The Fat Angel Sings

The Up and coming indie rockers from Brighton, led by the alluring singer-songwriter Dana Margolin. Last year they delivered one of the best albums of 2020 with “Every Bad”. Dana Margolin: “I looked through their back catalogue and chose 2 songs to cover that had a big impact on me as a teenager.”

Beginning as Margolin’s sadcore bedroom project, Porridge Radio developed into an idiosyncratic post-punk 4-piece after she moved to Brighton and met her future bandmates. They inelegantly knot together Margolin’s vicious, furious emotional outpourings with beautiful pop melodies. After a series of demos, and the growing legend of their intense live shows, their lofty debut “Rice, Pasta and Other Fillers” came out via Memorials of Distinction in 2016, documenting struggles with life, love and boredom, and showcases the scrapbook absurdism at Porridge Radio’s core.

The band released the second of our two covers for the Sub Pop Singles Club. It’s Wolf Parade’s “You Are A Runner And I Am My Father’s Son“. I remember discovering Wolf Parade’s album “Apologies to the Queen Mary” as a teenager and it blowing my mind. The track “You Are A Runner And I Am My Father’s Son” was always a favourite song from it and I really loved making our own version of it. Feels good to be able to do this! Thank you Sub Pop Records Thanks Sam for playing on it and producing it with me, and Felix Davis for mastering it.

Porridge Radio’s Dana Margolin had this to say about their contribution to the Singles Club Vol. 6: “Sub Pop are a label I’ve loved for a long time, and when they asked if we wanted to release some songs with them this summer, I looked through their back catalogue and chose two songs to cover that had a big impact on me as a teenager.”

The band’s 2020 Secretly Canadian debut, “Every Bad“, is a culmination of what has been in their head for some time. “Every Bad” arrived full of grand, sweeping ambition – with vocals so urgent that it often feels like it is moved by compulsion rather than choice, with all the rawness of early Karen O, and influences as disparate as Charli XCX and The Cranberries. After receiving wide critical acclaim across the board, “Every Bad” was shortlisted as one of the Hyundai Mercury Prize’s albums of 2020.

21-year-old guitar-pop auteur Jordana Nye, aka Jordana, spends her self-co-produced second album (and studio debut) “Face the Wall” pushing herself to be a better person—”Trying to be what I’m longing to be,” as she sings on “To the Ground.” This requires her to reckon with everything from songwriter’s block (“Like You Used To”) and pot smoke-clouded anxiety attacks (“Pressure Point”) to romantic dysfunction (“Play Fair,” “Catch My Drift”) and her struggles with letting others’ perceptions define her (“I Mean That,” “Get Up”).

Nye is resolute in unpacking these internal conflicts (“Scary truth to acknowledge / But I’ll do it anyway,” she croons on closer “Why”), and she does so over pristine, nimble pop that mines early-2000s nostalgia for meaning (as opposed to a calculated trend-grab): “Face the Wall” is as much about Nye yearning for simpler times as it is her acknowledging her trying present and uncertain future, which is just another facet of her honesty. The record may be a lyrical document of what’s weighing Nye down, but its instrumentation—all of which Nye performed herself—is there to uplift her, as well as the listener, at every turn. 

Jordana’s mission is simple: keep trying to be her, even when it’s hard. So it’s no surprise perseverance and self-discovery are central themes on the upcoming record “Face The Wall”, out May 20th on Grand Jury.

Hannah Judge aka Fanclubwallet is fine with not having everything figured out. On her debut album, “You Have Got to Be Kidding Me”, the Ottawa-based musician embraces the transitional phase she found herself in at the beginning of the pandemic after breaking up with her boyfriend, dropping out of university and moving back home to live with her parents. As she navigates shaky ground, let-downs and falling out of love, she does so with shrugged shoulders and casual kitsch. The dizzying drum loops and toy synthesizers elevate her bedroom-pop by giving it an endearing sense of animation. She balances out some of the album’s quirkiness by infusing it with a sense of ennui. It’s as if she’s gotten bored of the constant jokes the universe plays at her expense and is sick of patiently waiting for the punchline.

Through her lyrics, Judge captures the universally relatable feeling of trying to get your life together but not really knowing how, as she confesses to changing her Facebook status to confuse her friends and waking up in someone else’s clothes. Still, it’s all the slightly messy slip-ups and missteps that make “You Have Got to Be Kidding Me” so charming.

Fanclubwallet is a musical project fronted by Hannah Judge. After spending years quietly making music for only her ears to hear and hoarding children’s keyboards, she is finally releasing her own tunes (for the worlds ears to hear)

Hear this rockin single off my upcoming album “You Have Got To Be Kidding Me” out May 20th!!

Following Warren Zevon’s death in 2003, his son, Jordan Zevon, discovered 126 unreleased outtakes and demos in a piano-sized touring case. This discovery would be distilled down to the best of these recordings and eventually released as a 2CD set titled, “Preludes”.

