Some of you have already noticed a stash of records from other labels in the Matinée shop, but for those of you that haven’t you may want to check the albums and singles pages in the shop carefully as we have some great releases in stock now. New releases include the ‘Green Eyed’ 7” from September Girls on Soft Power Records, the ‘It’s Not The Words That You Say’ CDEP from Bart and Friends on Shelflife, the ‘Today Will Be Yesterday So Soon’ compilation from Bulldozer Crash on Jigsaw, and the ‘When The Music’s Over’ CD from The Spinning Wheels also on Jigsaw. Bulldozer Crash are surely on your radar as key members went on to form Matinée hitmakers The Liberty Ship and Kosmonaut years later, while The Spinning Wheels is what our beloved Lovejoy called themselves before they adopted the new moniker Lovejoy.

Other releases currently in stock include gems from splendid pop imprints Fortuna POP! (Airport Girl, Would-Be-Goods), Fraction Discs (Cats on Fire), Library (Bart and Friends), Lost and Lonesome (The Lucksmiths), Marsh Marigold (Cats on Fire), Microindie (The Steinbecks), Paris Caramel (The Fairways), Summershine (The Steinbecks), and WIAIWYA (Airport Girl). Happy shopping!

Irish band September Girls are the fifth new artist to join the Matinée roster in the past 12 months and we couldn’t be any more excited! A five piece girl group hailing from Dublin, the band plays reverb soaked noise pop of the finest order, with distant layered harmonies, swirling organ, and distorted guitars once described as “sounds from a transistor radio abandoned in a rural cinema.”

Formed in September 2011, the band’s debut release—a limited cassette single for Glasgow’s Soft Power Records in April 2012—sold out worldwide within a week. The girls spent the summer recording new songs and playing dates across the UK including a lauded performance at the Indietracks Festival.

Autumn sees the band return to the UK for more shows alongside the release of a trio of 7 inch EPs, including one each for Matinée Recordings, Soft Power Records in Scotland, and Art For Blind Records in Ireland.

The Matinée debut is the ‘Wanting More’ 7” EP (matinée 085) featuring the incredibly catchy title track which originally appeared on the Soft Power cassette in demo form. The song has classic girl group vocals, majestic harmonies, chiming guitars, a haze of keyboards, and pounding drums all positively drenched in reverb. With its refrain of “take me back to where the summer lasts forever” it is the ideal opener for an EP released by a label basking in the year-round California sunshine.

The EP features two more superb songs on the B-side. ‘Hells Bells’ is an infectious 60s pop hit combining fuzzy guitars, thundering drums, haunting organ, and swirling melodies to create a hypnotic masterpiece of reverberation. It’s the perfect soundtrack for bikini-clad girls with beehive hairdos dancing around a bonfire on the beach. Closing track ‘Man Chats’ is two minutes of sublime noisy pop, with a primitive rhythm, assaulting guitars, and cavernous vocals that add an extra dose of intrigue and suspense to the EP.

Limited to 500 hand-numbered copies on stylish milky clear vinyl, this is the ultimate in garage pop perfection and another smash hit for the Matinée discography. The official release date is November 6 but we have copies to ship already so order yours right now in the Matinée shop!

We also have 50 copies of the brand new September Girls 7” for Soft Power Records featuring the ace tracks ‘Green Eyed’ and ‘Danny Wood’ so get one of those before they’re gone too. We hear it’s close to selling out in just a week so don’t say we didn’t warn you…

If the above prose doesn’t do the band justice all you need to do is click play on the jukebox below to preview the single right now:

The band has also made a great video for Hells Bells. We told you it was perfect soundtrack for bikini-clad girls dancing on the beach!

September Girls – Hells Bells from jessie ward on Vimeo.

To make room for a stash of new Matinée releases, we are holding an autumn clearance sale all month long in the Matinée shop! During this sale, more than 100 titles are reduced with 7” singles from $1.50 each, cd singles from $3.00 each, and cd albums from $5.00 each. As an added bonus, all orders of $50 or more qualify for an extra 10 percent off by applying promotional code spooky10 in the shopping cart … and all orders of $100 or more qualify for an extra 20 percent off by applying promotional code spooky20 in the shopping cart. These special discounts apply to all items in the shop including new releases, back catalog items, and digital downloads so please go crazy and help us clear space for new gems! Sale prices and additional discounts expire October 31. Please see the shop for details.

