This is not an album designed for instant gratification or playlist skimming. Its pleasures are cumulative, rewarding repeated listens with new emotional angles and sonic details.

What distinguishes ‘Corporate Minute’ is its disciplined sense of restraint. The songs resist the temptation to overstate their purpose. Instead, they rely on texture, pacing, and subtle shifts in dynamics to carry emotional weight.

“I think the DIY mentality of that punk scene is something I still carry with me, and I’ve been lucky enough to find like-minded friends and artists to collaborate with and draw inspiration from who are also influenced by that distinct East Bay DIY mentality. This place just feels like home.” – Rob Good

While the lyrics inhabit the fluorescent hum of stale convenience store air and the boredom of rural stagnation that assist in painting a portrait of small-town life that feels both lived-in and ghostly in tracks like “Blue Déjà Vu” and “Mr. Wine”…

By oscillating between walls of feedback and intricate guitar work, Hell of a Life has created a track that mirrors the cycle of its title, marking a massive step forward for the band and a standout addition to the contemporary heavy-alternative scene.

By synthesizing Reaganite paranoia with a deeply British sense of domestic absurdity, Dry Cleaning has created a work that captures the specific, fractured frequency of living in the 2020s by evoking the jagged, high-alert sound of early 1980s American hardcore and punk bands who were reacting to a world that felt increasingly dangerous and deceptive.

It feels like the lights being turned off in a familiar room, the kind of calm that comes not from answers but from understanding when to stop asking.

By the time the album winds down, it’s clear that Florry isn’t chasing perfection or timelessness. They’re chasing connection, the kind that happens when songs are big enough to hold both joy and dread at once.

It is as idiosyncratic, joyous, and occasionally bewildering as Gary Young himself, providing context, narrative, and sound for anyone seeking to understand the man behind Pavement’s early lo-fi sound.

‘The Well’ is a blueprint for how to compile a label’s ethos into a listening experience. Rare and unreleased tracks, live performances, demos, and archival gems all coexist without ever feeling arbitrary.

WOO’s debut remains a reminder that some of the most radical music is made by people content to move quietly, follow instinct, and accept that getting lost might be the whole point.

Heavenly have always understood that pop music can be a vehicle for liberation, and here that idea feels fully realized.

What makes ‘swan’ especially compelling is the tension between its emotional weight and its melodic generosity. McCall has a knack for writing lines that carry disappointment, confusion, or self-doubt without collapsing under them.

Throughout the record, Kestrels balance their heavier impulses with an unexpected melodic sweetness. Echoes of classic harmony-driven pop surface in the chord choices and vocal stacks, giving the songs a sunlit core even when the guitars are snarling.

“Tall Texan is a huge help with them not only pressing the record, but getting it to more analog listeners. The association with bands like the Shinglers or Alien Eyelid or our pal Garrett T Capps is also cool.” – Kyle DeStefano

“The San Antonio scene is constantly shifting on top of a deep and amazing history. It’s always been just outside the mainstream markets which creates a different mindset. For us, I think it’s humbling to be around. We’re doing it for the love of music and not much else.” – Torin Metz

“One of the funnest things about the organ is how it can sneak in & out of the song, a swell phrase here or a slick lick there.” – Joshua D. Bloodsworth

‘Bone of Contention’ serves as a bridge between the foundational era of post-punk and the experimental frontiers of the present.

Whether channeling a vengeful portrait painter in “Madame X” or offering a jazzy, nocturnal benediction in the closing lullaby “The Moon Doesn’t Mind,” Griffin maintains a poise that is rare in modern music.

By layering ancient myths over hyper-processed modern anxieties, Hectorine has created a touchstone for anyone currently navigating their own crisis.

Underlined Passages have returned not simply to occupy a space on a playlist, but to prove that meaningful music still possesses callouses, still carries a heartbeat, and still has an urgent message to deliver.

It is a record that balances an ethereal spirit with hardened edges, marking Babe Lewis as a vital and fearless new voice in the psychedelic-pop landscape. It is lightning in a bottle, captured by an artist who is clearly unafraid of the heat.

