New music alert: next month we will release a fantastic new EP (matinée 092) from celebrated British band The Popguns! Lead track ‘Still Waiting For The Winter’ is one of the highlights from the band’s critically acclaimed ‘Pop Fiction’ album (matcd070) released late last year. A stunning showcase of dual female vocals, jangling guitars, and melodies galore, the song is a reflective journey of nights out on the Brighton seafront and the conflict between yearning for the past and living for today.

The EP also features three exclusive new tracks that spotlight the incomparable Popguns vocals with stripped back arrangements. ‘BN3’ is a gorgeous slow time waltz with carefully strummed acoustic guitars and lead vocalist Wendy Pickles telling the story of a sporting romance played out at Hove County Cricket Ground. ‘Why You Fell In Love With Me’ is sung with a heartfelt lilt by Kate Mander and has a relaxed country feel and ace harmonies. Finally ‘Diane’s Song’ continues the Chet Baker theme started on ‘Pop Fiction’ album track ‘Alfa Romeo’ with a glorious tune that would make Bacharach and David proud.

A melancholy diversion for The Popguns as they begin recording a new album, the EP is limited to 1000 copies and comes in a custom minijacket sleeve. The single is officially released July 17, but we will begin preorders early next month in the Matinée shop. In the meantime, you can listen to the title track and ‘BN3’ on our Soundcloud:

The debut album ‘Red Red Skies’ (matcd072) from The Catenary Wires is out today!

Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey, best known for making fuzzy, sixties girl-group inspired indie-pop in their previous bands Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research and Tender Trap, return as The Catenary Wires with a gentler, more emotive, and melancholy approach fuelled by their great love for pop melodies and harmonies.

The Catenary Wires started when the two left London and found themselves in the middle of the countryside, with no record stores or guitar shops, and no indie scene as such. Having initially abandoned the idea of having a band, they started writing their sad and delicate songs on their daughter’s small acoustic guitar, in the winter, just for themselves.

The duo were enticed to play in public for an event celebrating their old label, Sarah Records, at the Arnolfini Art Gallery in Bristol. They played a few Heavenly songs but also took the opportunity to try out the new material. From the positive reaction, they realized that two people on stage could be a proper band, if a small, fragile one.

‘Red Red Skies’ comprises eight evocative songs, most of which are about relationships falling apart. It starts with their first single ‘Intravenous’, a closely sung duet which talks about the mutual dependency of love, and of resignation to a closeness so extreme that it becomes destructive.

‘When You Walk Away’ tells of a relationship started in the full knowledge that it won’t last. Inspired by Leanne Shapton’s novel “Important Artefacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris: Including Books, Street Fashion and Jewelry”, the song exposes Amelia’s voice and Rob’s acoustic guitar at their rawest and most moving.

‘Throw Another Love Song on the Fire’ is a song about heartbreak, while at the same time a satire on other songs about heartbreak, with the depth of Rob’s voice as he sings “thanks for making me unhappy” invoking Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields). ‘A Different Scene’ is about missing someone from a long distance, and the feeling of sending off emails and texts and never being sure of their impact, while ‘Things I Love’ is about how once-much-loved things can become poisoned by bad memories.

Some of the songs, such as ‘Like A Fool’ and ‘The Records We Never Play’, are bittersweet duets, with a nod to Johnny Cash and June Carter, Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot, or Adam Green and Binki Shapiro. Others, such as ‘When You Walk Away’ and ‘Too Late, I Love You’ are more introspective, with Amelia’s voice reminiscent of Karen Peris (The Innocence Mission) or Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star).

The band’s name refers to the chain of curves made by the overhead cables seen suspended from pylons or above electric trains, cables that can seem to lead you off to somewhere different and unknown.

The mini-album is produced by Brian O’Shaughnessy (who has worked with people like Denim, Beth Orten, Comet Gain, The Clientele, and Allo Darlin), and Amelia and Rob played all of the instruments between them. They stripped away all the drums and electric guitars and anything that makes noise too easily, to create a beautiful and deliberately vulnerable collection of songs.

