Indie Exclusive Releases

The Pretty Reckless’ fourth full-length album, 'Death By Rock And Roll,’ is proving to be the band’s most ambitious release yet. With earliest ideas for the album tracing back to 2017, Taylor Momsen and co had to write through the heartbreaking loss of Chris Cornell, who was one of frontwoman Taylor Momsen’s musical muses. Shortly after, producer and longtime collaborator Kato Khandwala passed in a motorcycle accident. Despite the setbacks, the group pushed through the tragedy to complete the record; as soon as the band released the titular first single, they were launched into the spotlight once again. “Death By Rock And Roll” became the band’s fifth #1 song at Active Rock radio, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by a female-fronted band. The album also features the singles “And So It Went” (featuring Tom Morello), “Only Love Can Save Me Now (featuring Matt Cameron and Kim Thayil)” and “25.” 

Back in September 2020, OSEES performed a blistering set out in the desert at Pappy & Harriet’s California, which aired on the LEVITATION Sessions streaming series.  Pressed on glorious 12" swirl colored vinyl, each record includes a bonus encore 7” with the final track from the show, "Block Of Ice" pressed on Milky-Clear vinyl.

"During this particularly hard year (2020), it was a pleasure to work with our good friends over at Levitation and Pappy and Harriet's to reach out to some of our fans, if only for a fleeting hour. This is the proper plastic that came from that evening. We are trying to keep some of our favorite haunts, dives, glorious old venues and bars open through this triail, as it's obvious the lizards that make up the current administration have no real interest in extending any realistic help to struggling businesses. Take care, be well and keep your eyes on the horizon." - John Dwyer

OSEES return for another blistering LEVITATION Session, this time from the depths of a cavernous Los Angeles factory. The performance features a fresh batch of tracks spanning over a decade of the band's expansive discography with a handful of never-before-played-live tunes & some new surprises and is presented in its entirety here, pressed on a glorious Double 12" vinyl LP!

“OSEES pine for our fans and friends out there in the world, so we have come together for another stream with the mighty Levitation. I personally got stoned and stuck my face into the muck of our past catalog to bob for some dusty tumescent gems. There will be some oldies, and some moldies and some surprises along the way. I’m quite happy with how this one turned out. Shot in an insane old factory warehouse in Los Angeles (it looks like a fight scene set from Point Blank or the John Wick trilogy :) If you had told me a year ago we'd be doing these streams now i would have thought you were crazy, but, egg on my face, and here we are. I’m so glad to have this little thing to share a moment with y’all until we can meet face to face on the field of battle again. Mastered by the Guru JJ Golden, it will hopefully turn some frowns inside out and upside down....grossssss” - John Dwyer

The 11 track studio album titled 'Time Flies' will be released by Mid Century Records under exclusive license to BMG. 

Time Flies, is an extraordinary collection that fuses intimate subject matter and upbeat guitar-led rock with irresistibly catchy electronic elements. In the half decade since her acclaimed 2016 album Wild Things, Pip has gone through a personal transformation. 

Pip has openly struggled with mental health, anxiety and depression for a long time and, after dealing with severe postnatal depression + a serious skin cancer condition which has thankfully seen a full recovery, was able to successfully procure the right balance of therapy & medication which is so individually specific. When she embarked on writing songs for this new record in 2019, there was a sense of freedom in the work. “I was feeling pretty grateful to be alive and making music, so I felt like I didn’t ‘care’ anymore - not in a bad way, I just stopped overthinking it.”

Time Flies was produced with a host of incredible collaborators including, LA songwriter and producer Tommy English (K.Flay, Carly Rae Jepsen, Kacey Musgraves, Adam Lambert, Broods etc), Auckland based Josh Fountain (Leisure, Benee),  Jeremy Toy (Leonard Charles, She’s So Rad) , Sydney's Chris Stracey (Bag Raiders, Paloma Faith, Diplo.) and  Jono Sloan (Empire Of The Sun, PNAU) 

In Pond’s universe nothing stays still for long. Although no one who heard 2019’s “Tasmania” could possibly describe its pulsating psych - pop as straight, Pond wanted to try a more spontaneous way of working for their next record.

Taking a leaf out of krautrock outliers Can’s book, at the start of 2020, Pond embarked on a series of totally off-the-cuff jam sessions from which songs and ideas could be pulled out.