Ultimately, ‘Mel’ is a cathartic shield; it offers a safe harbor where even the most quietly dispossessed lives find a moment of peace.

It is a graceful, unpretentious work that manages to be both a tranquil retreat and a rhythmic powerhouse.

‘Peel Sessions 82-83’ is a celebration of a band that refused to be forgotten. This release finally provides the missing link in the story of Scottish female-led bands.

The Mary Onettes haven’t just returned to form, they have transcended it.

“For me, making an album is a very strange process, because before anyone outside the creative circle hears it, we are the only judges of the quality of the emotions we’re trying to create and of how well they come across. And since emotions are, to me, the most important thing in music, you don’t want to miss that.” – Catherine Leduc

To listen to ‘Everything Is Green’ in 2026 is to be reminded that pop music can be both intellectually rigorous and unashamedly sweet. It is a record of delicate melodies that have survived the erosion of time with its charm entirely intact.

By finally granting it the permanence of wax, Dust and Memory has ensured that this document of the psychedelic underground remains a living, breathing influence rather than a peripheral artifact.

“Making ‘Worn’ was exhausting. We had countless late nights, tough practices, and writing sessions where I wasn’t sure if we were going to break up the band or find our resolve and write the best song ever.” – Ethan Rader

“There is something so dreamy and surreal about walking in the alley behind my house (where the cover art was taken) during a snowfall. The snow muffles everything and it all seems so quiet until a train comes roaring by. I think this was definitely an influence in the way we use dynamics in our music.” – Lukas Skucas

“This oddly familiar yet liminal space is something that I think a lot of Chicagoans experience consciously or unconsciously everyday and the artwork attempts to create a similar space.” – Maxxim Ludeke

“When we’re confused about rhythm we’ll write it out on the white board to help us cognize it, but for the most part we work through things that don’t feel good when we play them.” – Erik Gleim

The brilliance of ‘White Souls…’ lies in its refusal to stand still. It is a collision of disparate worlds; musique concrète, sci-fi vignettes, and pub-room punk all melting into a unsettling ambience.

Ultimately, ‘Waxworld’ succeeds because it balances high-concept artistry with undeniable hooks. Cusumano’s vocals, a compelling blend of apathy and earnestness, tell a truth that feels uniquely his own.

The opening track, “April Fools,” serves as the perfect mission statement: a two-minute burst of sugar-coated energy that explores the dizzying frustration of being drawn to someone unpredictable.

‘Lowlands,’ is a lesson in the art of the “post-cool” — a record that understands that true authority comes not from volume, but from the steady, rhythmic pulse of lived experience and intellectual curiosity.

By opting for these fractured and sinuous textures, Tivel ensures that the music never feels too comfortable. The instruments reflect the cultural paradigms she is critiquing—they are beautiful, yes, but they also feel under pressure, straining to hold together against the weight of the “mammalian despair” she chronicles.

These tracks are stripped back, letting her airy, vibrato-heavy voice take center stage. They feel like personal conversations or words of encouragement she’s giving to herself.

‘International’ is the rare final album that doesn’t feel like a contractual obligation. It is a vibrant, vital piece of work that honors the past without being trapped by it.

Dangers and Newton have not just made an album; they have recorded a haunting. Essential listening for those who prefer their electronica with a side of cosmic dread and analog warmth.

“It was nice for me to write freely, melodically and put the vocals first, without trying to fit in around loops and textures like we did previously.” – Katie Ball

“We like to challenge ourselves to push as far as we can in different directions but I naturally settle somewhere that feels new but familiar often.” – David Noonan

“I listened to so many albums front to back not because I had such great patience but because I was stuck in traffic! And having that focused listening time was profoundly valuable to me.” – Matt Kivel

Their sound was not a pastiche, but a profound and resonant synthesis.
When they achieved true, incandescent lift-off with 2023’s magnificent ‘Lemon Lights’ (_Mt. St. Mtn.), the band transcended influence, striking upon shimmering soundscapes that were utterly and irrevocably their own—a rare and precious singularity.

