Fanfare please! It’s been ten years since Scottish duo Strawberry Whiplash last graced the new release racks, and the new 12-track ‘People Like Us’ collection (matcd097) combines the best elements of their first two albums ‘Hits In The Car’ and ‘Stuck In The Never Ending Now’ in an absolutely brilliant and varied third album recorded at Strawberry Towers in four months early this year.

‘(Theme From) People Like Us’ is the song that triggered the idea for the album, a theme to an imagined 1970s class based English sit-com with a clever, economical chorus, inspired minimalist guitar solo, and a ‘70s synth motif. It’s lead singer Sandra’s favourite track on the album. ‘Baby (You’re A Dancer)’—one of three singles that preceded the album—is a smash hit designed to soundtrack your next pool party or beach soirée, and man, Strawberry Whiplash are exactly the sort of people that you want to hang out with! The song is the closest the band has come to dance music, and you will find yourself hilariously grooving to this into the late night hours. Laz’ son James plays rhythm guitar on the song.

‘A Waste Of Honey’ is a slow building one with Velvet Underground-inspired ba-ba-bas, a nice 12-string guitar solo, catchy glockenspiels, and an oboe at the conclusion; while ‘We Built This City on Indiepop’ documents the change of their home town of Glasgow from being a city of heavy industry to a city of culture and commerce, with stereo delay guitar in the verses, young James playing the crunchy guitar in the chorus, and a tight anthemic backing track.

‘At The End Of The Day’—another single lifted from the album—is an instantly loveable smash with a stop/start chorus and beautiful interaction between the vocals and 12-string guitars; while ‘A Crack In The Past’ is a slow song to finish off side one with shimmering fuzz guitars at the start, Orange Juice guitar strumming, a big percussive tom roll, strings and harpsichord inspired by 1960s European cinema soundtracks, a retro-futuristic atmosphere, and ace harmonies.

‘Under A Summer Spell’ kicks off side two in style with an old tune from Laz’ pre-Bubblegum Lemonade and Strawberry Whiplash band The Stepping Stones, featuring sizzling guitar lines, a bouncing Madchester drum track, and a summery trumpet motif; while third single ‘The Vampire Life’ is a discordant blend of early Mary Chain and late 80s Sonic Youth meet goth Beach Boys, with a killer shoegaze intro and outro plus searing guitars throughout. It is perhaps the closest the band has come to the noisy brilliance of their debut ‘Who’s In Your Dreams’ single back in 2008 and is a song that should be filling dancefloors at the coolest discos by year-end.

‘Leaving On The Ship Of Souls’—about grown-up kids setting off on their own path—opens with an example of the album’s experimental spirit: the dust from the bongos caused Laz to sneeze while recording his part, so he captured it as a sample, then fed it back through a delay effect that you can hear in the song’s intro. ‘One Way Ticket To Mars’ is a song for our times, with Ramones-inspired drums and guitars, catchy ba-ba-bas, and a song structure that evolves in an unpredictable way, just like a rocket ship to Mars.

‘Strawberry Moon’ is a last-minute addition to the album, and you can tell that all the tricks and techniques learned during the recording of the album are present on this track. It’s baroque pop, an indie pop take on The Left Banke, and the album’s biggest pop production with emotive strings and a big shimmering guitar solo. Finally, ‘(1985) Again’ concludes the album with a slow, bossa nova number with lo-fi disco drums, a pulsating bass line, percussive glockenspiel, and tasty shoegaze elements. It’s Laz’ favourite track on the album and a clear example of just how to finish off a release.

A remarkable third album, ‘People Like Us’ is a triumph for the band and another Scottish pop classic for the Matinée discography.

The album is officially released today and available in the Matinée shop, from our trusty distributor Darla Records, and on all major streaming services. Ask your local record shop for a copy!