Given the pace at which ideas whizz past your head, it makes for a dizzying listen. Opener Song For Agnes explodes out the speakers like an intergalactic rock opera, running a synapse-tingling gauntlet through bubbling synth pop, 80s hair metal and blissed out saxophone before you know what’s hit you.

It’s an apposite curtain-raiser for an album that can encompass pounding techno (Human Touch), elastic hipped robo-funk (America’s Cup), tripped out motorik (Czech Locomotive) and acres more besides without even topping for breath. Take lead single Pink Lunettes, which opens up thumping like ESG eight hours into a session at Berghain before climbing aboard a gargantuan synthship and disappearing off over the horizon.

Lyrically, too, 9 takes Pond into uncharted territory. Allbrook’s songs here take a more impressionistic tack than before, resulting in both the hilarious one-liners within Human Touch’s gonzoid thrash (sample lyric: “she was jacking a car but she seemed quite nice so I let her use the toilet in my place”) and the social and environmental concerns of blissed out closer Toast, which addressed both last year’s bush fires and the appalling wealth divide in Allbrook’s childhood home in Western Australia.

Above all though, what you get from “9” is a sense of creative abandon and just plain fun. If it was only a fraction as enjoyable to make as it is to listen to then they must have been having a hoot.

Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie has teamed up with solo artist and Savages vocalist Jehnny Beth to release the collaborative album Utopian Ashes, due July 2, 2021 via Third Man Records. The album is heralded by lead single "Remember We Were Lovers" alongside an official video by Douglas Hart (The Horrors, Paul Weller). 

With a list of credits from Kesha, Dolly Parton and Deer Tick, Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town, pedal steel savant Spencer Cullum is one of Nashville’s most in-demand session cats. That’s in addition to making up half of the space-country duo Steelism. Clearly he’s had little trouble fitting in since moving from his native London to Music City. Now, with a debut solo album that pays homage to the ’60s and ‘70s psych-pop, folk and proto prog heroes of his homeland, this Nashville sideman’s stepping out from the shadows into the spotlight. Along with a supporting cast of guitarist Sean Thompson and multi-instrumentalist Luke Reynolds, as well as singing and writing partners like Caitlin Rose, Andrew Combs and Erin Rae — he’s bringing a bit of Britain to TN.

Mute are excited to announce the release of José González’s fourth studio album Local Valley, out September 17th on limited edition indie exclusive green vinyl, black vinyl, CD and digital formats.

Local Valley is a natural continuation of the styles that José has developed over the years both solo and with his band Junip. The album strikes a balance between stripped back arrangements—just Jose’s intimate vocal and exquisite nylon string guitar work—and tracks driven by groovy drum machine loops and other percussive elements.

With songs sung in English, Spanish and Swedish, Local Valley invites us to look beyond our tribal instincts and join together in a more harmonic state. The album explores our shared humanity and the scientific-based existential questions we face together on our quest to understand ourselves and our place in the cosmos.

José González has tallied over 1 billion streams, 150+ licensed TV, film, and video game uses, and has a major presence at radio stations around the globe. This year, he has been selected by National Geographic to be an Earth Day Ambassador alongside Willie Nelson, My Morning Jacket, Yo Yo Ma, and more.

The album cover and physical packaging of Local Valley showcases the beautiful hand drawn artwork of Swedish designer Hannele Fernström.

José plans to tour with Rufus Wainwright in the Fall of 2021.

Eternal Blue - Spiritbox - After being named among Exclaim!'s New Faves last year, Spiritbox have detailed their debut album. The Victoria, BC-based metal outfit will share Eternal Blue from Rise Records.

The 12-track Eternal Blue includes previously shared singles "Holy Roller," "Constance" and "Circle with Me." "Yellowjacket" boasts a feature from Architects' Sam Carter, while the latest to arrive from the LP, "Secret Garden," can be heard alongside a music video below.

Vocalist Courtney LaPlante said of the song: "I think this is the most scared I've been to put out a song... I want to continue to showcase the fluidity that is inherent in heavy music, and even though this is just one part of a full body of work that may not sound exactly like this song, it is a song that we love and are obsessed with. I celebrate variation."

LaPlante added of Eternal Blue, "I must say that although we never intended to wait so long to do this record, I think it did help the songs become stronger... We have had enough time to release the exact music we would like to put out into the world, with no need to compromise. Every single note and every single syllable is the music that we have always dreamed of making and we are very proud of it."