Supporting her 2024 EP ‘Circles’, van Loon delivered a set that was equal parts hypnotic shoegaze and gritty, driving rock. From the moment the trio took the stage, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a standard rock show.

If ‘Overwintering’ (Elefant), Bobby Wratten’s critically adulated 2022 release, was the sound of hibernation, his latest offering, ‘Colours Yet To Be Named’, is the complex, thawing landscape that follows.

Built to Spill operates as a refreshing anomaly. To witness the band in their current iteration at Tucson’s gorgeous La Rosa was to witness the dissolution of the rock-star mythos, replaced instead by a utilitarian dedication to the craft of sound.

The Telephone Numbers have not sought to escape the anxieties of the present, but rather to wrap them in an honest, beautifully crafted admission of shared experience, cementing their status as essential contributors to the modern indie pop canon.

Molina’s well-noted predilection for extreme brevity is not a gimmick but a fundamental structural component of his art. By adhering to a hyper-concise format, the album’s longest track clocks in at 2:15, and the opener is 16 seconds, he forces a radical editing process, ensuring that every riff, hook, and melodic phrase lands with maximum weight.

‘More Or Less’ is not just an album; it’s a testament to the band’s ability to turn chaos into cohesive, intellectually engaging rock.

Terse and powerfully invigorating, ‘A Folded Sky’ is a magnificent return, demonstrating that Strange Passage has harnessed their dualistic nature into a focused and highly tuneful indie-rock statement.

Their debut full-length, ‘Baby Did This,’ is a taut, 35-minute collection of ten tracks that vary widely in mood and intensity, showcasing the band’s impressive range and structural discipline.

‘Explosive Device’ is a confident, dynamic statement that secures The Wesleys’ position as purveyors of vital, hook-laden power pop …

Collectively, the single re-establishes the band’s foundation in garage rock while maintaining a clean, accessible sound. The overall aesthetic is characterized as bridging the gap between classic and contemporary Bay Area power pop, maintaining a gritty *Elvis Costello*-meets-Nuggets undertone.

Ultimately, Confection is an addictive, high-octane record that successfully melds snarling, distorted guitars with sweetly addictive pop hooks. It is a work of sentimental syrup and unapologetic lo-fi energy, presenting a cohesive vision of power pop played at a dizzying pace.

The EP successfully bridges the divide between bright jangle-pop and gritty ’90s alt-rock, creating a richer, fuller sonic tapestry than their debut. While retaining a vital connection to their lo-fi roots, the production is notably more polished, allowing for an abundance of guitars and layered arrangements to shine.

The musical execution is marked by moody, chorus-washed guitars that often feature a memorable jangly quality, a driving bassline, and a steadfast, marching beat perfect for solidarity anthems.

‘Reverb From The Depths’ is more than just a historical document; it’s a necessary correction, making this key chapter of European shoegaze available again.

“Basically, I taught myself how to play bass listening to Joy Division and New Order. Then I got introduced to the Cocteau Twins and a bunch of other bands. I was a big U2 fan when I was younger, so I was always into that sound, but I could never find those types of bands around me.” – Jay Bouchard

“I know we all were thinking at the time, how do we crack the record industry and get that label exposure. I don’t think any of us ever really came up with a formula other than let’s just keep putting our music out there, keep doing what we’re doing, and we’ll see if it picks up, and if it does, that’s great. If it doesn’t, we’ll just continue doing what we do because we love it as musicians, as artists, as creators … that was our thing.” – Ron Kuba

“Jeff’s main challenge in life was his gift—his talent was too powerful for him to ignore but it was inseparable from the ghost of his father.” – Amy Berg

“When I’m writing, I’m looking for something, trying to work something out. That process is relieving to me, and it’s for no one else. But I’ve never wanted it to end there. When it comes to releasing music, the hope is to be in a conversation, or to offer a moment of relief to anyone.” – Charlie Hilton

“There have been other instances in the past where I was trying to get a bigger distribution deal for the label because I thought that there would be a wider audience. I never really thought I would partner with anybody, but it wasn’t until Jeff came along and suggested this, and I realized that he shared a lot of the same perspectives in terms of the music and the heart. That’s the same thing with The Big Takeover and Jack Rabid and what he’s always done, looking for music with heart.” – Bruce Licher

