The Fat Angel Sings

11 years after their acrimonious split, Pixies returned for an acclaimed sold-out reunion tour. ‘Live in Brixton’ brings together the complete recordings of all four shows from Pixies’ legendary run at the iconic London venue. Available on vinyl for the very first time, each show is pressed on two heavyweight 180g vinyl and housed in a wide spine sleeve with printed inner bags: 2nd June (translucent red vinyl), 3rd June (translucent orange vinyl), 4th June (translucent green vinyl), 5th June (translucent blue vinyl).

Each show has been newly mastered for this release by Phil Kinrade at Alchemy Mastering at AIR. Includes a 24-page booklet featuring photographs and new artwork, plus memories and paraphernalia from fans who attended the Brixton gigs. Also includes a 68cm x 48cm fold-out poster featuring the new ‘Live in Brixton’ boxset artwork. All housed within a deluxe slipcase box featuring silver foil detailing.

Over the course of the four sold-out shows the band played almost all of the big hitters and fan favourites from the “Doolittle” and “Surfer Rosa”; key songs and obscurities from the rest of their catalogue; and covers in the shape of Neil Young’s Winterlong, Peter Ivers’ ‘In Heaven’ (from the David Lynch film Eraserhead) and The Jesus and Mary Chain’s ‘Head On’. Each of the four set lists was pretty different. 

There is also a second version of the vinyl box set for independent retailers. The only difference here is that the records are clear vinyl with colour ‘splattered’ on them.

Naturally, not everything went perfectly: Joey Santiago accidentally broke his Les Paul during a typically unconventional performance of the ‘Vamos’ solo, while drummer Dave Lovering’s opening performance with his electrical engineering / experimental magic show The Scientific Phenomenalist featured a big trick that completely failed. But it’s the highs that they remember the most. “It was an amazing reception, I guess they had missed us over all those years,” says Joey. “I particularly remember getting word that the balcony was swaying, and seeing that the crowd didn’t want to leave long after we had finished the show.” Dave adds, “Having played there in the past, the Brixton Academy was a familiar venue and the shows were a fantastic experience. When I opened with my Scientific Phenomenalist show, I was a Pixie opening for Pixies. I could do no wrong. But, I did! It was an absolute thrill, though, to present it there.

All in all music or magic, the audiences were very kind and receptive and made it a joy to play. Nothing of my experience I would change. Long live the Academy.” They played a set of superlative rock songs with unwavering conviction, and they did it brilliantly.” ***** – The Times “The Pixies still sound utterly unique.” ***** – The Guardian

Tomberlin is Sarah Beth Tomberlin, a pastor’s kid born in Florida, raised in rural Illinois. She wrote the majority of her debut, “At Weddings” (2018), while living at home. For a while after leaving home and church, she lived in Louisville, Kentucky. She worked a day job and kept writing songs. She posted some of these songs to Bandcamp, which led to her signing a record deal with Saddle Creek Records. It all happened fast: Less than a year after her first live show, she performed on Jimmy Kimmel and she ended up moving to L.A. which is where she wrote “Projections” (2020), her EP follow up to “At Weddings“.

“The theme of the record,” Sarah Beth Tomberlin explained in a statement of her sophomore record “i don’t know who needs to hear this…, “is to examine, hold space, make an altar for the feelings.” It’s a fitting description; there’s something reverential to the way Tomberlin observes the world around her and jars her reactions to them as if they’re holy. The three singles we have from the record already, “idkwntht,” “happy accident” and “tap,” are all unique from one another, yet each contain a distinct sincerity and eclectic sonic palette that let you know exactly who’s at the helm.

By allowing sounds to ebb and flow where those feelings lead her along, there is literal space left in the arrangements, as if they’re making room to catch the extra instrumental flourishes, like the saxophone on “idkwntht” or foreboding cello on “tap” (or whatever collateral emotions fall by the wayside).