On Slothrust’s latest album, bandleader Leah Wellbaum pushed herself to try and understand her own spirituality on a deeper level, putting a lens on the core wound of the human experience, the idea that we’re alone. With Parallel Timeline , Wellbaum explores the feeling of being trapped inside her own consciousness while simultaneously searching for a meaningful connection to the universe, and all the mysteries it contains.

Pokey LaFarge’s 7th studio solo album, In the Blossom of Their Shade, showcases the positivity of coming out of the darkness and into the light. When the 2020 global pandemic hit, LaFarge’s rigorous work ethic powered him through the potentially challenging creative period. As days became a couple months, songs blossomed from embryonic ideas into full-formed ones and he was ready to move on, which typified his mindset as a working artist. With this record LaFarge captures the thematic notion of being the perfect summer afternoon soundtrack...the type of music you want to listen to while having a cocktail with your significant other. It makes sense musically as well — LaFarge intentionally crafted songs that created space and have melodies that can glide throughout a composition that’s a far cry from the swing and blues-infused songs of his earlier work. LaFarge is an artist who refuses to rest on his laurels and compromise. He’s always motivated and ready to create. With In the Blossom of Their Shade the album is one of LaFarge’s strongest and most mature efforts to date.  

A Beautiful Life is the first new music from Heartless Bastards since 2015’s Restless Ones. The album was produced by Kevin Ratterman (Strand Of Oaks, Jim James, White Reaper). Album performers include Andrew Bird on “The River,” Greggory Clifford (White Denim) on drums, Jesse Chandler (Mercury Rev, Midlake) on keys, flute, clarinet; David Pulkingham (Patty Griffin) on guitar, Bo Koster (My Morning Jacket) on keys. The music is a melange of blues rock, rock and singer-songwriter which surround themes about self-love and awareness, mental health, the environment, and consumerism.

Over the course of her lush, expansive, defiantly sprawling new album, "Sometimes I Might Be Introvert", released on Age 101, the Ivor Novelloaward-winning, Mercury nominated Little Simzdelivers an undeniable modern classic, effortlessly condensing any number of disparate styles and genres into music which thrillingly broaches the gap between urgent modern treatise and hip hop. A bold, quantum leap forward from the critically beloved "Grey Area", this is hardly music aiming simply for the pop charts; rather, it is turbo charged with the kind of fury and potency, confusion and anxiety that make up the modern experience of being Black, British and female at this particular point in time. This is no mere philosophical exercise, however - the result is her most ambitious and soaring body of work to date, one which operates at the very heights of what rap can be

Ronnie Wood and the Ronnie Wood Band is back with the second installment of his live album trilogy, ‘Mr Luck - A Tribute to Jimmy Reed: Live at the Royal Albert Hall’, to be released 3 September 2021. The Ronnie Wood Band with special guests Mick Taylor, Bobby Womack, Mick Hucknall and Paul Weller. Live from the Royal Albert Hall on 1st November 2013. A ‘Tayle’ of Two Sidemen ‘When self-taught guitarist Eddie Taylor imparted his skills onto his friend Jimmy Reed, he surely couldn’t have imagined the effect this was to have on the Chicago blues scene. Backing up such luminaries as John Lee Hooker, he is best remembered for his work with his former student. Sweet coincidence, then, that in 1974 another Taylor, Mick, would make way for Ronnie Wood in the Rolling Stones, paving the way for these two friends and celebrated guitarists to work on projects ever since. The culmination of this to date is surely Taylor’s place in The Ronnie Wood Band at the Royal Albert Hall for 2013’s Bluesfest, where they played the now-legendary set that would come to give birth to this recording.’

Layla Revisited (Live at LOCKN') captures Tedeschi Trucks Band at their incendiary best, together with Phish’s renowned guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio. Recorded August 24, 2019, the performance of the legendary album in its entirety was kept secret until the moment the band took stage. One listen and it’s clear that their surprise performance that night - which included close TTB collaborator Doyle Bramhall II on guitar - meant something special to the astonished fans who were lucky to experience it.

Rage, confusion, despair, self-deception, and introspection—Madi Diaz cycles through the full spectrum of emotions on History Of A Feeling, her debut on ANTI-. It’s an album that undeniably marks Diaz’s status as a first-rate songwriter, a craft she’s spent years refining, and one wherein Diaz establishes herself as an artist capable of distilling profound feelings with ease.