“Bruce does have a very eclectic and broad taste, and I think I do too. There’s a Venn diagram where our tastes connect for sure! It’s a big place where they’re very similar and part of that also is I think we both listen. There are also new artists we’re interested in and trying to keep that balance between old and new. I guess the challenge is how to do that in a coherent and smart way.” – Jeff Clark

“The way we went into this, not knowing what we were doing or creating, it meant we were very free to create anything. Making it in our bedrooms gave us freedom to write, record and mix without pressure or questions about where it’s going, which gives the music a rawer and imperfect sound, something we admire about bands like Duster and The Velvet Underground.” – Charlie Holton

“Everyone who we recorded with had an influence shaping the band, so to get to be with them and in these special spaces results in a special record. Even before we recorded with them, they were such inspirations to us. This release is a full circle moment. “ – Cynthia Rittenbach

“Heavenly was one of the first real indie pop bands that I loved. I found out about them through stuff my older sister was playing. Their tunes are some of the strongest of the whole Sarah Records roster, which is just my musical blueprint.” – Stephen Stec

“I’m not one for big narratives. I always feel like the music should be open to interpretation a little bit and for people to hear what they want to hear in the song, instead of dictating it. Some songs I want to know exactly what it’s about. Other songs I don’t really want to know, and so I feel like if I leave it vague enough that it could be anything to anyone.” – Jasamine White-Gluz

“Like any good album it should be a musical journey and should take the listener to places they weren’t expecting.” – John Cep

“Our emotional connection with our audience is everything to us being able to keep on doing this on a level outside of our home studio. This means everything to us right now.” – Kim Field

Spending an evening immersed in Shonen Knife’s candy-colored, shouty-chorused orbit is more than just a gig; it’s a balm for the soul, proving that music, at its best, is a unifying force of pure, uncompromising joy.

“The most pronounced emotion for me is gratitude. It didn’t have to happen and the world might be done with me and my music by tomorrow. But just having the experience of putting something so true and personal out in the world and watching it percolate in listeners’ lives is an experience that I don’t feel a lot of artists get to have.” – Jens Kuross

“… taking these songs that were created here in that sort of calm space and then actually finalizing them in the city maybe gives it a certain dichotomy.” – Jeff Moore

“ I think the best lyrics are ones that can mean different things to different people.  The lyrical meanings can be interpreted by the listener based on their own life experiences.” – Laura Watling

“There was just a smattering of kindred labels at the time. The biggest being Clairecords. By far the biggest active shoegaze label of the time, early 2000s. I think we were even surprised when they picked us up to release ‘Your Everything.’ But we were a bit different. They saw that, liked that, and understood it. And labels didn’t really want _Lego_-headed bands. They wanted some diversity in their rosters.” – EJ Hagen

“Marketing your band’s style and music as an independent artist was/is really tough. It was also a challenge getting the word out to listeners if you had a show, and dealing with ‘gatekeepers’ and ‘tastemakers’ for lack of better terms. Also, differentiating yourself from other bands trying to do something similar.” – Alex White

For a band whose foundational works carry such substantial historical weight, there is a pervasive temptation to lapse into rote, museological performance. Crucially, The Chameleons resisted this inertia with a palpable, almost defiant, energy.

“We discovered a shared love for lots of other music, like pop music. We talked about how we’ve never explored writing that kind of music before, and that’s what led to crushed taking form.” – Bre Morrell

“I’m not singing triumphant love songs, you know? I’m singing about things that are really personal to me, things that I’m struggling with; addiction, depression, all these things. Those subjects just sort of inspire a certain delivery, and like that, paired with the limitations really of my own voice.” – Shaun Durkan

“We write and record in a very secluded way, and exiting this experience sometimes feels like “don’t look at us, we’re sensitive, are shells are thin.” However we are recording with the intention to share, so it’s energetically going to get out in the open air, and when it surfaces, we hear things that are both close and far.” – Tan Cologne