More than anything, there’s a sense of wonder to whatever Tomberlin creates. When she sings about kids “singing like larks” and trees that “swing and scream and talk and breathe,” all we can do is sink into the world she creates, content to bask in that shared sense of wonder for however long she’ll have us. 

“i don’t know who needs to hear this…” out April 29th, 2022 on Saddle Creek Records

The second album from Hatchie, ‘Giving The World Away’ is the truest introduction to the songwriter at the helm of the project, Harriette Pilbeam.

Although her sound arrived fully-formed, a dazzling dream-pop and shoegaze tangle, it’s here that she distills the core of herself into a record. “There’s more to me than just writing songs about being in love or being heartbroken — There’s a bigger picture than that,” Pilbeam explains. “This album really just feels like the beginning to me, and scratching the surface – and even though it’s my third release as Hatchie, I feel like i’m rebooting from scratch.” for Pilbeam, that bigger picture explored here includes confronting her anxieties after decades of compartmentalisation; Realising her own self-confidence and self-esteem; taking control of her own narrative, and her place in both her professional and personal life.

On ‘Giving The World Away’ she held herself to higher standards, especially with personal lyrical precision. At the time she started working on it, she was caught in a strange headspace. when 2018 EP “Sugar & Spice” and subsequent debut album “Keepsake” both arrived to critical acclaim and catapulted Hatchie into an international spotlight, She felt both unsure of herself and an intense, self-imposed pressure to keep going forward. trapped in constant motion, Pilbeam was unable to be present or appreciative of herself, both professionally and personally. she tackles that struggle directly in the moody single “Quicksand,” written with Grammy-nominated Olivia Rodrigo collaborator Dan Nigro. “Quicksand” is about dealing with the realisation that you’ll never be satisfied” Pilbeam comments. “I started writing it when i was home between tours in 2019 before finishing it with Joe Agius and Dan Nigro the next year.

I was feeling guilty and ungrateful for not being happy about a few different things in my life that were technically going well. I had to work through some tough learned thought processes and emotions that had been working away for years to try to understand how to be happy with my present, and stop fixating on my past and future. the video digs deeper into showing this juxtaposition of such sadness and anger despite being surrounded by glamour and grandeur.” “Quicksand” sets up the rest of the record; an album about self-confidence, about reclamation, about the strange time in young adulthood where you begin to finally be able to see yourself clearly.

Produced by Jorge Elbrecht, also recently grammy-nominated and known for his work with Sky Ferreira, Japanese Breakfast, and Wild Nothing, ‘Giving The World Away’ is Hatchie’s most thunderous, sprawling work yet. featuring extensive input from long-time Hatchie collaborator Joe Agius, it takes the celestial, shimmering shoegaze and pop sensibilities of her earlier releases, but with the volume knob cranked up tenfold. Built out with percussion from Beach House drummer James Barone, Between covid and the lockdowns in Australia, Pilbeam retreated more into herself, and that introspection and self-discovery served as the true inspiration for the record. again and again across ‘Giving The World Away’ she returns to that same theme – dismantling internalized shame and finding gratitude and steadiness, and finally being able to trust herself. Pilbeam grew up the youngest in her family, a self-described “big baby,” but says the last year and a half gave her the space to understand herself better. after years of emotional avoidance, here she excavates her fears fully.

David Bowie‘s second and final album with his late 80s group Tin Machine is reissued on limited edition 180g crystal clear & turquoise vinyl. Originally released by Victory Music in 1991, Tin Machine II is the second and final studio album by Tin Machine. After this album and the supporting tour, frontman David Bowie resumed his solo career. Tin Machine II’s reputation has only increased over the years. Uncut magazine placed the album on their list of 50 Great Lost Albums (their list of great albums not currently available for purchase), calling the album “extraordinary”.

The band features Tony and Hunt Sales on bass and drums and Reeves Gabrels on guitar. 