Drumroll please…. We are very excited to announce that our next release is a brilliant 20-song retrospective compilation from the much loved and sorely missed Australian indie pop band The Sugargliders! Entitled ‘A Nest with a View’ (matcd062), the CD is officially released October 16 but you can order it right now exclusively from the Matinée shop!

Based around brothers Josh and Joel Meadows, the band released ten singles and one album between 1990 and 1994 on legendary pop imprints Summershine Records in Australia and Sarah Records in England. Just 19 and 16 when they started, these boys from Melbourne’s far eastern suburbs wrote simple, original pop songs, brimming with an unpolished emotional honesty that earned the band an international following. Mostly self-taught, they aimed to create something new, something true, from the world as they experienced it, complete with its beauty and its injustice. It was not entertainment as much as something they knew they had to do. Whether they were singing about girls, property developers, or police car chases, you could tell they were singing what they believed, from deep in their hearts.

The brothers were joined, at different times, by Marc Fulker on drums and Robert Cooper (The Earthmen) on bass. Their recordings improved under the guidance of Mark Murphy (Ripe) and Adam Dennis (The Jordans). Summershine released the early vinyl singles, before they found a home at Sarah Records. It was a good match. Both label and band believed in changing the world, one duo-tone sleeved perfect pop 7” at a time. They went to England. They returned to Melbourne. Ten singles in four years and they were gone. ‘A Nest with a View’, released in collaboration with the ace Popboomerang Records in Australia, collects the finest moments from these long out-of-print and highly cherished vinyl singles.

What was the Sugargliders’ essence? Perhaps a stark honesty or lack of pretention. They were also deeply idealistic – so much so that it couldn’t last. But perhaps something did last. These 20 songs, lovingly remastered, capture the sparkle, the tenderness, the exuberance, the idealism and the honesty of The Sugargliders. A flawed but beautiful collection to touch the conscience and rekindle our fickle hearts.

If you are not already familiar with the brilliance of The Sugargliders (and even if you are), you should really check out the brand new Sugargliders website which features a magnificent history of the band plus a complete listing of gigs and copies of press and flyers from the vaults.

If that history doesn’t convince you that you need this compilation, you can listen to five tracks from the album on the handy Soundcloud player below. Now, straight to the Matinée shop for a copy of this essential piece of pop history!

It’s been far too long since Scottish pop favorites The Hermit Crabs graced the new release shelf but that’s about to change with their new ‘Time Relentless’ EP (matinée 084)! The EP is officially released September 4 but you can order it right now from the Matinée shop for same day shipping and instant download.

The first release since the celebrated ‘Correspondence Course’ EP (matinée 071) in 2009, the new EP shows the band in remarkably fine form across four new songs mixing acoustic and electric guitars with nice bursts of percussion and keyboards.

Lead track ‘On The Spectrum’ is the comparison of two relationships set to jangling guitars, with an ace chorus about taking photographs, kissing in the rain, and talking about the blues. ‘Time Relentless’ combines classic Hermit Crabs orchestration with lyrics taken from a poem by Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree from his autobiography ‘The Flying Scotsman’. Keyboards and chiming guitars set the perfect tone for the stunning imagery of the poem. ‘Stop This Now’ is an upbeat two-minute pop hit about another relationship, showcasing twinkling guitars and exquisite harmonies, while final track ‘So Blue’ is an autumnal, mid-tempo tale about supporting a friend through a somber time, with layered instrumentation that builds to an especially melodic conclusion.

The EP is the fourth of our sensational summer singles and you can get a copy now exclusively from the Matinée shop with immediate download. Cool record emporiums around the globe should have copies in stock early next month too. In the meantime, you can listen to the ace track ‘Stop This Now’ on the Soundcloud player below. Hurrah for Scottish pop!

Our new summer singles are top of the pops at the moment and they are collecting admirable reviews in the music press too.

‘The Fake Stories About You and Me’ (matinée 083) is the new EP from Brazilian band Pale Sunday and here are a few of our favorite quotes from recent reviews:

“Happy (When You Lived Here) is one of my favorite guitar tracks of the year [and] the best track from the band that I’ve heard to date.” —Austin Town Hall

“Jangly and melodic summershine music.” —Heroes of Indie Music

“They say they are from Brazil, but I bet you’ll think this is a forgotten band from Scotland’s finest hour … perfect jangly indiepop that will immediately make you nostalgic or euphoric. It’s shiny, warm and addictive.” —Bloodbuzzed