“As a band we’re constantly evolving. That’s something that I think can be heard in all of our albums. There is a progression while maintaining a typical slipperous tone, I’d say. But I think just in the amount of times we’ve played and in our travels to play live, there’s always a learning process involved.” – Isa Holliday

“… as a songwriter, I go through these phases of being really prolific and then just empty. At the time, I think I was just so excited about the band that I just got kind of lucky. The songwriting was really easy during that period of time, and the recording sessions were really easy (too).” – Yea-Ming Chen

“By and large we found that we just like what each other does and what everybody adds to it. So, even if you can’t tell where it’s going at first, I think we have the trust that we’re going to come together over something at some point.” – Rob Good

“(Get Better Records is) super supportive of me so that is a big draw for me to the label but, I want people to know where we stand, and we align with the politics of that label and the queer community. That is like the most exciting thing about being a part of that label to me. It is a signal to people that are listening to our band that that’s what we’re about.” – Sonia Weber

“I feel like I’m trying to protect something about my myself, about my heritage here. I know there is enough goodness in my ancestors to produce me, and I don’t hate myself. I have at points in my life, and it’s taken a whole lot for me to control that and that’s what some of my music is about.” – Joseph Allred

Honoring its 30th anniversary, Glide’s seminal debut album Open Up and Croon is being reissued on vinyl (180g) for the first time, complete with a special 8 page insert booklet.

“To really understand my musical journey, you need to know that I grew up in a tiny village in the Yonne region, Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye — a place very far removed from the world of indie pop. Musically, I listened to whatever was playing on the radio, mostly commercial stuff, so when I arrived in Lyon in 1989 to finish my studies, it was a real shock. That’s truly where I discovered indie music, which would go on to change my life.” – Thierry Haliniak

(Hermetic Tonal Briefing) is a captivating blend where instrumental and vocal textures intertwine, crafting an atmosphere ripe for both inner reflection and sonic exploration.

“We had a break in Boxmeer, Netherlands for a week and I was really bored so I was coming up with new right hand finger patterns on 12-string in this very weird tuning that is not an open tuning. I figured out the tuning while trying to learn a traditional Irish song called ‘Where Are You (Tonight I Wonder)’. I was just messing around with the tuning since it’s odd and came up with a picking pattern I’d never seen before.” – Dylan Golden Aycock

“I just think, as a byproduct of that the effort that we put into Your Own Becoming, the commitment and the standard we were trying to meet. Honestly, having Sonny so hands-on with us throughout months of just the writing even, it was so much more involved. And I think that’s why it was working more, there was a lot more energy there.” – Brendan Dyer

“We got good things out of him. As I love to call it, we went to Sonny school where he would, uh, come to our practices and stand in the center of the room and watch all three of us play the same song over and over. Then he would just stop us and go, “No, change this! Go again!” He was giving us the whole runaround but for me, personally, I was able to play all those songs in my sleep.” – Yarden Erez

“I knew that by putting this together it would cement my place where Nothing deserves to be in the realm of this scene and this music. In the process of doing that, I’m able to complete this cross-generational thing and give the community something they deserve as well.” – Domenic Palermo

“In a lot of ways, playing under my own name has made me more honest. There’s no gimmick or genre constraints – I just record songs that emerge from my head.” – R.E. Seraphin

“It’s hard to say exactly how the Bay Area has informed our music, but it’s impossible to say it hasn’t. There’s so much art, diversity, and history here. So many opportunities everyday to learn something new and grow as a person.” – Kelly Gonsalves

“When we started writing this record, I was at the beginning of turning inward and having a closer look at myself. A lot of the lyrics reflect that subtle, kind of meditative conversations with yourself while experiencing the beginning of a big transition.” – Ryann Gonsalves

“We hope we can create music that is not necessarily afraid to hide who we are inspired by but also be our own thing. I’d hate to be perceived as a carbon copy, but at the same time I want to make music I would want to listen to.” – Gina Negrini

With its compact size and cleaning capabilities, the HumminGuru turned this skeptic into a believer. 