As with all Bowie albums, there are plenty of strong tracks here to make this a must-have. Opening track “Baby Universal” is pure Bowie. He re-recorded this track in 1996 for his 1997 album “Earthling“, but the track was not released on the album. It was eventually released in 2020 on the Bowie EP “Is It Any Wonder?“. Both the first and second singles, “You Belong In Rock ‘n Roll” and “Baby Universal” both charted well, but it was “One Shot” that became the hit single of the album and peaked at #3 on the US charts.

The album’s cover (which was censored for its original USA release) was created by Edward Bell, who had previously worked with Bowie on creating the artwork for Scary Monsters.

The second album features the hit single “You Belong In Rock ‘n’ Roll” as well as “One Shot” and “Baby Universal”.

This is released on 8th April 2022 via Music on Vinyl

180g crystal clear/turquoise vinyl • Numbered  • Limited to 5000 copies worldwide, with 1500 for the UK

Since its release in 2009 The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart’s self-titled debut has attained the status of a modern indie-pop classic – and even more crucially a record that continues to have an impact well beyond the indiepop scene.

As one of the key bands in Brooklyn’s late 00s guitar music revival (alongside bands like Crystal Stilts, Grizzly Bear, Vivian Girls, Frankie Rose and others) The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart paid tribute to everything from c86 to early Slumberland, Sarah and Creation Record’s label type pop, but with a distinct American favour drawn from groups like Smashing Pumpkins and the Pixies.

Their debut album exploded immediately, going places that indie-pop records and bands rarely do (like TV appearances on Carson Daly’s and David Letterman’s shows) and leading to several years of constant touring and the further release of two more well-received latter albums.

Ghum, who unleash a raw, swirling slice of melancholic grunge rock, pinned together by pounding drums and heartfelt vocals, the quartet have also unveiled new track ‘Some People’, an astoundingly raw, blistering three minutes of grunge perfection which is accompanied by a tongue-in-cheek visual directed by Lydia Garnett. 
Vocalist Laura Guerrero Lora has to say on the track – “this song is about getting to know someone and having the fear of hurting them, because love has turned a bit hopeless and unexciting. Not trusting oneself to be able to love someone after not falling in love for a long time.”

“Bitter” is the sound of a band fully in control, the record has been a long time coming. Ghum – Laura (vocalist), Jojo Khor (guitar), Vicki Ann (drums) and Marina MJ (bass) – met online in 2016. Each of them hails from different parts of the world (London, Malaysia, Spain and Brazil) and bonded over bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Warpaint, The Cure and Soft Kill. Being in a band of all women was also important, from inception. “I’d never been in an all-female band before,” Jojo remembers. “I’d played in an all-female band in the past which was much more fun” adds Marina. everything snowballed swiftly after meeting.

Pieced together from old, half-written songs and new sonic sketches, “Bitter” is in many ways a portrait of everything they’ve done so far. “you make it so easy to hate you, my love,” spits Laura over sparse, rhythmic bass on “Deceiver.” on the title track, the “You” becomes someone else. “You are the only reason I put myself through this,” Laura’s voice rises over intricate, distorted guitar melodies. the band are excited to let these songs free, at last. “the style of the songs all taste like Ghum,” says Laura. “we recognise it when we’re jamming. we know what we’re doing now. It’s strong and a bit aggressive, a bit melancholic. it’s like us.”

Releases June 17th, 2022

GHUM are: Marina MJ // Laura Guerrero // Jojo Khor // Vicki Ann
All songs by: GHUM

ffo: Savages, Joy Division, the Cure, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Warpaint. 

Before Tropical Fuck Storm came The Drones. Garreth and Fiona of Tropical Fuck Storm were the core members of The Drones. 

The album “Wait Long by the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By” was the second album released by the Drones. The album draws influence from the likes of Neil Young and The Birthday Party, though it has been described by lead singer / guitarist Gareth Liddiard himself as a punk rock album. The lyrics, penned by Liddiard, deal with issues such as death, depression and alcoholism in its depiction of Australian working-class life. The album received critical acclaim upon release, regarded later on as the band’s “break-out” and one of their most popular releases.