“A perfect record for your summer collection.” —When You Motor Away

“The Fake Stories About You and Me is Pale Sunday’s strongest release since those nascent days of 2003, with four songs that are definitely more confident, rounded, and affecting than at most times since that first Matinée release.” —A Layer of Chips

“Pale Sunday is still more than capable of creating magnificent indie pop tunes.” —One Chord To Another

“Happy (When You Lived Here) is a typical fey, floppy-fringed jangle that might as well have been written in a Glasgow bedsit in 1986. The melody could be lifted from an early Belle & Sebastian track, it’s a song that spans generations of guitar-pop and you’ll find echoes of your favourite Swedish, C86-influenced group in there.” —The Sound of Confusion

It’s winter in Brazil at the moment so here is the final track from the EP entitled ‘The Winter Song’ for your listening pleasure:

The ‘Dishevelled Revellers’ EP (matinée 082) from English trio Charlie Big Time is generating lots of positive reviews and here is what the indie press has to say about it:

“This is the kind of early Creation Records style pop that, for some of us, never goes out of fashion; particularly when it is this well done.” —When You Motor Away

“Dishevelled Revellers is ace.” —In Love With These Times

“High on melody and with its foundations lying in erstwhile heroes The Smiths as well as others from that era such as The Housemartins … Charlie Big Time’s sound is more restrained, swerving as close to Galaxie 500 as to C86.” — The Sound Of Confusion

“Gorgeously gliding melancholia.” —A Layer of Chips

“Charlie Big Time have managed to quickly burst into the scene of great pop songwriting, and hopefully we’ll get to hear more from them soon.” —Austin Town Hall

“New release of the week!” —Indie Pop Saved My Life

The title track is a song about the downside of getting tipsy and is one of our featured tracks on Soundcloud at the moment so you can have a listen to it right here:

Finally, the debut Matinée EP ‘There May Come A Time’ (matinée 081) from Australian collective Bart and Friends is basking in praise from around the world and here are some of the superb things written about the release so far:

“There May Come A Time is an impeccable EP, all understated, clean production and chiming guitars with softly perfect vocals. The title-track is a thing of contemplative beauty, with every sound inch perfect in its positioning.” —Sounds XP

“Bart and Friends are a group. And they’re super. And There May Come A Time is an EP as sweet, as joyful and as treasurable as an Andrea Pirlo spot-kick.” —In Love With These Times

“One of the EP gems of the year so far … shimmering, jangling guitars, bright melodies and affecting vocals … if my computer could develop deeper grooves from excess plays, the section with this EP would look like the Grand Canyon.” —When You Motor Away

“You’re probably going to have some lofty expectations … luckily for us all, There May Come a Time lives up to those expectations and surpasses them.” —Austin Town Hall

“A Kiss You Won’t Forget combines the effortless grace of Pam Berry’s vocals with a guitar line straight from Johnny Marr: the early years … and These Words Are Too Small is one of the finest love songs you’ll hear for many years.” —A Layer of Chips

“There May Come A Time is a sweet, melancholy toe-tapper blanketed in a vague but powerful nostalgia.” —Fingertips

“All around the world indie pop fans are rejoicing right now.” —Blurt

One of the standout tracks from the EP is ‘A Kiss You Won’t Forget’ and it’s playing on the nifty player below if you fancy a listen:

All three singles are available now in the Matinée shop in both physical and digital formats. Please see the updated catalog pages for complete release details including soundclips and full reviews.

‘The Fake Stories About You and Me’ (matinée 083) is the new EP from our favorite Brazilian band Pale Sunday! The EP is officially released July 24 but you can order it right now from the Matinée shop for same day shipping and instant download.

Previous singles ‘A Weekend With Jane’ (matinée 049) and ‘Shooting Star’ (matinée 073) and album ‘Summertime?’ (matcd037) earned the band favorable comparisons to Scottish pop legends Teenage Fanclub, celebrated Swedish pop acts Aerospace and The Wannadies, and various stars of the Sarah Records roster, among others.

The new EP features four new Pale Sunday classics showcasing the shimmering pop, warm vocals, perfect harmonies, and addictive choruses we’ve come to expect from our favorite South American indie heroes.

Lead track ‘Happy (When You Lived Here)’ is yet another irresistible Pale Sunday hit—bright, melodic, sunkissed pop with jangling guitars, rich harmonies, and sincere vocals.

‘About Your Life’ reveals a band that has been listening to its Teenage Fanclub records and practicing some fuzzy guitar grooves, while ‘That’s The Way’ furthers the fascination with mid-90’s Creation releases, mixing driving percussion with nice melodies and a catchy chorus.

