Danish indie purists Northern Portrait are back in action January 8th with a fantastic new single entitled ‘Pretty Decent Swimmers’ (matinée 086) available on 10” color vinyl and digital formats.

The single features the first new recordings from the band in over two years, including exclusive new tracks ‘Happy Nice Day’, ‘Greetings From Paris’, ‘Bon Voyage!’ and ‘I Feel Even Better’.

As most of you know, Northern Portrait debuted on the indie scene in 2008 with two very well received EPs— ‘The Fallen Aristocracy’ (matinée 068) and ‘Napoleon Sweetheart’ (matinée 070) —both of which sold out almost instantly upon release. The band’s highly anticipated debut album ‘Criminal Art Lovers’ (matcd054) in 2010 enjoyed widespread international acclaim including numerous appearances on year-end favorite lists. Later that year, the band released the ‘Life Returns To Normal’ 7” single (matinée 076) on elegant clear vinyl, and contributed tracks to two Matinée label compilations. Two years on, the anticipation for new Northern Portrait songs has reached a fever pitch but the wait is nearly over…

Lead track ‘Happy Nice Day’ is three and a half minutes of straightforward power pop inspired by Swedish pop idols The Wannadies. It is an ode to the joys of traveling and casual meetings in hotels, airports and pen friend sections from Tokyo to Stockholm to Hamburg to Nice and beyond. You can preview it here:

‘Pretty Decent Swimmers’ is limited to 1000 hand-numbered copies in a deluxe sleeve featuring fashionable Los Angeles water ballet troupe Aqualillies on the cover and pressed on transparent swimming pool blue vinyl (naturally).

Preorders begin next month in the Matinée shop. Until then, have a happy nice day!

Our latest releases are the top sellers on the Matinée hit parade at the moment and they are also enjoying a fantastic reception from the music press. The current number one is the smart new ‘Wanting More’ 7” EP (matinée 085) on milky clear vinyl from Irish fivesome September Girls. Here are seven choice quotes about the single from people in the know:

“A perfect rush-hour blur of motor city soul and modern pop noise … as if Black Tambourine were jamming selections from Isn’t Anything” —In Love With These Times In Spite Of These Times

“Brain-tinglingly sweet indiepop songs overloaded with gorgeous girl-group melodies and showered with fuzz like the dusting of edible glitter on a batch of cupcakes.” —The Sound of Confusion

“Throughout the three flawless tracks on this seven inch, September Girls create something so exciting and deeply beautiful that it’s hard to understand why they aren’t pop stars already … a little piece of plastic to treasure.” —A Layer of Chips

“A truly lovable EP, we’re already wanting more.” —Sounds XP

“The Ronettes never fronted The Jesus and Mary Chain in a recording produced by Phil Spector, but this might give you an idea of what it would have sounded like if they had.” —When You Motor Away

“The drums are like Keith Moon on a particularly confused day, the guitars swirl, the bass throbs and the keys pierce like a lighthouse through dense fog.” —Listen With Monger

“If you mix The Girlfriends with Dum Dum Girls and the Wall Of Sound era; you basically have the ideal band don’t you? That ideal band is called September Girls.” —Gypsy Death and You

Sounds like something you would like, oui? In other news, September Girls sat down with both We Are Noise and The Von Pip Musical Press recently and you can link to the resulting interviews on their Matinée artist page.

Now, have a listen to ‘Hells Bells’ below to see what the fuss is all about:

Current number two on the hit parade is the very handsome compilation album ‘A Nest With A View’ (matcd062) from Australian legends The Sugargliders. Here are some nice words about the release:

“An ideal primer in every way.” —Mess and Noise

“We are here to honour the Sugargliders, and A Nest With A View does that in spades … it’s astonishing how Josh and Joel summoned up quite so many storming compositions within such a short window of time.” —In Love With These Times In Spite Of These Times

“A near impeccable compilation.” —Sounds XP

“Honest, original, unpretentious pop songs [with] simple and affecting melodies. This is a compilation that can fill your fall days with the music you need.” —When You Motor Away

“An exquisite snapshot of a band that left us with a brief career, but one that surely stands the test of time.” —Austin Town Hall

“Make sure you don’t let these gorgeous tunes pass you by.” —The Sound of Confusion

“An impressive body of work.” —Please Rain Fall

See the Sugargliders artist page for links to great interviews recently published on Brilldream, Mess and Noise, and Linear Tracking Lives.

In honor of their current chart placing you can have a listen to the wonderful album closer ‘Top 40 Sculpture’ right here:

Number three on the Matinée chart is the ace new ‘Time Relentless’ EP (matinée 084) from The Hermit Crabs and here are quotes from some of our favorite reviews so far:

“A jangle-pop feast … a perfect pop pill … indiepop lovers, we are in luck!” —Bloodbuzzed

“As fine a slice of pop as I’ve come to expect from the Glasgow four-piece.” —Skatterbrain

“Glorious, melody-strewn folk-pop [with] a warm cooking-pot of simmeringly jangling guitars.” —In Love With These Times In Spite Of These Times

“Since 2006 it’s been three eps and one full-length all on the Matinée label and all with top quality that one would expect from the band, label and city of Glasgow.” —Blurt

“Deliciously good.” —Fingertips

“Timeless pop songs that every listener will surely find endearing … a perfect execution of blissful pop songs.” —Austin Town Hall

“A sweet indie pop triumph.” —When You Motor Away

Is it Thanksgiving on my brain or do most of these reviews have a foodie focus? Deliciously good … feast … simmering … cooking pot … sweet … slice … what’s going on here? Have a listen to lead track ‘On The Spectrum’ to find out:

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

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.