The track “Shark Fin Blues”, in particular, went on to become a concert staple and was voted by contemporary Australian songwriters as the greatest Australian song of all time in October 2009. The album itself was performed live in its entirety many times, even as a part of the acclaimed Don’t Look Back concert series. In 2008, The Age ranked it the best Australian album of the 21st century.

Three years later, the band’s contemporaries and “industry experts” would vote it the 24th best Australian album of all time.

‘Great American Painting’ is the fifth LP by Pennsylvanian indie-rockers The Districts. Thematically the album centres on the problems facing America from gun control to capitalism, albeit imbued with a sense of hope. Their sound follows in the tradition of great American bands of the 21st century from The Strokes onwards. For The Districts‘ latest album “The Great American Painting“, the Pennsylvania trio unpack the unravelling definition of America and how it coincides with the flawed existence of humanity.

Vocalist/guitarist Rob Grote was impacted by the contrast between the scenic beauty he encountered in a Washington state cabin during the pandemic’s onset and the political combustion he encountered at protests in Philly. “While we were there I spent some time driving near all these crazy rivers and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and I was mesmerized by how those unspoiled landscapes really capture a timeless idea of what America is,” Grote noted in the leadup to the record’s release. “I’d just come from taking part in the protests in Philly and getting tear-gassed, and it felt so strange to go between those two extremes. In a way this album is asking, ‘What is the great American painting? Is it police brutality, or is it this beautiful landscape?’ And the truth is it’s all of that.”

“The Great American Painting” pads harsh reckonings with playful rock ‘n’ roll and blistering pop songs. There are anthemic ballads that feel like a cross between Sharon Van Etten and U2, while more contemplative moments cross the grit of early Modest Mouse with the soaring arena rock of The Killers. Together, Grote, guitarist Pat Cassidy, drummer Braden Lawrence, and bassist Connor Jacobus (who has since departed from the group) combine vibrant hues from various corners of the rock canon for a gripping listen.

1. “Revival Psalm”
“Revival Psalm” began as a reflection on close brushes with death and trying to survive. From nearly getting struck by lightning, being in Paris the same night as a terrorist attack, to close-miss car accidents, there are numerous situations where death felt close at hand. “Revival Psalm” is about saying no to fear, and the liberation offered by embracing and having faith in your own survival, no matter how unlikely.

2. “No Blood”
This song is about the idea that no weapon, no violence will eradicate the truth. In every era, it is those who live in the name of truth who prevail in the shadow of evil. The peak pandemic world was like an apocalyptic landscape—as if much of society had vanished in an instant. Even in the solitude of such a world, truth remains and will catch up to those who run from it. “No Blood” is about dancing forward in spite of fear.

3. “Do It Over”
“Do It Over” is about wising up and seeing the past through the lens of a more complete version of yourself. It’s directed toward a younger self who wasn’t ready for what life would throw and simply navigating interpersonal relationships. It’s a simple song and a simple plea to right your wrongs and clarify your intentions and untangle the mess of relationships and do it the way you would now.

4. “White Devil”
This song is a reaction to exploitation in our country, from red lining to gentrification to working without a living wage, and the heresy of crowning a blatant exploiter, the most ugly face of that behaviour, as a leader and a president. It’s about the ideals that are compromised in the name of getting ahead, and rage toward oppressive structures and your place in them.

5. “Long End”
“Long End” is about holding on to hope at the end of history and not giving in to the idea that there are no better possible futures. Mark Fisher’s introduction to Acid Communism was inspiring during the making of this record and is relevant to the uncertainty and desire for a better world. This song is nowhere near an answer to where the future will head, but simply a longing in the face of what sometimes feels like a hopeless epoch.

6. “Outlaw Love”
Life is this weird, fucked up journey, constantly changing and constantly realizing you were wrong, but there’s a lot of beauty in our ability to shift and grow through observing ourselves and our patterns. This song’s about seeing your experiences through the lens of change and evolution.