“Preludes” was originally released on CD on May 1st, 2007 for Record Store Day. When the album was released it featured 16 unreleased recordings from Zevon’s personal archives. It also included 6 never before released songs. The release also included a 5-part interview with KGSR’s Jody Denberg from the year 2000. Now, for the first time ever these recordings will be reissued on vinyl.

This release will be pressed for the first time on black vinyl. This double LP set features all of the exclusive bonus tracks as well as a beautiful 20-page perfect bound book, all packaged in a hardbound slipcase.

Re-released May 20th, 2022

Camp Trash seemingly burst out of nowhere with their debut EP “Downtiming” at the beginning of 2021, armed with catchy riffs and infectious vocals that ear-wormed their way into your head and wouldn’t let go.

They have only levelled up for their first full length, “The Long Way, The Slow Way”. Crafting songs that somehow feel original but familiar at the same time, Camp Trash blends 90s alternative rock and 2000s emo with pop-punk sensibilities. This LP is going to be the cornerstone of something great- a hallowed cult classic that catapults them into a much larger national audience.

Camp Trash released a new song, ‘Pursuit’, lifted from their forthcoming debut LP “The Long Way, The Slow Way”. It follows the previously shared tracks ‘Weird Florida’ and ‘Let It Ride’, the latter of which made our Best New Songs list.

“The Long Way, The Slow Way”, the follow-up to last year’s “Downtiming” EP, is set to land on July 1st via Count Your Lucky Stars.

Damien Jurado announces that his new studio album “Reggae Film Star” will be out June 24th on Maraqopa Records digitally and on CD and July 1st on vinyl.

“Day Of The Robot” is the 4th single of “Reggae Film Star”, the forthcoming 18th album by Damien Jurado. This miniature movie in a two and a half minute song is driven by a soulful electric bass groove and a swirling string arrangement.

“Reggae Film Star” is Damien Jurado’s 18th full length studio album and the second on Maraqopa Records. 25 years since his debut album “Waters Ave S”. came out, Jurado is more prolific, driven and creative than ever. The twelve mystical songs on “Reggae Film Star” are gorgeously cinematic and feature a rich production and diverse sonic textures.

“Taped In Front Of A Live Studio Audience” is the single release that accompanies the announcement of “Reggae Film Star”, Damien Jurado’s new album to be released on June 24th 2022 on Maraqopa Records (vinyl street date July 1st). The song is a catchy and snappy pop rock gem with superb melodies that yearn ‘repeat, repeat, repeat’.

Though he’s already put out two full-length albums independently, “DeAnn and Elisabeth“, as well as his “Quiet, Heavy Dreams” EP, “American Heartbreak” be his first official studio album. 

Singer/songwriter Zach Bryan releases his long-anticipated album “American Heartbreak” today, via Warner Records. The Oklahoma born and bred country star has been teasing songs from the album for the past several months, each rising higher on social platforms, all culminating with Bryan’s ascent to the prestigious Country Songwriter Chart.

On the story behind “American Heartbreak”, Bryan shares, “I would say true love of anything is supposed to rip your heart out and put it back together all in the same go round. This album to me is all the trials we face day-in and day out and I wrote all the stories on it hoping someone, somewhere might relate or some kid might pick up an instrument and replicate it in an effort to be an artist.”

He further explained, “Some songs are sad, some are happy, some are hopeful, and some are hopeless, all of them mean something different to me and I pray they mean something to someone else. “American Heartbreak” is my effort at trying to explain what being a 26-year-old man in America is like. There’s love, loss, revelry, resentment, and forgiveness all wrapped into one piece of work.

The release of “American Heartbreak” follows Bryan’s milestone of surpassing 1 billion global streams. As previously reported, his recent single “Something in the Orange” The track has amassed over 34.4 million streams to date.

Each of the tracks released to date – “Something In The Orange,” “Highway Boys,” “Late July,” “Open The Gate,” and “From Austin,” have become fan-favourite audience sing-alongs during his spirited live shows. “From Austin” claimed number 1 Country Song on Apple Music, The track was added to numerous flagship streaming playlists on Spotify (All About Country, Hot Country, and Just Good Music); Apple Music (Today’s Country, Country Risers, and Future Hits); and Amazon Music (Fresh Country). On the strength of its deeply personal story, the track has garnered over 37 million global streams.

Song for song, each heartfelt composition encapsulates what makes Bryan’s music so special: a hard-earned authenticity and innate gift for moving song writing. With “American Heartbreak” being his first official studio recorded and produced body of work, the album is sure make a cultural impact to an ardent audience of true believers purely based on the universal appeal of the songs and Bryan’s magnetic live shows.