Previous albums ‘Hits In The Car’ (matcd060) and ‘Stuck In The Never Ending Now’ (matcd074), plus the ace singles ‘Stop, Look and Listen’ (matinée 080), ‘Picture Perfect’ (matinée 072), and ‘Who’s In Your Dreams?’ (matinée 065) are all still available so you may want to add those to your cart if you haven’t already.

The band also has five digital singles and numerous compilation appearances (all with exclusive non-album tracks!) so see the Strawberry Whiplash artist page for all the details.  Soundtrack your shopping trip with a listen to our ‘People Like Us’ sampler:

‘French Letters In The Sand’ (matda056) is the magnificent second preview of the forthcoming surf and shoegaze inspired album ‘To Surf With Love’ (matcd099) from Scottish stalwarts Bubblegum Lemonade. The song fades in with our protagonist daydreaming and remembering the voice of his ex before the dream is punctured by descending surf guitars and a backing track moving between Motown and driving surf drums and guitars.

The EP also features two exclusive non-album b-sides: ‘The Hottest Day Of The Year’ is a commentary on global warming packaged as Byrds-inspired summery jangle pop with 12-string guitars, surf strumming and drumming, and dynamic production; while final track ‘Maybe Someday’ is a mid-tempo hypnotic song recorded for a radio session around the time of the ‘Sophomore Release’ album in 2010 and featuring more jangling 12-string guitars, a groovy 60s bass line, and a Madchester backing track reminiscent of the Stone Roses.

‘French Letters In The Sand’ is available now from the Matinée shop and the usual streaming services, and the 12-track album ‘To Surf With Love’ is released 28 October!

New band alert!  Norwegian Blue is an exciting new musical endeavor from vocalist and guitarist Erik Aamot of the popular Swedish band The Electric Pop Group.

The debut single ‘Something New’ (matda055) is a mesmerizing combination of chiming electric and acoustic guitars layered with keyboards, drums, multi-tracked vocals, and a healthy dose of ba-ba-ba’s to form a captivating introduction to the band and a modern indiepop classic.

Additional recordings are in progress and hopefully we’ll have a Norwegian Blue album soon.

In the meantime, ‘Something New’ is available in the Matinée shop and all streaming services.

We are thrilled to announce three forthcoming Matinée albums that are currently at the pressing plant, and you—lucky listener—can preorder them all now in advance of their release dates later this month.  

It’s been ten years since popular Scottish duo Strawberry Whiplash last graced the new release racks, and the new 12-track ‘People Like Us’ collection (matcd097) combines the best elements of their first two albums ‘Hits In The Car’ and ‘Stuck In The Never Ending Now’ in an absolutely brilliant and varied third album recorded at Strawberry Towers in four months early this year. The album features recent smash singles ‘At The End Of The Day’, ‘Baby (You’re A Dancer)’ and ‘The Vampire Life’ plus nine additional tracks. A remarkable album, ‘People Like Us’ is a triumph for the band and another Scottish pop classic for the Matinée discography.

Full details on the release are available on the catalog page.  The album is officially released October 24, but you can preorder it right now exclusively from the Matinée shop and we will send it to you as soon as we have copies back from the plant.  In the meantime, catch up on those recent smash singles on our Soundcloud.

The classic 1990s releases from Stockholm indie pop quartet Red Sleeping Beauty have long been out of print and unavailable on streaming services. That changes with the release of ‘Pop Songs’ (matcd098)—an astonishing 50-track (!) double-CD retrospective! Disc one collects 27 tracks released from 1992 to 1996 on international pop labels of the day—including the ‘Pop Sounds’ 3” CDEP and the ‘Bedroom’ CD album on German label Marsh-Marigold Records, the ‘Top of the Pops’ 7” EP on Japanese label Motorway Records, the ‘Seasons Change’ 7” EP on American label Somersault Records, the ‘Smile’ 7” EP on American label Sunday Records, and four extra ‘Bedroom’ tracks on Japanese label Quince Records. The physical CD includes a bonus second disc collecting 23 additional tracks recorded between 1989 and 1998—featuring rare contributions to vinyl records, CDs, and compilation cassettes released on various labels from France, Germany, Japan, Spain, and USA, plus 15 previously unreleased songs. Please note: the 23 tracks on disc two are only available on the physical CD and are not part of the digital ‘Pop Songs’ release.