7. “Hover”
“Hover” is about memories of disjointed pieces of experience. Once, while checking into a hotel in Arizona, our van was surrounded by police and the spotlight of an extremely low-flying helicopter was trained on us. The officer ran up with his hand on his gun and we were all frozen, “What the fuck?” It was surreal and ultimately turned out that they had tracked down the wrong vehicle. It was incredibly strange. This song builds off of certain assumptions and memories that are potentially wrong or misunderstood, and wondering whether you are rushing toward a false reality or a dead end.

8. “I Want to Feel It All”
This song was inspired by LSD in a dark forest in Washington state under a volcano, and it is about feeling everything possible all at once and emotional fireworks and explosions and loving the universe and everyone in it, but also about death and the darkness underlying all existence, and forgiveness and pain and acceptance.

9. “On Our Parting, My Beloved”
“On Our Parting” is about letting go and lifting dark clouds. It’s about giving in to the flow of life instead of kicking against it, and holding good memories of those you’ve lost close to your heart. When frozen in pain and stuck while life rushes forward, this song is about acceptance—take the good, leave the bad, and move always onwards.

The Districts album ‘Great American Painting’ out February 5th, 2022.

You can hardly walk through Los Angele’s hipper neighbourhoods without bumping elbows with one of your favourite artists who’s probably on the verge of realizing that the block they live on is home to half a dozen of your other favourite artists, and will imminently start recording with them. It felt like a huge moment a few years back when Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst surprise-released their debut album-length collaboration, for example, which has since become the foundation of a number of other projects incorporating a wider net of talent.

One such collaborator is Christian Lee Hutson who, in addition to enlisting that duo as backing musicians on his major-label debut a few years ago, brought Bridgers and Oberst on as producers for his follow-up release, “Quitters“. Hutson’s new record also features contributions—ranging from co-song writing credits to drunken guitar solos—from Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy, Great Grandpa’s Al Menne. The result is something much more nimble and comfortable than the constraints of a supergroup might allow, swapping the inherent competition of such an arrangement with a reflective sense of inspiration. 

With “Quitters” arriving via ANTI- Records, Hutson break’s down each track on the record to give us a better sense of how the project came together.

1. “Strawberry Lemonade”

This is vaguely inspired by The National’s song “Not in Kansas.” I wanted to write a long marathon song that was just like a collage of memories and images from my life. During the recording, I fucked up the opening chord like 10 times in a row and my friend Harry, who played bass on the song, couldn’t stop laughing. My favourite part of mixing this album was throwing his laugh on a fader and pushing it way up at the very beginning of the song.

2. “Endangered Birds”

This is one of my favorite songs on the record. It’s about a guy visiting his ex-wife and her new husband at their new home in California. We borrowed this Mellotron that was used on an Elliott Smith record and had Nate Walcott write and play a three-part string arrangement for this one.

3. “Rubberneckers”

This was the last song written for the album. I like to think this is the same character from “Endangered Birds.” The opening lyrics came from watching this guy’s sky writing proposal and thinking, “God, it takes so long for them to write this whole thing out.” There’s also a little nod to my friend Scott McClanahan’s book The Sarah Book, which I read probably seven times while making this record.

4. “Sitting Up with a Sick Friend”

This song is named after a creepy Cassius Marcellus Coolidge painting of some dogs partying. I wanted to write something about someone with family money but kind of absent, estranged parents. I think the subject of the song has “the world at their fingertips,” but doesn’t know what they want out of life, so I imagine them just sitting around joking their life away.

5. “Age Difference”

I wrote this the week “Beginners” was released. The narrator of this song is a middle-aged guy who has never really grown up describing his relationship with a person much younger than him. He goes on a trip to meet his partner’s family for the holidays and is just kind of taking an inventory of his life and their relationship. 