The album is available in a deluxe six panel eco-wallet CD and you can score a copy right now in the Matinée shop! Our friends at Elefant Records in Spain have a snazzy 10″ edition for the vinyl lovers out there too. You can preview a few of the album tracks now on our Soundcloud:

Thanks to the generosity of our friends at Microindie Records, we have a very special offer on titles from The Steinbecks in the Matinée shop! With any purchase of the recent ‘At Arkaroo Rock’ 7″ (matinée 088) or ‘Kick To Kick With The Steinbecks’ CD (matcd069) on Matinée, you can get a FREE copy of the ‘Branches and Fronds Brushing The Windows’ CD or the ‘Far From The Madding Crowd’ CD released on Microindie.  Good time to build your Steinbecks collection, no?

To take advantage of this offer, simply add items to your shopping cart and apply promotional code branches for a free ‘Branches and Fronds Brushing The Windows’ CD or madding for a free ‘Far From The Madding Crowd’ CD. This offer is good the entire month of June or while supplies last. Have a listen to these gems while you shop:

It has been a little over a year since English band Seabirds won the prestigious song of the year category in our annual Matinée fanclub poll with their debut single ‘Real Tears’ but they have just landed on US soil for two shows this week!

You probably have heard they are part of the amazing 2015 NYC Popfest lineup along with our newest signing The Catenary Wires. Seabirds play on Sunday, May 31 at Littlefield with six other great bands including The Holiday Crowd and Club 8!

Seabirds also play in Philadelphia on Saturday, May 30 at Connie’s Ric Rac and you can see complete details on this show here.

In other exciting news, we are finalizing the debut Seabirds album ‘Meet Me In The Silence’ for a July release! The album features ten amazing songs: 1. Lapsed Catholic Blues; 2. Raised By Wolves; 3. Real Tears; 4. Nancy and Lee; 5. Black Sand; 6. Independent Horses; 7. No Fireworks; 8. Six More Weeks of Snow; 9. Mouths of Lovers; 10.Tears of St. Lawrence.

Watch for release details and preorder information in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you can listen to the new track ‘Independent Horses’ and their award winning debut single ‘Real Tears’ on our Soundcloud:

New band alert! The Catenary Wires is the new project from Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey, best known for making fuzzy, sixties girl-group inspired indie-pop in their previous bands Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research and Tender Trap. With The Catenary Wires, they have created something different … gentler, more emotive and melancholy, although still fuelled by their great love for pop melodies and harmonies.

The Catenary Wires started when the two left London and found themselves in the middle of the countryside, with no record stores or guitar shops, and no indie scene as such. Having initially abandoned the idea of having a band, they started writing their sad and delicate songs on their daughter’s small acoustic guitar, in the winter, just for themselves.

The duo were enticed to play in public for an event celebrating their old label, Sarah Records, at the Arnolfini Art Gallery in Bristol. They played a few Heavenly songs but also took the opportunity to try out the new material. From the positive reaction, they realized that two people on stage could be a proper band, if a small, fragile one.

The debut release from The Catenary Wires is a mini-album entitled ‘Red Red Skies’ (matcd072) and it comprises eight evocative songs, most of which are about relationships falling apart. We are thrilled to be releasing the album in conjunction with our friends at Elefant Records in Spain.

The album starts with the first single ‘Intravenous’, a closely sung duet which talks about the mutual dependency of love, and of resignation to a closeness so extreme that it becomes destructive. ‘When You Walk Away’ tells of a relationship started in the full knowledge that it will not last, exposing Amelia’s voice and Rob’s acoustic guitar at their rawest and most moving.

‘Throw Another Love Song on the Fire’ is a song about heartbreak, while at the same time a satire on other songs about heartbreak, with the depth of Rob’s voice as he sings “thanks for making me unhappy” invoking Stephin Merritt (Magnetic Fields). ‘A Different Scene’ is about missing someone from a long distance, and the feeling of sending off emails and texts and never being sure of their impact, while ‘Things I Love’ is about how once-much-loved things can become poisoned by bad memories.

