✨ IC Community Weekly #54: Bandcamp Friday Edition
ft. Bandcamp Friday sales and our staff picks, jobs at Secretly, the latest Bnny LP on Fire Talk, new music from Dent May, Drahla and Owen, incoming Pedro the Lion, IC product updates, and more!
Hey and welcome to a special Bandcamp Friday edition of the IC Community Weekly!
In a week where artists the world over received royalty statements - about which Hunter had some thoughts - the IC community released excellent music and announced new signings, tours, and more!
Keep scrolling for that, but first, the news from IC HQ…
Voting ended for the A2IM Libera Awards, for which we’re super stoked to be nominated - good luck to all the other nominees and please everyone keep your fingers tightly crossed for us all the way up to the ceremony on June 10th.
…and the community:
Music Biz 2024 (which we’ll be at!), taking place in Nashville next month, just announced its first 200+ speakers!
UK Music, the collective voice of the music industry, launched This Is Music Creators’ Survey, its annual economic survey for music creators, to give the industry a better understanding of the economic landscape of the music industry. The survey is here and open to full-time or part-time professional music creators. Entrants have the chance of winning a £100 voucher but the survey needs to be completed by 6pm, Monday 20th May.
Final Girl records released a cool new tote!
👋 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!
BANDCAMP FRIDAY
Bandcamp waives their 15-20% fee today meaning all revenue goes to artists & labels. So, if you’ve got something you want to buy from them, there’s no better time.
Special releases and offers from the community today include:
✨ Get Better Records have some special signed copies of the very fast and fun new VIAL album burnout (Pitchfork 7.4 rated this week) being added to their store from today.
✨ Sahel Sounds have set their whole digital catalog to Name Your Price.
✨ Carpark are releasing the @ EP Are You There God? It's Me, @ on vinyl on June 14th and from today, to coincide with Bandcamp Friday, you can preorder the EP on Light Blue (via Carpark) or a limited Recycled Lavender Vinyl variant via Vinyl Me, Please.
And here’s what we’ve got our eye on here at IC:
💿 Christopher has his on Bite Down, the latest record from Rosali on Merge.
💿 Ari wants to get The Green Domain by psyched-out guitar experimentalists Iris on Tax Free Records.
💿 Adam has the pink/black mix vinyl of Deep Sage by Florida hardcore band Gouge Away (Deathwish Inc.) in his sights.
💿 Hunter is keen to get the new Dana Gavanski record LATE SLAP, which came out today on Full Time Hobby.
JOBS IN THE COMMUNITY
🧑💻 Secretly Group are looking for a Project Manager for current catalog and label group alumni, based in the US (Bloomington, Brooklyn or Los Angeles).
This role will report to the Director of Projects, North America and will work closely with Production, Marketing, Retail, Direct-to-Consumer, A&R and Creative teams across physical and digital opportunities for the Secretly Group (Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, Saddest Factory Records, Secretly Canadian) catalog.
They’re also looking for an International Digital Accounts Manager based in their London office and reporting to the Global Director of Streaming & Digital Sales. This role will act as the lead conduit for key DSP relationships including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and Amazon across UK, EU, MENA and other markets.
There are currently two open roles at Secretly Distribution as well - for more info on those and to apply for either of the above roles head here
🧑💻 Motive Unknown are looking for a Marketing Manager to manage their client relationships and lead in the creation and execution of marketing initiatives for clients, primarily focused on the recorded music space (i.e. labels, management companies, artists direct etc). Apply here.
NEW IC CATALOGS
A very warm 🤝 to…
Wild At Heart Records (WAHR) is an “independent, accessible artist-led label releasing music from songwriters and musicians with disability, mental illness, neuro and gender diversity”, representing artists across genres and artistic styles including folk, indie, rock and hip hop.
Smalltown Supersound is a Norwegian indie label founded in Flekkefjord in 1993 and now based in Oslo, Norway. It is dedicated to new forms of jazz, rock and electronic music.
Too Much Collective is a Bristol based label, community and club night series curating the finest in upcoming 140 and bass-orientated music.
Outside Time is a Washington, D.C. label “treading the ground between music and beyond”.
NEW RELEASES
ALBUMS
🎧 Fire Talk released One Million Love Songs by Bnny. It’s the second record by the Chicago-based project of Jessica Viscius and is “…a strangely affirming release that says wherever you’re at, and no matter what, love is beautiful even in its in-between weirdness” (Far Out Magazine). It was yesterday’s Bandcamp album of the day too if you need any more convincing.
🎧 Carpark released the latest Dent May record What’s For Breakfast?. It’s the sixth from the LA-based songwriter and pop auteur and features appearances from Jordana, Pearl & The Oysters, Jimmy Whispers and co-writes with Paul Cherry.
🎧 Captured Tracks released the new record from Leeds art-rockers Drahla. It’s called angeltape and is the band’s first release since their critically acclaimed 2019 debut, Useless Coordinates, “…an avant garde document of the events that unfolded over the five-year gap between records which saw a variety of changes – good and bad – steer Drahla's professional and personal lives down unfamiliar territories.”