“Having our family support our musical endeavors is very, very important to us and we try not to take it for granted because I know a lot of times parents can view music as a waste of time. Especially when music takes up as much time as it does for us. They love a lot of the same music that we do though so maybe that has something to do with it!” – Evan Seurkamp

“Individual personalities are what make our band what it is. Everyone has a slightly different aesthetic that works so well together, while essentially drawing the inspiration from the same source.” – Galine Tumasyan

“I got a lot of stripe-y mock necks and a great suede jacket, but I’m on the hunt for a black leather blazer a la C86 era Primal Scream. About size 34 if anyone’s got one, lemme know!” – Andy Pastalaniec

“I love that we all come from different backgrounds and have our own personal styles that all blend together as a whole. I think that’s what makes Seablite distinctive and keeps things interesting!” – Jen Mundy

“This was the biggest project to date that I’ve engineered, recording guitars in our practice space and then vocals and other layers in my apartment. I think the hardest part about recording like this, is to know when to put a bow on it.” – Lauren Matsui

“We don’t live in a perfect world. In fact, when it comes to love and or romance, things hardly ever live up to unrealistic expectations. But in one’s head and heart, there are infinite possibilities, each containing an equal possibility for devastation.” – Michael Ramos

Johnson’s acuity in song craft and his use of dynamics over bluster make it one of his most important and memorable solo outings to date.

With a record so inspired, The Garment District will restore your faith in indie pop.

“Paris is not an easy place to be a band, if only because of the extreme population density – it’s tough to get around with gear, there’s limited space to make loud noise, etc.  Still, there are great things happening thanks to the hard work of some very dedicated people.” – Bryan Quinn

“When I discovered French punk I had to start listening with headphones under my blanket because they were saying bad words…. standard stuff for a middle class kid.” – Renaud Chauré

“The music being made in our area has typically been “weird” and often served along with an eagerness to both honor our roots and get out of town.” – Meriel Westermeyer

“We feel we’ve definitely pushed ourselves to become better musicians and songwriters overall over the years in writing these songs…” – Kelli Redding

“I will admit that when I started the band my main concern was choosing inclusive members for the band and mostly sought out female or female identifying folks.” – Rachel Thode

“We’ve had a weird year of trying to figure out what we want. Sometimes a consistent band sounds great but other times I think we want all the control. Right now though, we’re going on 4 months of being a 3 piece. It’s been cool because I never thought that could work but it’s proven to be really fun. I like the space.” – Brendan Dyer

“… the freedom to really convey the visual aspects that reflect the sort of chaotic melange of technique and eclectic influence whose collage results in the sparkling squalor and mesmerizing mire of our chaotic glamour steeped in swooning sentimentality is my childhood dream realized.” – Catalina Gallegos

“There are so many genres and labels people give themselves. I think when the word “shoegaze” is used, people automatically get this mind picture of what they’re about to hear… the usual dreamy, reverb-y, washy sounds which are all of the sounds we typically try to avoid.” – Rocky Maldonado

“I was writing it across multiple years and going through a lot of different influences which I think it’s easy for that to bleed through a bit. I feel like it was mostly just my emotional state. I was going through some sad stuff in my life for a bit, there’s not a lot of happy songs on the record for that reason” – John Cudlip

The Big Takeover is excited to premiere the new single by Tucson shoegazers Mute Swan.

Spiritualized live performance in Tucson, AZ

“I think figuring out better ways to record and sing was another reason I wanted to work with more people on this album rather than doing it myself again and just keep doing the same thing. I mean, even the first project there was not anything that I didn’t like about the way it turned out but I wanted to try something new and see if there was something I could be doing better.” – Matthew Doty

“I realized that removing myself from my daily life and all the other other things going on that make it so hard to focus, was really helpful. That time definitely made me see that if I had this concerted effort to which I can dedicate time to writing songs, helped really sort out a lot of things that I was thinking and feeling instead it feeling like it’s all a jumbled mess …” – Rosali

The band took to the Club Congress stage with Mwondela donning one of the band’s iconic chitenge cloth hats (initially designed to curb stage fright in the 1970s). Jagari (nicknamed after the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger), now 70, was in fine form both vocally and physically, dancing around the stage, high-fiving the crowd, and handing out a cowbell for people to contribute rhythm.