Final track ‘The Winter Song’ celebrates the shortest days of the year with an especially heartfelt and melancholy song layered with carefully strummed guitars and prominent strings that build to an effortlessly cool conclusion.

The EP is a great addition to the Matinée catalog and you can get a copy now exclusively from the Matinée shop and experience our cool instant downloads! Hip record shops will have copies by the end of the month. In the meantime, you can listen to ‘Happy (When You Lived Here)’ on the Soundcloud player below.

Our Finnish friends Cats On Fire are pleased to present a new video for the superb track ‘After The Fact’:

Cats On Fire – After the Fact from appu jasu on Vimeo.

The song is taken from the recent album ‘All Blackshirts To Me’ (matcd061) which is one of our current top sellers in the Matinée shop.

The splendid ‘Dishevelled Revellers’ EP (matinée 082) from English band Charlie Big Time is out June 26 but you can order it right now from the Matinée shop for same day shipping or instant download.

Originally a duo of Matthew Pendlebury and Chris Tiplady, Charlie Big Time released its debut EP on Cloudberry Records in 2007 followed by an album on Series Two and appearances on several indie compilations. More recently, the two met former Aberdeen and Trembling Blue Stars vocalist Beth Arzy and invited her to the north of England to add some vocal magic to their latest creations.

‘Dishevelled Revellers’ is a jaunty tune with jangling guitars, keyboards, and a waltzing chorus, while ‘The Liberation of Love’ is a mesmerizing mid-tempo jewel with dual vocals, more keyboards, and absolutely magnificent harmonies. ‘Real Estate’ features an incredibly catchy chorus, ace harmonies, and a classic guitar pop sound that recalls early Creation Records favorites, and ‘Passion and Headaches’ is a melodic dual vocal masterpiece that brings the EP to an extraordinary conclusion.

The EP has a timeless English indie sound with Beth’s lovely harmonies adding the perfect dose of California sunshine so it swings in all the right places. Previous releases received plenty of comparisons to The Smiths but these songs have a more modern approach and fans of Matinée favorites Lovejoy or Trembling Blue Stars and Aberdeen will certainly be delighted.

The EP is an exceptional addition to the Matinée discography so get your copy now in the Matinée shop and experience our ace new instant downloads! You can preview ‘The Liberation of Love’ now on the Soundcloud player below.

The Matinée debut ‘There May Come A Time’ EP (matinée 081) from Australian supergroup Bart and Friends is officially released June 19 but you can order it right now in the Matinée shop for immediate delivery. Here are the necessary details:

From humble beginnings in the 1990s in Girl of the World to founding member of The Cat’s Miaow (and later Hydroplane, Pencil Tin and The Shapiros), indiepop icon Bart Cummings has spent two decades warming our hearts with his jangly pop nuggets. With a cast of other Australian luminaries, Bart and Friends debuted at the turn of the century with releases on Drive In Records and Bart’s own Library Records.

Nearly a decade later, Bart and Friends made a welcome return with a handsomely received EP and mini-album on the hip Lost and Lonesome imprint. Joining Bart in the current superstar lineup are Mark Monnone (The Lucksmiths), Louis Richter (Mid State Orange, The Lucksmiths), and Jeremy Cole (The Zebras), with ace vocal stylings by Pam Berry (The Pines, The Shapiros, Glo Worm, Black Tambourine, etc.) and Scott Stevens (Summer Cats, The Earthmen).

The splendid debut for Matinée showcases Pam’s incomparable vocals across six fantastic songs. The melodious and chiming title track could have easily graced any former Shapiros release, and with it the band has accidentally recorded its first three-minute pop song which is certainly remarkable to any serious student of Bart’s previous bands.

Other tracks on the EP include a brilliant cover version of the Elvis Presley classic ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ with especially jangling guitars, a swinging pop gem called ‘A Kiss You Won’t Forget’ and the perfectly pithy ‘There Are So Many Things I’d Like To See’ with a bassline that will make every Lucksmiths fan smile. The EP ends with two favorites—‘These Words Are Too Small’ and ‘A Summer’s Dream’—from the sold out first release for Lost and Lonesome.

The EP is a smashing release for Bart and Friends and another classic addition to the Matinée discography so get yours now in the Matinée shop and experience our new instant downloads!

Bart and Pam are playing the Indietracks Festival in England in July and are sure to play some of these new songs then. Until then, you can preview the magnificent title track from the handy Soundcloud player below.