Full details on the release are available on the catalog page.  The album is officially released October 31, but you can preorder it right now exclusively from the Matinée shop and we will send it to you as soon as we have copies back from the plant.  Check out a four-song sampler on our Soundcloud.

The third new release is the spectacular seventh album ‘To Surf With Love’ (matcd099) from Scottish favorites Bubblegum Lemonade! Combining Surf’s Up-era Beach Boys with shoegaze, the album has a deliberate unified sound aesthetic and a narrative curve which documents a summer seaside relationship from beginning to end. The band uses delayed guitars, crashing cymbals, and percussion tracks to emulate the sound and feel of the sea, which is central to the whole album. The album features the hit single ‘Where The Light Hits The Shade’ and forthcoming single ‘French Letters In The Sand’ plus ten additional tracks. ‘To Surf With Love’ is the album that Bubblegum Lemonade were born to make, and the band considers this their best yet, by some distance.

Full details on the release are available on the catalog page.  The album is officially released October 28, but you can preorder it right now exclusively from the Matinée shop and we will send it to you as soon as we have copies back from the plant.  While you wait, you can stream the two singles and an ace album track called ‘Not Going Back’ on the Matinée Soundcloud.

Shipping multiple CDs is often the same price or only slightly higher postage so take advantage of the early preorder and pick up all three albums, or add another gem from our astonishing back catalog like the recent ‘Just Beyond The Lights’ album (matcd096) from The Perfect English Weather! See all our new releases in the Matinée shop!

The classic ’90s releases from Stockholm indie pop quartet Red Sleeping Beauty have long been out of print and unavailable on streaming services. That will change with ‘Pop Songs’ (matcd098)—a 50-track double-CD retrospective. Disc one collects early releases on international pop labels Marsh Marigold, Motorway, Somersault, Sunday, and Quince Records. Disc two features rare tracks from vinyl records, CDs, and compilation cassettes, plus 15 previously unreleased songs.

As a second teaser, the ‘Summertime EP’ (matda054) is out now—and it sounds just like summertime. This is Red Sleeping Beauty at their poppiest and sunniest, carefree and naive in a way that is only possible when you are young—and carefree and naive.

It features ‘The Trumpet Song’ from the debut EP Pop Sounds, ‘For Fun’ from their second EP Top Of The Pops, ‘Summertime’ from the beloved Frischer Morgentau compilation cassette, and ‘I Don’t Know What To Say’, a previously unreleased gem from around the same time as Top Of The Pops.

If anything, this EP proves that a perfect pop song is two minutes long—not three as some crazyheads argue.

‘Pop Songs’ is out later this month and can be pre-ordered now from the Matinée shop. The ‘Summertime EP’ is available today. More pop songs, for everyone!

We have so many excellent new releases in the pipeline that inevitably two of them had to be scheduled for the same release date, but I suspect absolutely nobody will be complaining about this one.

English favorites The Popguns have been recording a bunch of new tunes recently at the famous Brighton Electric Studio in their hometown. Not in the mood to make you wait, they are unleashing two standouts from the session into the digital ether as the ‘Gasoline’ EP (matda053).

‘Oh Harry’ is a slow paced charmer with a big chorus that England Football fans could possibly borrow when Harry Kane scores at the 2026 World Cup.

On the figurative flip side is ‘I’m Happy How My Life Turned Out’ which is a very solid pop-chugger about someone who doesn’t want to be told by some pathetic ex that she could have had a different life if she’d followed him around way back when.

Rumor has it that we may have a new Popguns album next year too! 

In the meantime, the ‘Gasoline’ EP is available in the Matinée shop and all streaming services.

Scottish noise-pop outfit Strawberry Whiplash are back with another fantastic single (matda052) from their brilliant and varied third album, ‘People Like Us.’