“I believe that all these atmospheric genres like shoegaze and post-rock are like classical music in the world of rock music. When we are listening to it the music brings us some philosophical mood and we are more open to see the beauty of nature and think of some things that are somewhere above our daily life.” – Yana Guselnikova

“I am inspired by Wes Anderson’s films and modern architecture. I like simple forms and bright color combinations.” Daniil Levshin on Blankenberge’s cover art

“The eureka moment for me came when I was 15 in 1991. I was watching MTV 120 Minutes and Slowdive’s Morningrise came on and I was instantly floored. I’d never heard anything as beautiful before. I couldn’t understand what I was listening to. Are those guitars … or synths?” – Michael Farren

“If you think about names of famous bands, after awhile it becomes a signifier for the band, it’s drained of content. Is The Beatles a good name? It’s a stupid name right? But The Beatles are THE BEATLES!” – Tim Brown

“At least, the silver lining is that when we can play again, people will care about live music and it will be special again.” – Donna McKean

The first release from Fleeting Joys is now available again on vinyl! Released on CD at the start of 2006 followed by the vinyl version in 2011 with both versions long sold out since, Despondent Transponder is now the subject of a limited edition re-release.

“Our approach to music has always been DIY. My first job was at a big label and I saw them spending artists’ money on ridiculous dinners, payola, etc. Their exploitation of the artists was disgusting. It seemed more pure to integrate recording and releasing into our daily lives so that we could do things exactly as we wanted them.” – Rorika Loring

“The ability to experiment endlessly is both the best and worst part of technology. Like everyone, we benefit, and suffer from it. We hated getting off of tape, but our writing process requires maximum flexibility to rearrange songs. Aside from multiple reverbs and a whammy, what’s really important is the instrumentation.” – John Loring

“People are going to re-evaluate what their time means to them and see how valuable it is to have time to focus on yourself and the things you want to do.” – Esther Mulders

“The fact that we have always been associated with hardcore a little bit makes us a bit more free of barriers in some ways because we’re not trying to please a “indie” crowd or not trying to please a “hardcore” crowd or any crowd for that matter.” – Victor Beaudoin

“Do you think Kevin Shields, Jim Reid or Kurt Cobain ever said they were a specific genre? We aren’t necessarily looking to fall into a genre, we’re just looking to make rad art that will move people, the same way the art that influences us has moved us.” – Matty Taylor

“The theme of death just kind of bubbled to the surface as the characters’ narratives started to take shape and intertwine. After I wrote “Heat Lightning”, I realized that death would have to be present in all the songs in some form or another. It was unavoidable.” – Reid Bateh

“Having good ideas or hearing good ideas from the band is motivating, and also getting great feedback from fans helps reinforce what you instinctively want to do.” – Scott McDonald

“I feel like it’s much easier to project your truth onto someone or something else rather than looking inside and trying to articulate it using your own voice. Through the imagined lens of someone else, feelings and ideas are a little more malleable and there is a lot more room for play. It certainly frees one up a fair bit!” – Gus Lord

“The character in the songs basically needs to put a lot of distance between himself and Glasgow because of things he’s done but, with me I chose to come to the States in search of a bit of adventure.” – Allan McNaughton

“The themes of the record aren’t necessarily dark so I think it’s the intensity of some of the decisions on instruments and it’s a more guitar-driven record but, they’re not “safe” guitar sounds. It’s sort of wobbly like an old gramophone or something.” – James Bagshaw

“I enjoy reading scientific publications. Magazines like New Scientist, and then when something really interests me I look deeper and find the journal article it cites. We are living in a dystopia. Its amazing! How exciting. Better write another song about it!” – Albert Wolski

“The title of this album and in particular the track reflects a statement on our society between dream and despair, on an available and disposable youth, in the instantaneity and the ephemeral.” – Yann Le Razavet

“My lyrical goals were similar; the songs on Angel are about your classic tropes of love and loss but, specifically loving and losing things that are fictional and that you never had.” – Rachel Birke

