Scottish favorites Bubblegum Lemonade released their sixth album ‘Lawrence of Suburbia’ (matcd092) in 2024.  Combining jangly and psychedelic songs, the album is a great listen from start to finish and was well received by long-time fans and the music press:

I Don’t Hear A Single called it “another triumph for Matinée Recordings, all the way from Santa Barbara via Glasgow,” while A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed said “Bubblegum Lemonade has a knack for crafting simply effective numbers which mine the rich traditions of indie-pop…[with] C86 vibes, a dash of early Go-Betweens, [and] nods in the direction of both Television Personalities and very early Primal Scream.”

Records I Like said “the sixth album from the Scottish band features their trademark blend of their 1960’s influenced psych tinged pop with 1980’s indie pop,” while Jigsaw Records called it “a nicely varied album combining the usual jangly 12-string guitar-pop sound with quite a bit more psychedelia and even a bit of dancey Madchester influence” and When You Motor Away declared the album “one of our most played LPs this year” and encouraged fans to “treasure it, folks!”

The album spawned four hit singles: ‘Never Have I Ever’ (matda028) in 2022, ‘Out There On The Radio’ (matda031) in 2023, ‘Love’s Young Nightmare’ (matda035) in 2024, and ‘Someone Made You Sad’ (matda041) in 2025.

‘Suburban Singles Club’ (matda046) collects these four singles, along with eight exclusive b-sides that have proven equally popular to songs on the album itself. The resulting collection is as an essential companion to ‘Lawrence of Suburbia’ and further testament to the never-ending stream of quality music coming from the Bubblegum hit factory.

The album is available now from the Matinée shop and all the usual streaming services.  You can preview a few of the ace tracks on our Soundcloud as well!

‘Just Beyond The Lights’ (matcd096) is the new album by The Perfect English Weather who are Wendy and Simon, a husband and wife duo from the East Sussex coast of England. Their “beautiful, slightly melancholic pop” has often drawn comparisons to artists like The Sundays and 10,000 Maniacs.

The album title is taken from a lyric in the song ‘Preston Street’, which is sung from the point of view of somebody who drives the van for a band and always picks them up “just beyond the (traffic) lights”. The title also reflects on Wendy and Simon’s move away from the big, bad city of Brighton to the edge of the Sussex Cuckmere Valley; and perhaps is a small nod to their commercial appeal being just a little outside the mainstream.

A recurring theme on the record is an enduring relationship with place. Opening track ‘Pilgrimage’ was inspired by the melancholy feeling of visiting a location that is associated with an icon and then wondering how they might have felt about the tourist industry that has sprung up around that place. It could be the John Lennon peace memorial in Central Park, Alan Turing’s office at Hut 8, Bletchley Park, or a walk across the Yorkshire moors after reading a Bronte novel. Meanwhile, ‘Paperback Reader’ takes place on a favourite park bench, where the protagonist escapes during the working day for a little longer than they really should.

There is also a trio of songs set in Wendy and Simon’s old hometown of Brighton, including singles ‘Caroline of Brunswick Square’ (matda040) and ‘London-by-the-Sea’ (matda043) plus the aforementioned ‘Preston Street’. Bletchley Park also finds a place in the song ‘Margaret’, whose story is based on the women who worked in the code breaking teams in WW2.

The album is officially released May 30, but is available right now in the Matinée shop!  The band also has copies available via their Bandcamp so if you are in the UK you may want to go there to save on postage.

The duo’s wonderful ‘Isobar Blues’ (matcd078) and ‘Don’t You Wanna Feel The Rain?’ (matcd083) albums, plus the ‘English Winter’ EP (matinée 095) are all absolutely essential listening so you may want to add those to your cart if you haven’t already.

Preview select album tracks—including the ace singles ‘Caroline of Brunswick Square’ and ‘London-by-the-Sea’—on our Soundcloud!

Swedish legends Red Sleeping Beauty are back atop the new release page with the ‘Late Nights, Vol. 3’ EP (matda045), the third volume in their ‘Late Nights’ series.

This volume features slightly darker versions of the 2024 single ‘Canciones de Verano’ plus ‘This Heart’s Now Yours’ from the 2024 ‘Diary’ album (matcd094) and ‘Cheryl, Cheryl, Bye’ from the 2016 ‘Kristina’ album on Shelflife Records.

The single is available now from the Matinée shop and the usual streaming services.  You can have a listen here on our Soundcloud as well!

Scottish favorites Strawberry Whiplash return to the new release rack today with the brand new four song ‘At The End Of The Day’ EP (matda044).

The title track—the second single lifted from a forthcoming new album ‘People Like Us’—is an instantly loveable smash with a stop/start chorus and beautiful interaction between the vocals and 12 string guitars.

The EP includes three additional tracks that are exclusive to this release: ‘Escher Sunday’ is a relaxed gem that repeats a seemingly always descending chord sequence not unlike the optical illusions of the artist, while ‘Beautiful Losers’ is an infectious indie disco stomp and ‘Picture Perfect’ is an acoustic version of one of Strawberry Whiplash’s most popular tracks recently discovered on an old hard drive.

The single is available right now from the Matinée shop, the usual digital merchants, and our Soundcloud.  The 12-track ‘People Like Us’ album is coming along nicely and on track for release later this year!