Lead track ‘The Vampire Life’ is a discordant blend of early Mary Chain and late 80s Sonic Youth meets goth Beach Boys, with a killer shoegaze intro and outro plus searing guitars throughout.  It is perhaps the closest the band has come to the noisy brilliance of their debut ‘Who’s In Your Dreams’ single (matinée 065) back in 2008 and is a song that will certainly be filling dance floors at the coolest discos by year-end.

The first of two exclusive b-sides, ‘Remember Tomorrow’ is a brand new track written after the album was completed. The song is classic Whiplash pop that uses a glitched and stranded self-driving taxi as a metaphor for a stalled (broken down) relationship, and features a big pop chorus with deliberately muted distortion for extra crunch.

Final track ‘Celestial’ is an acoustic version of an early Strawberry Whiplash song recently discovered on an old hard drive with pared back production that showcases Sandra’s heavenly voice.

The 12-track ‘People Like Us’ album is out next month, and we’ll begin preorders for the album (and two others) very soon.  ‘The Vampire Life’ EP is available now from the Matinée shop and the usual streaming services.

The classic ’90s releases from Stockholm indie pop quartet Red Sleeping Beauty have long been out of print and unavailable on streaming services. That’s about to change (finally, shout pop connoisseurs around the world).

In October, the band will release Pop Songs—a 50-track double-CD retrospective:  Disc one includes early releases on international pop labels Marsh Marigold, Motorway, Somersault, Sunday, and Quince Records, while Disc two features rare tracks contributed to various vinyl records, CDs, and compilation cassettes, plus 15 previously unreleased songs.

As a teaser, the You Are The Kind EP (matda051) is out now — and it’s a tasty one. It features the band’s very first released song, ‘You Are The Kind’ (originally from the International Pop 7”), ‘Pop Song’ from the debut album Bedroom, ‘Hey!’ from the celebrated Japanese compilation Wheels Go Round, and ‘Strife’, a previously unreleased track from the band’s early bedroom-pop duo days.

More pop songs, for everyone!  The EP is available now from the Matinée shop and the usual streaming services.

‘Where The Light Hits The Shade’ (matda050) is the fantastic first single from Bubblegum Lemonade’s forthcoming surf and shoegaze inspired album ‘To Surf With Love’—the album the band was born to make.

The album is full of fun percussion touches, as illustrated in the title track intro which uses stereo panning sampled scissors, percussive shaker, and muted guitar hits to create the unique rhythm. Combining jangling electric and 12-string acoustic guitars, the song features lead singer Laz and Strawberry Whiplash singer Sandra trading vocal lines, with Sandra’s sassy replies adding a nice dash of wit to the recording.

The first of two exclusive b-sides, ‘And Tomorrow Never Came’ is a fresh hit from the Bubblegum Factory with a deliberately extended intro designed to give each musical part a chance to shine before a successive part begins. In just 55 seconds, the intro takes you on a musical journey from The Byrds through The Cure and finally to a riff worthy of The Strokes.

Final track ‘In The Back of Her Memory’ is perhaps the first of nearly 200 Bubblegum Lemonade recordings that starts straight into the chorus—deliberately going for the pop jugular. Written after the album was finished, this slower and more reflective song features Sandra on multi-tracked backing vocals, while Laz plays the six string Rickenbacker guitar, the bass, and the drums all locking tightly together.

The 12-track album ‘To Surf With Love’ is on track for release later this year! In the meantime, ‘Where The Light Hits The Shade’ is available now from the Matinée shop and the usual streaming services.

‘Preston Street’ (matda049) is the wonderful third single from the new album ‘Just Beyond The Lights’ by English duo The Perfect English Weather.

The album title is taken from a lyric in the song, which is 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 single includes a special bonus track, a hauntingly effective alternate mix of the song with a prominent piano melody and an extra dose of atmosphere. 

‘Preston Street’ is available now from the Matinée shop and the usual streaming services.