Some of the songs, such as ‘Like A Fool’ and ‘The Records We Never Play’, are bittersweet duets, with a nod to Johnny Cash and June Carter, Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot, or Adam Green and Binki Shapiro. Others, such as ‘When You Walk Away’ and ‘Too Late, I Love You’ are more introspective, with Amelia’s voice reminiscent of Karen Peris (The Innocence Mission) or Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star).

The album is available in a deluxe six panel eco-wallet CD and is officially released June 1, but you can preorder a copy right now in the Matinée shop!

To celebrate the release, The Catenary Wires are playing the NYC Popfest on May 29 and we have also set up a special in-store appearance at the Rough Trade Shop in Brooklyn on May 27. Of course the band will have copies of the new album with them at both shows!

While you wait, have a listen to the ace tracks ‘Intravenous’ plus ‘A Different Scene’ and ‘Throw Another Love Song On The Fire’ via our Soundcloud:

You can also watch videos for ‘Intravenous’ and ‘A Different Scene’ here:

The recent ‘Pop Fiction’ album (matcd070) from English darlings The Popguns is the current top seller in the Matinée shop and generating plenty of accolades in the music press as well. Here are select excerpts from a few of the reviews to date:

“Pop Fiction is so engaging, snappy, and timeless, it’s analogous to the finest 80s UK pop of its kind (Smiths, Go-Betweens, early Creation singles). The LP bursts with mature modernity, a rare, wizened band perfecting their craft the second time around. It’s exquisite, charming, joyous music to fall in love with and to.” –The Big Takeover Magazine

“This is what tight musicianship, peerless songwriting, and an angelic choir up-front is all about. Without hesitation, I can assure you this is the best pop album you will hear this year.” –Soundblab

“An album of catchy upbeat tunes, sweetly swaying midtempo ones, and a couple tender ballads that rate with the best of their early work, all adding up to a truly impressive comeback.” –All Music Guide

“The Popguns are back with a bang, and most likely having a blast while they’re at it.” –Sounds XP

“Pop Fiction is an absolute no-filler affair … a tour de force that deserves its rightful place beside ‘Eugenie’ and ‘Snog’ as the Popguns’ best work.” –Linear Tracking Lives

“Where have The Popguns been all of my life?!?! Pop Fiction, the band’s first release in 18 years, has been on constant repeat for weeks now and is already one of my favorite albums of the year.” –This Wreckage

“Returning indiepop heroes triumph with wall-to-wall tunes on what sounds like a greatest hits album.” –The Sound of Confusion

“Pop Fiction captures everything that endeared them to fans in the first place with ten new tracks of unpretentious pop that sound like they could have been released by Sarah Records, Heavenly Records, or K back in the early 90s, proving that no matter how hard young musicians try to recreate the sound, it’s the bands who perfected it in the first place who best carry the torch.” –Flavorpill

The album comes in a deluxe gatefold eco-wallet and is available worldwide from your favorite record shop, mailorder, or digital provider as well as the Matinée shop. Full release details and more reviews can be found on the catalog page. You can preview the full album on the below Soundcloud player too!

Hello popfans! For the next seven days your dollars, pounds, Euros, krone, real, and yen go further than usual as we have just launched a special Matinée year-end clearance sale! Use promo code 2015 for an extra 30 percent off every item in the shop, including new releases, sale items, and digital downloads. Get 7” and cd singles as low as $1.40 each, and albums as low as $3.50 each! The sale runs until January 2nd but get there quick because there are several releases close to selling out forever. Please see the Matinée shop for details. Happy 2015!

The highly anticipated new album Pop Fiction (matcd070) from legendary English band The Popguns is now available for preorder from the Matinée shop! Here are the complete album details:

Purveyors of heartfelt, uncomplicated pop music, carried by melodies and vocals that go straight to the heart, the debut Popguns single Landslide in 1989 was voted into John Peels Festive 50 and a rush of brilliant singles and albums over the next six years assured the band a well-deserved place in pop history.

