New release alert! ‘The Official Matinée World Cup EP’ (matinée 098) is available now! On this special release, Matinée bands celebrate the 2018 World Cup with five exclusive soccer-themed anthems to soundtrack the 21st international tournament this summer.

Australian stars Last Leaves kick things off with the splendid guitar pop classic ‘Golden Days To Come’ with its call and response chorus, trumpets, and a choir of fanatics to cheer on the Socceroos.

Swedish band Red Sleeping Beauty makes its Matinée debut with the glorious electric pop hit ‘Dressed In Yellow And Blue’ featuring an infectious chorus about one life-changing goal in the summertime.

Spanish duo The Royal Landscaping Society shows its support for La Furia Roja with the absolutely mesmerizing track ‘2010’ recalling Spain’s World Cup championship earlier this decade.

English legends The Popguns deliver in spades with ‘Red White And Blue’ posing the question “is it so unimaginable thinking we could win?” and using brilliant harmonies, furious guitars, cheering crowds, and handclaps to advance the English side to the next round.

Finally, Brazilian popstars Pale Sunday break a six-year silence with the ace fuzz pop song ‘Dirt Pitch Superstars’ in honor of their team’s campaign for an unprecedented sixth World Cup victory.

An essential release for Matinée and soccer enthusiasts alike, ‘The Official Matinée World Cup EP’ is a fun diversion from the games and a guaranteed score for summertime playlists. The EP is officially released June 15, but you can order it RIGHT NOW exclusively from the Matinée shop. Have a listen to all the tracks now on our Soundcloud!

The sensational new album ‘Fast Falls The Eventide’ (matcd082) from Sweden’s Azure Blue is available now! Across eleven impressive tracks, the sound is darker than on previous releases with more synths and electronic flourishes but with the same timeless melodies and dreamy moods that we have come to associate with Azure Blue.

The album presents a sonic tale about being true to yourself and the neon colors explode as rushing minimal wave tempos meet slowly floating cinematic scenes about new love. Tobias Isaksson has produced, played, and mixed nearly every detail of the album himself in the studio in Stockholm from a stubborn dogma of a sound palette where the hard and rough meets the beautiful and ethereal.

Highlights include the stunning first single ‘Whatever ’18’, the sophisticated ‘Crimson Red,’ the new indie classic ‘My Final Candle,’ the positively catchy ‘Don’t Turn Me On,’ and the old school synth pop of ‘Erratic Motion.’ Several tracks include guest vocalists including notable Swedish artists Peter Moren (Peter Bjorn & John), The Land Below, Paola, Cesar Vidal (Caesars), Julia Boman, and Tangela.

Absolutely contemporary and undeniably cool, ‘Fast Falls The Eventide’ is an impressive, moody, moving progression from one of Sweden’s most internationally acclaimed indie artists.

The album is officially released June 15, but you can order it RIGHT NOW exclusively from the Matinée shop. The album is available on limited edition vinyl on Hybris Records and cassette on Zeon Light Records. Have a listen to four gems now on our Soundcloud!