“I think that this record is really special to me because I was given total freedom to do whatever I wanted with my guitar playing (for better or for worse!).” – Juan Velasquez

“I take time between releases because that’s how long it takes me to write and record – about 3 or 4 months per song. Also, there is so much music out there, I don’t think we need a new release from me every year!” – Chris Cohen

“There have been several waves of people moving away to LA, etc. because they get evicted or simply can’t afford to stay anymore. We love San Francisco so much and even though it’s changing every year, we don’t want to give up on it as it still has a scene of very talented artists and musicians. We are just waiting for this bubble to burst, at least a little bit but, sadly this is happening everywhere right now in different ways, so all we can do is adapt and keep doing what we do.” – Galine Tumasyan

“Anybody that spends a few hours a day playing an instrument for a few years can shred, but to really convey emotion with a simple part that gets stuck in your head, that takes a great ear and instinct.” – Chris King

“It feels extremely relevant considering the political climate we’re in right now,” states Lauren Matsui on choosing to cover “French Disko” by Stereolab.

“There’s sadness in everything but there is also hope everywhere you look. It’s similar to how we connect the dark aspects of life with the beauty of art and music. I’m not sure if you can even really have one without the other.” – Cole Browning

“My first true punk concert was the UK Subs who came to Lowestoft in 1980. Then I saw The Damned a bunch of times from 1980 to ’82. It was just a magical time and I am so glad I grew up when I did. I don’t think kids today get that feeling from music but I hope I’m wrong.” – Dave Hawes

“We definitely don’t see ourselves as a shoegaze or a grunge band, I find those tags to be fairly meaningless, especially as those specific genres were more scenes from a time and place rather than a sonically defined music style, but we understand why we can be labelled as that.” – David Noonan

“Whether or not my feelings or emotions are properly translated, I always hope we can evoke some sort of feeling or reaction from our listeners (even if it’s pure hatred).” – Bria Salmena

“We like Spanish, we like that we can express ourselves in different ways and have a broad language to say it. Sometimes it bothers us that simply by singing in Spanish we reach this stereotype that we do not like; “Latin alternative music”. There is no such thing, it’s just music.” – Estrella Sanchez

“The biggest struggle for me still seems to be convincing the average sound engineer that we are a rock band, not a vocal ensemble.” – Courtney Gavin

“One thing I can’t stand is when people describe music made by women as a consequence of their presumably limited skill and not as the outcome of deliberate artistic choices.” – Sydney Koke

“For some reason it can’t be explained, how to write a melancholic song – but if you write one, there is always a certain beauty, a pureness in it and the listener knows and feels, there is something very true about it. Really, a beautiful song has to be melancholic in some way, like a beautiful story always feels nostalgic too, in some way.” – Markus Nikolaus

“The album title is more or less related to the problems we had, we wanted to face them positively because they were directly affecting our daily life.” – Jazz Rodríguez Bueno on MOURN’s latest LP, ‘Ha, Ha, He.’

“Knowing there are so many hardworking people in every DIY scene makes me grateful for all the opportunities that are handed to me.” – Melina Duterte

“I used to think that my impulse to write songs matched the very same need to write poetry or stories when I was younger. A sort of longing to abstract and simplify the disorder of emotion I felt inside.” – Charlie Hilton

“We wanted to be like all our favourite bands but they were so diverse that ultimately you just end up sounding like yourself, which is how it should be.” – Gary Mundy

“I’ll be damned if such a one-sided overly simplistic representation of music from this land is all the world comes to know.” – A.J. Haynes

“The songs represent an inward reflection more so than an outward one. What it feels like to live in society but not an analysis of society itself.” – Andrew Kerr

“It’s interesting to me that as a woman in a male-dominated industry, we are congratulated when we show ‘masculine’ characteristics, but often chagrined for being ‘girly.’” – Esmé Patterson

“Writing songs has always been a cathartic experience for me. It’s a way of processing my life in a way that is not self-destructive.” – Zach Rogue

Complete interview with Carlotta Cosials of Hinds used for the short take in Big Takeover #77.

A post-punk/shoegaze trio from Tel Aviv that exemplifies the notion of music being universal.