Recently the four original members reformed along with a new drummer and backing singer and this year has seen them play to enthusiastic audiences in London, Paris, Berlin, New York, and the prestigious Indietracks Festival.

The first Popguns album since 1996, Pop Fiction is a truly magnificent return. Epic album opener City Lights begins with a chiming guitar intro that builds into dreamy vocals telling a tale of misplaced affections and the alluring lights of the big, bad city, accompanied by some especially dazzling melodies. Meanwhile, If You Ever Change Your Mind is a classic three-minute power pop tune with a wicked hook and a little twist in the tail. The song was inspired in part by an episode of the Danish political drama Borgen and is a stunning showcase for the incomparable vocals of Wendy Pickles.

The album continues with the immediate pop hit Lovejunky which was released earlier this year as a limited red vinyl 7 single. Its a glorious song with soaring vocals, driving guitars, an insanely catchy chorus, and marvelous harmonies. Next, a long acoustic intro for Still Waiting For The Winter showcases dual female vocals before the rest of the Guns arrive for a reflective journey through a vignette of Popgun nights out on the Brighton seafront. The song references the bands second single and live favorite Waiting For The Winter from 1989, giving long-time fans even more to smile about.

Alfa Romeo is a single contender inspired by the fascinating story of American trumpeter Chet Baker, and the mood of the song perfectly fits the romantic image of the unimaginably cool Baker in his Alfa Romeo on the boulevards of San Francisco, Paris and Rome.

Side two of the album opens with the slow burner Out of Sight with its tom-tom intro providing the base for some ethereal feedback guitar and gorgeous layered vocals. Its an altogether different side to The Popguns as they sink into the divine sound of a long distance love affair quietly beating on a rainy Wednesday night. This segues into the sparse backing track of Not Your Night Tonight, which lets Wendys voice be heard in its full beauty with lyrical shades of Lou Reed and Bob Dylan and some beautifully twinkling keyboards.

Leaning on the Backline is a proper up-tempo indie guitar track and a nostalgic look back to the late 80s and the people and places around the band at that time, while Something Going On sits perfectly beside any track from that time period as a classic Popguns song with Wendys vocal delivery leaving no doubt that this is still someone not to be messed with! Finally, Ill See You Later is a celebratory sign off to the album with The Popguns getting as close to rock as they probably ever will with some solid guitar riffs.

Utterly accomplished and bursting with confidence, Pop Fiction is that great pop record The Popguns always promised when they formed 25 years ago and an absolutely spectacular return for the band. Pop perfection indeed!

The album is released worldwide on December 2nd but you can get a copy RIGHT NOW exclusively from the Matinée shop! The CDs are back from the pressing plant on November 18th and all preorders placed by the end of that day will be shipped on the 19th.

Please note: we are heading to London, England for a special Pop Fiction CD launch at The Borderline on November 22nd so any orders received after the 18th will ship when we return on December 1st. Apologies in advance for this delay. Regardless of when you order, you can download the tracks immediately while you wait for the CD to arrive in the post.

We have just created a Pop Fiction sampler on Soundcloud for you to listen to album tracks City Lights and If You Ever Change Your Mind plus the recent single Lovejunky too. Go on then!

The new ‘Lovejunky’ 7” (matinée 091) from The Popguns is selling fast and getting plenty of love from the music press as well. Here are excerpts from a few of the glowing reviews to date:

“This marks the return of the mighty Popguns, its on Matinée Recordings and it kicks like a mule. ‘Lovejunky’ is your primed, loaded and ready for adoration pristine pop hand grenade ablaze in trimmings of power chord purrs, lost abandonment and the fleeting tug of memories of thoughtful lazy nights marooned around the bedroom dansette playing heyday Sarah records platters until the grooves wore flat. A three and a half minutes shoehorning of stand by swoons frantic toe tapping boog-a-loo that sweeps you off your feet, peppers kisses upon your cheek, and in the blink of an eye is gone, vamoosh, see ya – a kind of Darling Buds with tiny cute teeth if you must. Track of the Day!” —God Is In The TV