🎧 Raw Tapes released Ein-Sof (which translates to 'there is no end') by Tel Aviv based ney specialist Itzhak Ventura, who created the album to speak to the soul: “I want people to feel the connection of heart and spirit. The ney itself is a reed cut from its source; this sound reflects how we are also separated from the divine. And these songs bring us closer to unity.”
🎧 Kill Rock Stars released a new expanded edition of the Tim Kinsella & Jenny Pulse record Giddy Skelter, featuring 5 alternate versions of their 2023 album, which Chicago Reader called "...a lustrous mix of psychedelic drone, fuguelike piano, and sweet AOR soul" and 8 additional tracks that reveal the full scope of the duo's vision.
SINGLES
🎧 Polyvinyl released two new tracks from Owen, the solo project of Chicago's Mike Kinsella, in advance of his first album under that moniker in four years, The Falls of Sioux. The tracks are Virtue Misspent, a nostalgic homage to his favorite band, New Order, and Hit and Run, “…one of the most personally affecting songs for Mike on the album… the track that brings him to tears.”
🎧 H1 Massive released the latest single by Phoenix, AZ band Vinyl Station called Nothing Yet (Answer Slow).
🎧 Ransom Note released Subconscience, the third and final single from (The) Rooted Sky, the upcoming debut album by Wave Arising - a collaboration between Sebastian Vaughan, who was once a member of notorious anarcho rave sound system Spiral Tribe and the dancer/video maker Kynsie.
🎧 Paradise Music Group released stand tall the new single from hyperpop artist pestotrip.
PRE-ORDERS
🎧 Polyvinyl announced Santa Cruz, the third instalment in the musical memoir of the life of David Bazan as told via the Pedro the Lion moniker. The record covers a little less than a decade in his life, from ages 13 until 21, and is “the most fraught and frank album yet in a planned five-album arc… the rawest, most affecting and affirming album Pedro the Lion has ever made.”
📖 Velocity Press are releasing You Out Tonight?, the first book from Tough Luck, the Instagram account with over 46k followers that spotlights up-and-coming youth culture photographers. It features the work of 15 photographers from different backgrounds and styles, all united by their passion for capturing contemporary club culture with over 300 photographs from around the world. It’s due for release on July 19th but pre-order now and you’ll also receive an exclusive art print and get it first in June.
NEW SIGNINGS
✍️ Preach Records just signed Dee Gatti who hails from Dallas/Fort-Worth, Texas and is poised to be the next breakout R&B superstar. Check her out here and catch her on tour with TheARTI$T in May.
VIDEOS
🖥️ Topshelf released a new lyric video for devorah from the upcoming Ekko Astral album Pink Balloons (out April 17th):
INTERVIEWS
🎙️ Speaking of Ekko Astral, they spoke to soon-to-be-tourmate Ted Leo for a Talkhouse feature that went out this week about the utility of political punk, being a band in DC, and more.
🎙️ Babehoven (Double Double Whammy) spoke to Consequence of Sound about sci-fi, love, and Squirrel Flower and the impact they all had on their excellent new track Ella’s From Somewhere Else.
FROM THE ARCHIVE
🖥️ Where I choose a video I love from YouTube’s treasure trove of music videos, live performances and curiosities.
This week: the self-directed music video for the eerie and utterly unique 1981 Laurie Anderson track O Superman, which reached number 2 on its release in the UK charts and recently trended as a TikTok snippet. In 2021 Margaret Atwood said the track - a commentary on US involvement in wars in the Middle East and the progression of technology - has never felt more pertinent, and 3 years down the line her words ring even more true.
SHOWS, TOURS + EVENTS
🚌 Tim Kinsella & Jenny Pulse (Kill Rock Stars) just started their US/Canada tour in Michigan | TICKETS
📖 Velocity Press are holding a free launch party in London on Thursday April 18th (6-9pm) for their book Ears to the Ground, featuring its author Ben Murphy in conversation with Carl Loben from DJ Mag. It takes places at the Velocity Press shop in Peckham.
🚌 Truth Club (Double Double Whammy) are hitting the road with Cloud Nothings (Pure Noise) in May | TICKETS
🚌 Wombo (Fire Talk) are touring Europe in Aug/Sept | TICKETS
📆 UPCOMING INDUSTRY EVENTS
+ check out the 🎟 Events Directory for more conferences, festivals, record fairs, webinars, etc!
Apr 9th - 11th ‣ Scenario 2024 (LA, CA, US)
Apr 10th - 13th ‣ Westway Lab Conference (Guimarães, Portugal)
Apr 12th - 14th ‣ Coachella Weekend One (Indio, CA, US)
Apr 15th - 19th ‣ TED 2024 (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
Apr 19th - 21st ‣ Coachella Weekend Two (Indio, CA, US)
Apr 20th ‣ Record Store Day (Worldwide)
Apr 25th - 28th ‣ Launch Music Conference & Festival (Lancaster, PA, US)
Apr 26th - 28th ‣ Stagecoach Festival (Indio, CA, US)
Apr 26th - May 5th ‣ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest (New Orleans, LA, US)
May 2nd ‣ Music Week Awards (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