✨ IC Community Weekly #43
ft. new PACKS & Manni Dee records, Frances Chang and Ron Gallo singles, a special Deerhoof reissue, incoming Tomato Flower, Mary Timony, STRFKR albums and more!
Hey and welcome to the first edition of Community Weekly in 2024!
In the week where No Doubt announced they’re reuniting, the IC community once again released lots of great music.
Keep scrolling for that, but first, some bits from us…
We recently launched IC Lives Classes in two different iterations - a Software Walkthrough, where you can see what all the fuss is about, and an Onboarding Tutorial, where you can see the setup process in action.
Hunter recently appeared on the Other Record Labels podcast to talk about the benefits of using a royalty accounting software like IC.
We entered the third week of our Q1 Special sale - January sign ups get 50% off their first 3 months of IC, so get in quick!
… and some general community news:
Fire Talk are transitioning their highly curated selection online to discogs, with more releases populating the hub every week.
Joyful Noise has almost sold out of its early bird VIP memberships - get more info and sign up.
Polari have launched a new interview podcast called Queerly Beloved, which focuses on "…unique individual creative queer stories whilst celebrating our community’s similarities, rather than differences". The first two episodes are available now and feature Romy and Andy Butler, aka Hercules and Love Affair.
A2IM announced that the 2024 Libera Awards will take place at NYC's Gotham Hall on Monday June 10th, 2024, with a heads up to voters that the first round of voting is now open - anyone eligible should have recently received an email with instructions and next steps.
The UK’s Department for Business & Trade’s Export Academy will be hosting a one-hour webinar on February 7th at 2pm GMT for artists and businesses who want to tour across Europe, covering things like visas, work permits and VAT issues. To attend you can sign-up here.
👋 If you’re an IC catalog and you’ve got news, releases, or other fun stuff you want us to include, just reply and let us know - this goes out to 2500+ inboxes every week!
JOBS IN THE COMMUNITY
🧑💻 Secretly Distribution are looking for a Video and Social Account Coordinator to fill a newly opened position within their growing digital department. This is a full-time position based in one of their US offices (Bloomington, LA, New York). The new hire will provide support for key video and social based DSP relationships including YouTube, VEVO, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, while working closely with their existing digital marketing team and distributed label partners. Apply here.
NEW IC CATALOGS
A very warm 🤝 to…
North Note, a London-based Sync, Publishing and Label company.
Epsilon Records, a Netherlands based underground record label dedicated to modular synthesis and electronic dance music.
Voices of Today, an Australian audiobook narration and production service with a global network of narrators.
StreetMob Records, a Mexican label founded by Jesus Ortiz Paz, lead singer of the chart-topping band Fuerza Regida.
NEW RELEASES
ALBUMS
🎧 Fire Talk band PACKS released their third LP, Melt The Honey today. It’s the band’s second LP in 12 months and arrives just as they return from touring with Geese and Slow Pulp in the US, UK and EU. In their 8/10 review Exclaim! called it “approachable and endearing… a warm, raw album that invites reflection without judgement.”
🎧 fabric Originals released Boundless, the new EP by the acclaimed British producer, DJ, and multi-disciplinary artist Manni Dee.
SINGLES
🎧 Kill Rock Stars shared their first release of the new year: Anything But This (Jerry's Version) by Ron Gallo, a reimagined offering from the deluxe reissue of his 2023 album, FOREGROUND MUSIC.
🎧 Ramp Local released Ya A Mirage, the latest single from Brooklyn songwriter Frances Chang, taken from her upcoming album Psychedelic Anxiety, out February 16th. “This song really encapsulates my idea of romance - in its most toxic, foolish, theatrical form," writes Chang. "It’s about pining and pain, ups and downs, vacillating between anger and forgiveness, blame and acceptance, and trying to find solid ground amidst the tumultuousness of heartbreak. Another many-chaptered epic."
RE-ISSUES
🎧 Joyful Noise announced a re-release of the classic Deerhoof album, Reveille, a “…defiant expression of artistic rebirth, spilling over with madcap exuberance, apocalyptic imagery, newfound technical confidence belying their no-budget DIY recording methods, and jarring stylistic about-faces in which no two songs sound alike.” Ships out around March 8th.
🎧 Suicide Squeeze released the latest repress of Menos el Oso by Minus the Bear. It’s limited to 1000 copies on half white & half translucent green vinyl and comes with expanded liner notes about the creation of the record, provided by longtime friend of the band Brian Cook (Botch, Russian Circles, These Arms Are Snakes), and includes quotes and insights from the members themselves.