His recent blistering debut set at Stagecoach Festival was the most talked about event of the weekend and left an indelible impression that will challenge perceptions of modern country music. To date, every show of his first extensive US tour has found him connecting with fans in a Springsteen-esqe communal experience thanks to music and attitude that is simple, undiluted, genuine, and captivating.

When Joe Pug snuck into a Chicago studio in 2007 to record his debut EP, he had more misgivings than songs. “My most vivid recollections from those sessions,” he says with fifteen years’ hindsight, “involve sitting in the studio between takes and thinking to myself, I have no idea what I’m doing. I can barely play guitar. I can barely play harmonica. I can barely sing on key. I can barely keep time. But there was still something about these songs—something extra about these songs.” They were austere and rough, wounded and bruised, yet they were full of vivid, visceral imagery and turns of phrase both clever and caustic, all delivered in a voice that came across as convincing precisely because it was so untrained and guileless.

A lifetime later, “Nation of Heat” remains his most popular release, with more than 20 million streams on Spotify alone, and he keeps these songs in his setlist even now, as though he’s still trying to puzzle out their implications. That’s partly why he decided to revisit and reinterpret them from a place of experience and perspective. “Nation of Heat Revisited” sounds livelier, rowdier, punchier, but also more sophisticated, headier. “It’s how I would’ve wanted the record to sound in the first place if I’d had the money and the ability to do it this way. But I knew this album couldn’t just be the original songs with a bar band behind me as I played an acoustic guitar. I didn’t want to just add a rhythm section. It had to be a complete reimagining.”

“Nation of Heat Revisited” isn’t meant to replace “Nation of Heat”. Rather, Pug intends this new album to comment on his debut and to sum up everything that has followed it. It’s more thoughtful than a greatest hits package, more revealing than a memoir, and it retains the extra-ness of these songs. “I’ve never been far away from them,” he says. “These songs are how I’ve paid my rent and my mortgage. They’re how I’ve bought my kids diapers. When I got out on the road, these are the songs that people want to hear, and they’re the songs I want to give people. I’ve spent more than a decade playing them in different cities all over America, all over the English-speaking world, and I trust that they’re able to convey what I want them to convey. For a certain type of listener, I know they’re going to connect.”

This is not a remix. This is not a remaster. This is an entirely new album…. But you know all the words.

I am absolutely thrilled to announce “Nation of Heat Revisited“, a full band reimagining of my acoustic debut. The album features performances by Brandon Flowers of the Killers, Carl Broemel of My Morning Jacket, Derry DeBorja of Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit, Courtney Hartman and many others.

The album artwork is by the legendary Tony Fitzpatrick, and the liner notes were composed by Steve Earle. The album is set to be released on July 22nd via NOH Records, as well as Loose Music in UK/Europe and Love Police Records and Tapes in AUS/NZ.

First single is out now…*Very* limited 10” neon orange vinyl available while it lasts at joepugmusic.com/store or by clicking “view shop” in my IG profile.

I’m so excited for you to hear this whole thing!!! Hymn #101 came out bonkers. Strap in here we go!!

It’s announcement day, AND release day! We’re really proud to say that our album “Vestli” will be released on August 19th, Following on from the success and rich promise of their debut LP ‘This Is Not The End’ in 2019, Oslo’s Spielbergs return triumphantly with their follow up ‘Vestli’.

The new record sees the band stir that huge melting pot of anthemic heart-on-sleeve indie/punk rock, with their own frenetic, 1000mph energy and intense heaviness – soaring and heartfelt but weighty and dark. The result is something that sits within the likes of The Replacements, Japandroids, Cloud Nothings, Titus Andronicus but also out on its own, a passionate, joyful record that demands to be heard.

And that’s not all, we’re also releasing two new songs! “When They Come For Me” and “Get Lost” are out now!,

“When They Come For Me”, taken from the new album “Vestli” out August 19th!

Hazel English’s brilliant and bold debut album “Wake Up” technically-speaking was only released in 2020. The album was produced by Jackson Phillips (Day Wave) after a chance encounter at a Bay Area book store blossomed into a creative collaboration. Today the duo have released a new video for “All Dressed Up,” which they also directed.

After exploring collaborations both with songwriters and producers on “Wake Up” (produced by Ben H Allen and Justin Raisen), Hazel and Jackson –both by now transplanted to from Oakland to Los Angeles- reconnected once again during the pandemic’s localizing parameters and began collaborating, sending ideas back and forth to their neighbour amidst peak lockdown. “Jackson and I have such a great flow when it comes to working on music that it was easy to essentially pick up where we had left off. Our process together is very quick and fun, no second guessing,” recalls Hazel of their rekindled creativity. “I also think the pandemic and time at home got me thinking a lot about my past and remembering high school experiences and those kinds of feelings that were so vivid at that time.

So I found myself writing lyrics that were inspired by some of those experiences and then I kind of created a whole new story out of it.”