‘London-By-The-Sea’ (matda043) is the second single from the forthcoming album ‘Just Beyond The Lights’ by English duo The Perfect English Weather.

The song is an enchanting tale that weaves in and out of the band’s hometown of Brighton over several decades and the title was inspired by a chance meeting that Wendy had with Morrissey whilst traveling from London to Brighton in 1984. He mentioned that he had friends in “London-By-The-Sea” and the song touches on how times and people can change.

The single includes non-album bonus track ‘Flames’ that layers intricately strummed guitars and strings alongside more masterful vocals. The new 10-track album is scheduled for release in May!

‘London-By-The-Sea’ is available now from the Matinée shop and all the usual streaming services.  You can have a listen here on our Soundcloud as well!

‘Someone Made You Sad’ is the stunning fourth single (matda041) from the new ‘Lawrence of Suburbia’ album (matcd092) by Scottish favorites Bubblegum Lemonade.

The mid-tempo title track—which has emerged as the most heavily streamed track from the album—features backwards guitar, a catchy melodica motif, and a Madchester feel to the chorus.

As always, the EP features two first class non-album tracks. ‘Pure Honey’ is a blues-influenced blend of late ‘60’s Rolling Stones and the Jesus and Mary Chain. Inspired by a bottle of home-made honey given to Laz by a bee keeping friend, the song introduces his teenage son James on double-tracked rhythm guitar during the song’s outro and (along with the title track) features Sandra of fellow Glasgow band Strawberry Whiplash on backing vocals.

Finally, the hypnotic ‘The Ghost of Yourself’—a successful experiment in just how far you can go with two chords and nine words—has Laz revisiting the time he was in a band in his youth, rehearsing in a friend’s flat in advance of a gig. The fact that Bubblegum Lemonade has songs this good to use as b-sides to the album’s fourth single gives you a little indication of the quality of unreleased tracks in the band’s catalog.

The EP is available now from the Matinée shop, the usual digital merchants, and streaming on our Soundcloud:

Swedish legends Red Sleeping Beauty return to the top of the news page with the ‘Late Nights, Vol. 2’ EP (matda042), the second volume of their ‘Late Nights’ series.

The EP features slightly darker versions of ‘Caroline (I Found Love)’ from the 2024 ‘Diary’ album (matcd094), ‘Breaking Up Is Easy’ from the 2016 ‘Kristina’ album on Shelflife Records, and ‘The Swedish Winter’ from the 2019 ‘Stockholm’ album (matcd084).

The single is available now from the Matinée shop and all the usual streaming services.  You can have a listen here on our Soundcloud as well!

‘Caroline of Brunswick Square’ (matda040) is the new single from English favorites The Perfect English Weather featuring husband and wife duo Simon and Wendy Pickles from The Popguns.

The song is a swinging sixties-influenced gem with absolutely stunning crystalline vocals and prime guitar work that will have you reaching for the repeat button straightaway.

It is the first song released by the band since 2019 and the initial preview of a forthcoming 10-track album ‘Just Beyond The Lights’ scheduled for release this spring.  

The single is available now from the Matinée shop and all the usual streaming services.  You can have a listen here on our Soundcloud as well!

The ‘Fractals’ EP (matinée 101) is the highly anticipated new single from Spanish indiepop favorites The Royal Landscaping Society!

Lead track ‘When There’s Nothing Left To Look Forward To’ is a brilliantly hypnotic heartbreak song layering multiple guitars with twinkling keyboards and electronics to produce the most captivating few minutes from the band so far.

‘Fractals’ perfectly incorporates the mathematical concept of repeating geometric patterns in recorded form, and was written immediately after watching a documentary about the relationship between math and nature.

The EP concludes with the stripped back ‘Untitled’ combining piano, six-string bass guitar, and vocals in an especially simple and effective song that will have you reaching for the replay button straightaway.

The single channels the usual influence from fellow heartbreak champions Brighter, Harper Lee, and The Cure in exceptionally warm recordings and is one of the strongest singles released on the label to date. The EP is limited to 500 copies on classic black vinyl in a beautiful record sleeve with a design based on the Fibonacci sequence.  

It is officially released February 14, but is available for preorder now in the Matinée shop!  The stellar ‘Means of Production’ CD (matcd088) from the band is also still available and absolutely essential listening so pick up a copy of it if you haven’t already. 

You can add recent 7″ singles from The Popguns, Red Sleeping Beauty, or Math and Physics Club (or recent CDs from Azure Blue, Bubblegum Lemonade, Red Sleeping Beauty, or Northern Portrait) to your order with little to no additional postage cost so do the right thing and support these magnificent Matinée artists. Visit the Matinée shop for all these hits and more!

Soundtrack your shopping experience with our Soundcloud player and a video for the lead track below:

Hot on the heels of their acclaimed fifth album Diary (matcd094), Red Sleeping Beauty return with the ‘Late Nights’ EP (matda039).

The EP features slightly darker late night versions of their 2015 comeback single ‘Always’, the Saint Etienne-esque smash ‘Could Have Been Me’ from Diary, and their very first released song, ‘You Are The Kind’, originally featured on the ‘International Pop’ 7” compilation in 1992.

The single is available right now from the Matinée shop, the usual digital merchants, and our Soundcloud: