dates— UK/EU headline dates (Nov. 2nd-5th), an appearance at Pitchfork Music Festival London at The Barbican with Jessica Pratt (Nov. 6th), and support dates with Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Nov. 8th-24th).
Additional live dates will be announced soon. Please find a current list of dates below.
Europe, Fall 2024 Sat. Nov. 02 - Dublin, IE- Opium Mon. Nov. 04 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club Tue. Nov. 05 - Wales, UK - Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff Wed. Nov. 06 - London, UK - the Barbican Centre, Pitchfork Music Festival $ Fri. Nov. 08 - Chicago, IL - Salt Shed # Sat. Nov. 09 - Saint Paul, MN - Palace Theatre # Mon. Nov. 11 - Lawrence, KS # Tue. Nov. 12 - Fayetteville, AR - George’s Majestic Lounge # Wed. Nov. 13 - Nashville, TN - Basement East (TN) # Thu. Nov. 14 - Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theater # Fri. Nov. 15 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade # Sat. Nov. 16 - Charleston, SC - Music Farm # Sun. Nov. 17 - Saxapahaw, NC - The Haw River Ballroom # Tue. Nov. 19 - Washington, DC - 930 Club # Fri. Nov. 22 - Norwalk, CT - District Music Hall # Sat. Nov. 23 - Boston, MA - Roadrunner # Sun. Nov. 24 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer #
North America, January 2025 Mon. Jan. 13 - Fargo, ND - The Aquarium Wed. Jan. 15 - Bozeman, MT - The Rialto Fri. Jan. 17 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile Sat. Jan. 18 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios Mon. Jan. 20 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall Fri. Jan. 24 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge Sat. Jan. 25 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Fri. Apr. 02 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere
$ Jessica Pratt # Godspeed You! Black Emperor
White Roses, My God is available to preorder now from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com (North America), Mega Mart 2 (UK/EU), and independent retailers worldwide will receive the limited Loser edition on Clear vinyl (while stock lasts!).
Alan Sparhawk White Roses, My God
Tracklisting: 1. Get Still 2. I Made This Beat 3. Not the 1 4. Can U Hear 5. Heaven 6. Brother 7. Black Water 8. Feel Something 9. Station 10. Somebody Else’s Room 11. Project 4 Ever
Today, July 29th, Sub Pop is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the release of Shabazz Palaces’ Lese Majesty, his acclaimed second album and the follow-up to his label debut Black Up, with a new repress on red and black vinyl.
Lese Majesty is a seven-suite, eighteen-track sonic mythmap of new black wave and ghetto psychedelics, featuring singles and official videos for “They Come In Gold,”“Ishmael,”“#CAKE” (directed by Hiro Murai), and “Forerunner Foray” (directed by Chad VanGaalen).
Lese Majesty features Shabazz Palaces leader Ishamel Butler alongside Black Constellation collaborators Tendai Maraire, THEESatisfaction’s Catherine Harris-White, Erik Blood and Thadillac. The album was produced by Shabazz Palaces and mixed by Blood at Protect and Exalt Labs in Seattle, Washington.
Upon its release, Lese Majesty earned raves from the likes of New York Times, NPR Music, Entertainment Weekly, FLOOD, All Music, and would go on to see placement on “Best of 2014” lists from the likes of Gorilla Vs Bear (“Album of the Year”), Pitchfork, PASTE, SPIN, The Wire, Passion of the Weiss, Stereogum (“Best Rap Albums”), and more.
What people said about Shabazz Palaces’ Lese Majesty: Lese Majesty is Shabazz Palaces getting interstellar, a set of intricate, enigmatic, yet meaningful suites complete with an (initially) impenetrable multidimensional blueprint/map connecting it all in the liner notes. Beneath the visuals, the album contends with a strain of Afrofuturism that puts its faith in finding unities in contradictions and clarity in riddles (“I’m having my cake and I’m eating cake,” “facts stated to enhance what is pre-born,” “we try to unreproduce six tension intervals”), reconciling structure and formlessness, forethought and spontaneity….meter-defying breaks and tactile, synthesized bass-church/musique concrète production that turns human language into primordial elements of cosmic influence. It’s humbling stuff that urges you to dance but knows full well that, to do so, you’ll need to relearn new and better steps [50 Best Albums Of 2014] - Pitchfork
“Unlike their previous, also brilliant full-length Black Up, Shabazz Palaces’ new “sonic move” Lese Majesty is not necessarily conducive to absorption in small doses. The record is a massive, dense monolith, divided into suites that only start to make sense after countless repeat listens. It’s a bridge from rap’s beginnings in the early ’70s into its future — structurally, thematically, lyrically, sonically, all of it — that sounds so many light years ahead of everything else in the genre that its nods to the past only reveal themselves after one invests real time immersed in what we called “the impossibly deep, singular astral landscape” that the group has created.” [Album of the Year] - Gorilla Vs. Bear
“With their second album, Seattle hiphop duo Shabazz Palaces unshackled Afrofuturism from cliche in order to present a holistic almost familiar worldview that the future is already here, before demanding an honest response to that revelation. Hua Hsu said: Abstraction is only useful insofar as it shakes our reliance and this is what makes Lese Majesty’s primal futurism such a bewildering experience. Palaceer raps with secularity and conviction as all that was once solid melts into air - rules and codes vanish, leaving nothing but ghosts while beats dissolve into pretty colors.” [#7 / Albums of the Year] - The Wire
Shabazz Palaces Lese Majesty
Tracklisting: 1. Dawn in Luxor 2. Forerunner Foray 3. They Come in Gold 4. Solemn Swears 5. Harem Aria 6. Noetic Noiromantics 7. The Ballad of Lt. Maj. Winnings 8. Soundview 9. Ishmael 10. …down 155th in the MCM Snorkel 11. Divine of Form 12. #CAKE 13. Colluding Oligarchs 14. Suspicion of a Shape 15. MindGlitch Keytar TM Theme 16. Motion Sickness 17. New Black Wave 18. Sonic MythMap for the Trip Back