“A heady rush of jingle-jangly chords and lovely earnest singing.” —Backseat Mafia

“If ever their name suited them, then it’s on ‘Lovejunky’, as they shoot a honey-coated blast of powerpop at our ears, scoring a direct hit. Melody spills over the sides, sparkles fly from its tail and it’s so infectious it should probably be kept in quarantine. If the band can afford to reserve ‘Long Way To Fall’ and ‘Home Late’ as B-sides, upcoming album ‘Pop Fiction’ will have been worth every second of its near two-decade wait.” —Sounds XP

“Wendy’s voice still gets me – tears me apart – 25 years on…I want to dance and leap so high, I never come down. I have no idea about major and minor keys. I have no way of knowing what chords are played where. I just know there are certain notes when played in a certain sequence that cut me every time…The guitars do what the guitars must: and they tear me as well. The drums tear me. The bass that sounds like Girls At Our Best! The slightly clumsy middle-eight tears me. I mean, wow…This song, this band make me miss Brighton so much it’s near unbearable. Song of the Day!” —Collapse Board

“Lovejunky is a real corker… and let me tell you, if ‘Long Way To Fall’ and ‘Home Late’ are the songs that didn’t make the album, we are in for a real treat.” —Linear Tracking Lives

“The label claims it’s a smash hit. Who am I to disagree? Classic, vintage indiepop.” —Records I Like

The single features two exclusive b-sides—‘Long Way To Fall’ and ‘Home Late’—that will not appear on the upcoming new album ‘Pop Fiction’ and you can stream all three tracks via Soundcloud below. The single is available now from your favorite record shop, mailorder, or digital provider as well as the trusty Matinée shop. The 7” is limited to 500 hand-numbered copies on cherry red vinyl so please order now to score one of these gems before they are gone. Full release details and more reviews can be found on the catalog page. ‘Pop Fiction’ release details coming soon too!

The brand new ‘Lovejunky’ 7” (matinée 091) from legendary English band The Popguns is finally here! It has been 25 years since the classic Popguns debut single ‘Landslide’ was released on Medium Cool Records and voted into John Peel’s Festive 50 by listeners of the BBC Radio 1 show. A rush of brilliant singles and albums over the next six years assured the band its place in indie history before they went on extended break.

Sometime in 2012, the four original members reformed along with a new drummer and backing singer for a series of gigs and this year has seen them play to packed venues in London, Paris, Berlin, and New York, as well as the prestigious Indietracks Festival.

To commemorate this new activity, the band recently recorded its first new songs in 18 years for this exclusive 7” single. Lead track ‘Lovejunky’ is an immediate pop hit with incomparable soaring vocals from Wendy Pickles, driving guitars, an insanely catchy chorus, and superb harmonies. An absolutely glorious comeback, the song is a preview of a new Popguns album ‘Pop Fiction’ scheduled for release later this year.

The single also features two exclusive b-sides that will not appear on the new album. ‘Long Way To Fall’ is another power pop hit that could have been a single on its own. It has more of those signature Popguns vocals plus multiple loud guitars, fantastic melodies, and a fierce drumbeat. Final track ‘Home Late’ showcases an altogether more melancholy side of the band, with carefully strummed acoustic guitars and chiming female harmonies among its many charms.

The single is available worldwide from your favorite record shop, mailorder, or digital provider on October 14 but you can get a copy RIGHT NOW exclusively from the Matinée shop for immediate shipping or download! The 7” is limited to 500 hand-numbered copies on cherry red vinyl and housed in an absolutely stunning sleeve so please order now to make sure you score one of these gems.

If you are not already familiar with the brilliance of The Popguns, please see our attempt at a history lesson with videos of two former hits in the May 30 news post below.

‘Lovejunky’ is now featured on our Soundcloud player so you can have a listen. A very welcome return for The Popguns!