Diaz pulls from a range of folk, country, and pop leanings—she is as much influ- enced by Patty Griffin and Lori McKenna as she is the sonics of PJ Harvey and di- rectness of Kathleen Hanna. On History Of A Feeling, the Nashville based songwriter comes to terms with the dissolution of a meaningful relationship. By the end of it, she wills herself into a self-reflective state where she doesn’t hate herself for being so heartbroken.

The songs on History Of A Feeling, are the most direct and introspective songs Diaz has ever written. In the few times she’s gotten to perform them live in front of an audience, Diaz describes the experience as one where she feels acutely present even though she’s singing about emotions that started to take root years ago. It’s relatable to anyone who has experienced heartbreak and great change in some manner, and this profound sense of intimacy and camaraderie she seamlessly weaves into the songs was important to her. “I wanted it to sound conversational, like I had just walked over to your house and we’re sitting and at the end of your driveway talking—just like we’re hashing it out in the same way that you’d call a best friend at one in the morning because you needed to talk about what just happened.”

Kerber is a new chapter in Yann Tiersen's career - if Portrait was revisiting & reassessing the past, Kerber draws a line under that and looks to the future. Both a follow up to EUSA and an album unlike any Yann has made before. Kerber takes its name from a Chapel in a small village on Ouessant. Influenced by the close geographical area around him, each track is tied to a place, mapping out the direct landscape around Yann’s home. Rather than being a reflection on isolation, the record is an expression of being conscious of your own direct environment and your place within it. The album takes the solo piano themes from EUSA and marries them with electronics. The electronic samples are enhanced by the acoustic elements - it’s the reverse process to what Yann has done before. This is a piano-centred electronic album.

IIUII is a retrospective, but it’s just as much about the here and now. To re-record those songs with the maturity that Fin and his band members have achieved is about viewing the past through the lessons it has taught, not just remastering and repeating it. This was a chance to listen back through all the records, appreciate them for what they are, separate from the usual demands of which songs work on stage – and then give each song the treatment it deserves.
With a solid fan base worldwide, Fin and his band have played the venues and festivals they want, and if not plain sailing, then certainly they've been in a space where they can operate with confidence, soaring with shoegaze layers one minute, back to purist blues basics the next. Fin has also participated in a sideline in co-writes on records by the likes of John Legend, a few soundtracks and the occasional excursion into dub or techno to keep things interesting.

In James McMurtry’s new effort, The Horses and the Hounds, the acclaimed songwriter backs personal narratives with effortless elegance (“Canola Fields”) and endless energy (“If It Don’t Bleed”). This first collection in seven years spotlights a seasoned tunesmith in peak form as he turns toward reflection (“Vaquero”) and revelation (closer “Blackberry Winter”). Familiar foundations guide the journey. “There’s a definite Los Angeles vibe to this record,” McMurtry says. “The ghost of Warren Zevon seems to be stomping around among the guitar tracks. Don’t know how he got in there. He never signed on for work for hire.”

The Horses and the Hounds is a reunion of sorts. McMurtry recorded the new album with legendary producer Ross Hogarth (Ozzy Osbourne, John Fogerty, Van Halen, Keb’ Mo’) at Jackson Browne’s Groovemaster’s in Santa Monica, California. Hogarth recorded McMurtry’s first two albums, Too Long in the Wasteland and Candyland and later mixed McMurtry’s first self-produced album, Saint Mary of the Woods. Another veteran of those three releases, guitarist David Grissom (Joe Ely, John Mellencamp, Dixie Chicks), returns with some of his finest work.

Year Of The Spider is the widely anticipated studio album from the much ballyhooed garage rock idols, Shannon & The Clams. Slated for a summer 2021 release, it was recorded with Dan Auerbach at his legendary Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville and finds the band crafting their uniquely vintage sound that incorporates wonderfully strange elements of doo-wop, classic R&B, garage, psych, and surf rock to produce this timeless gem from these perennial favorites.

With her spellbinding voice and time-bending sensibilities, Sierra Ferrell makes music that’s as fantastically vagabond as the artist herself. On her highly anticipated Rounder debut Long Time Coming, Ferrell shares a dozen songs beautifully unbound by genre or era, instantly transporting her audience to an infinitely more enchanted world.