6. “Blank Check”

This song was written with my friend Al Menne over FaceTime. At the time, I was reading Bob Mehr’s book “Trouble Boys” about The Replacements. So the song is loosely inspired by Bob Stinson getting kicked out of the band by his own brother and best friends. Phoebe and I asked Meg Duffy to take an intentionally drunken, shitty solo at the end of the song.

7. “Cherry”

I had the music for this song for years and kept writing new words for it because nothing felt quite right. Conor wanted to try and build a drum kit out of random shit for this song. It ended up being an 808 kick sample played manually, a super effected snare, a bag of pennies, and a miniature church bell. Nate Walcott plays pump organ. 

8. “State Bird”

I’m a big blink-182 fan and wanted to try and write my own version of a blink song. Marshall Vore and I wrote it together. At one point it had the lines, “IMDb AARP / Got a DUI on an ATV.” 

9. “Teddy’s Song”

This song is a series of vignettes. It’s a collage of little LA scenes. The person in the song falls in love, it doesn’t work out, they isolate from friends and try to make a change for the better. Some of my favourite memories of places growing up are in this song: bonfires at Dockweiler Beach, The Roosevelt Hotel, walking around Sunset Junction. 

0. “Black Cat”

This song is a kind of experiment for me. I just let the words fall into place where they felt natural without trying to connect anything or make it mean anything specific. One of my favorite moments on the record is Marshall’s psychotic drum solo at the end. 

11. “Creature Feature”

The working title was “Postal Service” because I originally felt like the drum machine sounded like “Such Great Heights.” This song is another collage. I feel a lot of isolated pandemic energy in this one. I think it’s about watching the world fall apart and retreating into your mind to escape it. 

12. “OCDemon”

The title comes from a fake band name Sharon Silva made up. I have Pure OCD, so this song just kind of started as a therapeutic exercise. It’s about intrusive thoughts and obsession with morality. I think I subconsciously wrote the hardest guitar part I’ve ever written to distract me from having to think about what I was saying lyrically.

13. “Triple Axel”

I wrote this with my friend Al Menne. It’s about an ice skater who injures themselves and can never skate again. It’s about new beginnings and finding yourself again after losing what you love. I’m not much of a piano player but I do play a lot at home and this song is heavily inspired by Paul Buchanan’s solo album “Mid Air.”

The record was produced by Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst and features contributions from Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy and Great Grandpa’s Al Menne.

Released April 1st, 2022

We’re so excited to announce that our new album Emotional Creature will be out on July 22nd! To celebrate, we released a new track “Fire Escape” from the album along with an interstellar visualizer. You can pre-order “Emotional Creature” and new Merch now. Way back in October the Chicago rockers Beach Bunny shared the single “Oxygen,” which today they’ve revealed will appear on their forthcoming sophomore album “Emotional Creature” alongside another new song called “Fire Escape.” The 12-track project is out July 22nd via Mom+Pop Records.

The accompanying visual for “Fire Escape” shows a room decked out in psychedelic, retro decor. There’s a television that depicts Trifilio in Star Wars–esque garb and a purple creature (one you might remember from the previous single’s cover art) whose eyes glow and who holds the ability to manifest plants out of sand. Nice!

“We are always changing, growing, and adapting—it’s a deeply ingrained part of the human experience,” vocalist Lili Trifilio shared. “We strive to be stronger, trust we’ll grow smarter, and spend most of our lives reaching for comfort and happiness. Sometimes life is stagnant, sometimes life is difficult. But the wonderful part of being human is that we evolve and make the bleak moments beautiful—we find new ways to survive. Humans are emotional creatures and I wanted to capture that with this album in order to show how complex, sometimes tragic, and mostly wonderful the human experience can be.”

We are also happy to announce that we’ll be heading over to the UK and Europe this Autumn. Tickets available tomorrow at beachbunnymusic.co/tour. Check out the full list of dates below and grab your tickets. 

Thank you all for your patience and continued support – it’s a new era!, “Emotional Creature“, the sophomore album by Beach Bunny on pink/purple “ETHOS” marbled vinyl. Releases July 22nd, 2022 Mom+Pop Records.