PRE-ORDERS
🎧 Polyvinyl announced Parallel Realms the new album from indie dance legends STRFKR, “… a return to the writing style of the Miracle Mile days, filled with danceable bops and up-tempo pop to keep you on your toes this spring.” Listen to the latest single Together Forever and pre-order your copy of the record, which comes out March 1st.
🎧 Innovative Leisure announced Acid Star, the new record by electronic rock group Peel, the musical partnership of multi-instrumentalists Sean Cimino and Isom Innis. You can pre-order the record, which comes out March 29th.
🎧 Royal Mountain announced that Package Pt. 2, the sophomore album from art punks Gustaf, will be out April 5th. Pre-order.
🎧 Merge announced Untame the Tiger, the forthcoming solo album from Mary Timony, will be out February 23rd. Reserve your copy in the Merge store on CD, LP, and limited-edition neon pink Peak Vinyl.
🎧 Ramp Local announced the debut full length Tomato Flower. The record, No, will be out March 8th on vinyl, CD, and digital platforms everywhere. Check out the video for lead single Saint here.
🎧 Suicide Squeeze announced a new collaborative album by Six Parts Seven/Goodmorning Valentine called Kissing Distance, which comes out February 16th. Pre-order.
🎧 Kill Rock Stars announced two new Jad Fair albums, 100 Songs, which is out on vinyl March 8th (pre-order) and Film Music, which comes out on CD the same day (pre-order).
🎧 Get Better announced the new album from indie punk trio VIAL. It’s called Burnout and arrives on March 29th. Pre-save it and check out the new single from it here.
🎧 Captured Tracks announced the release of two full-length albums by home-record pioneer Linda Smith. Nothing Else Matters and I So Liked Spring will be available for the first time on vinyl and streaming formats on March 1st.
Recorded at Smith's home in Baltimore 1995 and 1996, the albums chronicle the tension between the mundanity of daily life and the creative impulse as she worked a full-time job, commuting from Baltimore to Virginia on a daily basis.
Check out first single, Salad Days, a cover of Young Marble Giants, which is out everywhere now, and pre-order the records here.
📖 Don Giovanni announced the release of Merriment, the debut graphic novel from Marissa Paternoster (Screaming Females) and Joe Steinhardt (owner of Don Giovanni Records), which will come out March 19th. Pre-order.
NEW SIGNINGS
✍️ Keeled Scales welcomed Bridget Kearney of Boston band Lake Street Dive to their roster. Her new solo record Comeback Kid will be released by them on April 12th and ahead of that they’ve shared a music video for the single Security Camera.
VIDEOS
🖥️ Dots Per Inch released the video for Dirty, the new track by NYC electronic duo Amiture. Pre-order new record Mother Engine here
FROM THE ARCHIVE
🖥️ The latest outing of a new section where I'll choose a video I love from YouTube’s treasure trove of music videos, live performances and curiosities.
What better way to bring a smile to your weary face on a cold January day than by basking in the pure joy to be found in this Jonathan Richman performance of I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar on Late Night With Conan O’Brien from 1992. Skip straight ahead to 1:41 to go directly to the dance break.
SHOWS, TOURS + EVENTS
🚌 Frances Chang (Ramp Local) is heading out on an East Coast January tour, starting next week in Philly.
🚌 Tomato Flower (Ramp Local) are touring in support of their new album No in March, supported on most dates by babybaby_explores (No Gold).
🚌 Deerhoof (Joyful Noise) are playing some shows US shows, starting at the end of March in Minnesota | TICKETS
🗓️ Save the date for Merge’s 35th anniversary festival which will take place July 24–27th! Four-day passes go on sale February 9th, with more info to come!
📆 UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS
+ check out the 🎟 Events Directory for more conferences, festivals, record fairs, webinars, etc!
Jan 17th - 20th ‣ Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) (Groningen, Netherlands)
Jan 24th - 27th ‣ MIDEM+24 (Cannes, France)
Jan 25th - 28th ‣ The NAMM Show (Anaheim, US)
Feb 5th - 7th ‣ Sync Summit (Los Angeles, US + Online)
Feb 6th - 8th ‣ Pollstar Live! (Los Angeles, US)
Feb 8th - 10th ‣ Durango Songwriters Expo (Ventura, US)
Feb 10th ‣ The Brit Awards 2024 (London, UK)
That’s all for this one! Stay safe and we’ll catch you again next week for more of the same.
- Adam & the Infinite Catalog crew