Two decades into their journey as ritualistic black metal conjurers, WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM have emerged from the forest with Primordial Arcana, their most majestic album to date, and their first release via Relapse Records. Primordial Arcana is the band’s first completely self-contained work: In addition to composition and performance, brothers Aaron and Nathan Weaver alongside guitarist Kody Keyworth handled all aspects of recording, producing and mixing at their own Owl Lodge Studios in the woods of Washington state. The album’s title is a reference to the band’s ongoing reach back to the most ancient, archetypal energies. Leadoff track “Mountain Magick” sets the august tone with alpine guitar melodies cresting skyward in triumph. “Spirit of Lightning” returns briefly to the earthly plane as a tribute to the human connections forged in music. Meanwhile, “Primal Chasm (Gift of Fire)” is an explosion of cosmic grandeur, a symphonic rendering of the hermetic maxim As above, so below as envisioned by Keyworth. In fact, Primordial Arcana is the first WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM record in which Kody was a part of the writing process from the start, so it benefits from his background in cosmic funeral doom. Always uncompromising, Primordial Arcana sees WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM stay true to their unique vision. An album born out of the DIY ethos, Primordial Arcana proves to be the band’s most genuine and focused. One of the year’s most ambitious recordings, Primordial Arcana cements WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM’s legacy as one of US Black Metal’s most daring, unique, and quintessential bands.

Blues music is revered for its timelessness. The best blues–no matter how old sounds as fresh and visceral today as it did when first recorded. The high-energy electric blues trio GA-20 –guitarist Matt Stubbs, guitarist/vocalist Pat Faherty, and drummer Tim Carman –know this well. The band’s dynamic self-penned songs sound and feel as fresh and real as the old blues they love and perform, including songs by Otis Rush, J.B. Lenoir, Howlin ’Wolf, Junior Wells and especially their favorite, Hound Dog Taylor.

Legendary six-fingered Chicago bluesman Theodore Roosevelt “Hound Dog” Taylor always knew how he wanted to be remembered, declaring, “When I die they’ll say, ‘he couldn’t play shit, but he sure made it sound good!’” His first full length recording in 1971 was also the first album on now world-famous Alligator Records, Hound Dog Taylor & The House Rockers. In fact, label president Bruce Iglauer founded Alligator for the sole purpose of recording and releasing that album. Now, Colemine Records–working in partnership with Alligator Records–will release GA-20’s new full-length album, Try It...You Might Like It! GA-20 Does Hound Dog Taylor, featuring 10 songs written or performed by the Chicago blues legend. From the fiery first single and album opener “She’s Gone” to the blistering “Sadie” to the all-time Hound Dog classic “Give Me Back My Wig”, GA-20 deliver one electrifying track after another. As a follow-up to their Billboard-chart-topping Lonely Soul LP, a full worldwide tour will accompany this release, surely to galvanize the blues scene around GA-20!

Vinyl Description: White Opaque color vinyl

Louisville, KY's Bendigo Fletcher have announced they will release their debut studio album Fits of Laughter on Elektra Records. On Fits of Laughter, frontman Ryan Anderson crafts the patchwork poetry of his lyrics by serenely observing the world around him. When matched with the band's gorgeously jangly collision of country and folk-rock and dreamy psychedelia, the result is story-songs graced with raw humanity, wildly offbeat humor, and a transcendent sense of wonder. For help in forging the album's ragged elegance, Bendigo Fletcher worked with producer Ken Coomer (original drummer for Wilco and Uncle Tupelo), laying down the album in nine frenetic days. The album bears an undeniable immediacy, thanks in part to the band's decision to limit the tracklist to eight essential songs (a move largely inspired by extraordinarily lean and iconic albums like Television's Marquee Moon).

Continuing the success from The Baby and The Baby Reimagined, this EP showcases the distinct sides of Samia with each song: a midtempo pop/rock track, a ballad, an atmospheric indie track, and a cover (When In Rome’s “The Promise” with Jelani Aryeh). The release of the EP is also in front of her support dates with Sylvan Esso and headline dates featuring Savannah Conley. 

The only artist to ever achieve #1 albums in SIX consecutive decades, Barbra Streisand’s Release Me 2 is yet another musical gem in her unparalleled career.  The follow-up to her acclaimed 2012 album, Release Me, this new collection contains previously unreleased tracks from Barbra’s vault, including duets with Willie Nelson and Kermit the Frog. With songs by Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Barry Gibb, Paul Williams, Randy Newman, Michel Legrand and Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Harold Arlen, and Carole King, Barbra describes Release Me 2 as, “A lovely walk down memory lane…a chance to revisit, and in some cases, add a finishing instrumental touch to songs that still resonate for me in meaningful ways.” This Exclusive Picture Vinyl is limited to 3,000 units and available exclusively via Independent Record Stores.