We are very excited to release ‘We Are Magic’ from Swedish legends Red Sleeping Beauty as a single today! The song, taken from the magnificent new album ‘Stockholm’ (matcd084), is an infectious dancefloor filler that features swirling synthesizers and crystalline vocals.

The digital single (matda014) includes an exclusive alternate mix of the song ‘We Are Magic (Morning Light version)’. It is available now in the Matinée shop and all the usual digital platforms. You can also stream both tracks on our Soundcloud!

Back in 2014, a Spanish band called The Royal Landscaping Society released an eponymous mini-album on the French label Beko Disques that caught our attention. Comprised of six songs and a handful of remixes, it was the sort of album that left you wanting more…especially if you are a fan of old school Matinée favorites Harper Lee or their Sarah Records predecessor Brighter which of course we are!

Over the next few years, other tracks from The Royal Landscaping Society appeared on various compilations from other astute labels across the globe until one day we met and mutually decided they really needed to be part of the Matinée roster.

Since that day, the band has released impressive tracks on two Matinée compilations: ‘Matinée Idols’ (matcd075) in 2017 and the ‘Official Matinée World Cup’ EP (matinée 098) last year, and has recorded a third song for another Matinée compilation coming out this summer. There are also three simply stunning new recordings that will be released on a 7″ single later this year. But more on that gem another day…

While we anxiously await the 7″ release, we thought it would be a good idea to compile the tracks from the sold out mini-album and the various compilation appearances into one collection and that collection, called ‘Means of Production’, should be out sometime in July if all goes to plan. The compilation includes an impressive 16 songs – essentially everything released by the band to date including a clutch of cover versions of some indie classics you know and love – all meticulously remastered by the band exclusively for this definitive collection. Watch for more details on this release soon.

To advance the album, we are thrilled to release a digital single (matda009) today including a new version of the brilliant song ‘Goodbye’ that originally appeared on the Beko mini-album coupled with a cover of ‘A To Fade In’ by Creation Records favorites Adorable. The single is available now in the Matinée shop or from your favorite digital merchant including iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify. ‘Goodbye’ is also now featured on our Soundcloud!

Swedish pop sensations Azure Blue have a new album entitled ‘Images of You’ out next month, and the second single from the album is available now!

‘Millions of Stars’ is a firework consisting of 32 voices of custom made analog synth arpeggios and one of the biggest crescendos we’ve heard from the artist in a decade of productions. Forever blue, but deeply in love. It’s a certified smash so we couldn’t make you wait any longer to hear it.

The single is available in the form of a two-track EP (matda010) featuring the title track and a heartfelt gem called ‘The Rose’ and you can get it in the Matinée shop or from your favorite digital retailer.

The new album is set for June release and is honestly the strongest set of songs so far from Azure Blue so get ready for your summer crush! In the meantime, you can listen to ‘Millions of Stars’ on our Soundcloud!

A really fantastic new EP from The Perfect English Weather is out today! The digital single (matda012) features lead track ‘Call Me When The Rain Comes’ which is a slow builder about emigration, climate change and river fishing walks in Nova Scotia. A big favorite at recent live gigs, this is a new mix of the song originally appearing on the album ‘Don’t You Wanna Feel The Rain?’ (matcd083) and featuring live drums by Jonny Aitken of Spiritualized fame.

The EP also comes with three brand new songs exclusive to this release: “How Could I Ever?’ plus ‘She Isn’t Counting On A Miracle’ and ‘Carry Me’. They are all typical Perfect English Weather electro-acoustic classics, so what’s not to love?

The EP is available now in the Matinée shop or from the usual digital merchants. You can also stream two tracks now on our Soundcloud!

The latest single from Red Sleeping Beauty is called ‘Don’t Cry For Me, California’ and it is out today! The song, taken from the fantastic new album ‘Stockholm’ (matcd084), begins as a power ballad but morphs into a magnificent club hit, complete with 80s Pet Shop Boys orchestral flourishes.

To celebrate the release, we have created an enticing three-track EP featuring an exclusive demo of the song and a very special version ‘Ikkje Grat For Me, California’ by Norwegian popstar Dylan Mondegreen. The digital single (matda011) is available now in the Matinée shop and your favorite digital platform.

You can also stream it on our Soundcloud:

New release alert! ‘Desperately Seeking Sunshine’ (matcd085) is the eagerly awaited new album from Glasgow pop perfectionists Bubblegum Lemonade! Timed for release just as springtime reaches Scotland, the album is the latest hit parade from prolific multi-instrumentalist Laz McCluskey with a liberal dose of backing vocals by Sandra of fellow Scottish band Strawberry Whiplash.

Lead track ‘Our Mothers House’ is a jangly autobiographical radio hit proudly heralding the return of Glasgow’s finest with a song featuring Rickenbacker guitars, glockenspiel, layered harmonies and excellent backing vocals. ‘Warm Heart Cold Feet’ boasts shimmering major seventh chords, classy arpeggio guitars, a Beach Boys bass line, and a tambourine shake finish, while ‘First Dance For the Last Time’ is Laz laughing at his own mortality: classic country song writing in indie pop clothing, witty lyrics, a life-affirming zippy guitar intro, jangling Fender Jaguar guitars and plenty of sha-la-las all at 170bpm.

Never to be a Bubblegum Lemonade single, ‘Just An Album Track’ channels The Stone Roses with Madchester vibes, sunkissed harmonies, crackling record sound effects and clever lyrics on the subject of vinyl fetishism. ‘She Only Smiles For You’ is an alternative disco floor filler with Orange Juice strumming and ace harmonies, and ‘An Avenue In France’ makes its case as perhaps the most outstanding track on the album complete with French sounding melodica intro, backwards 12-string guitars, and a beautiful three part harmony about a brief holiday encounter.

Side two of the album opens with potential radio hit ‘Heaven With You’ with its chiming Byrds-like guitar intro, celestial backing vocals, an infectious hi hat, and more glockenspiel. ‘When Love Bites’ is an exceptional song with baroque instrumentation, another dose of sha-la-las, and Laz on violin, and ‘You Don’t Like Music’ is a Strokes-inspired blast of pop questioning the motivations of some in the music industry and featuring signature double-tracked Jaguar guitar solos and an instantly memorable dual vocal chorus.

‘Girls In The Song’ is an ode to women in song, referencing classic tracks by The Monkees, Velvet Underground, and The Hollies plus previous singles from Bubblegum Lemonade … a superb exercise in song structure with beautiful harmonies and a cascading 12-string climax. ‘Show Me A Miracle’, a secular hymn to the great Sunday morning lie-in, is a big production number including baggy inspired wah-wah guitar, more backing vox from Sandra, and an exciting musical climax, while final track ‘What Have You Done For Me Lately?’ is a cheeky backhanded celebration of human achievements that contrasts a soft mono verse with a loud stereo chorus and showcases jangling to the max and a blissful partial fade-out.

Bubbling with insanely catchy songs, rich instrumentation, and stunning pop melodies, ‘Desperately Seeking Sunshine’ is a very welcome return for Bubblegum Lemonade and an essential addition to any reputable record collection. The album is officially released April 26, but you can order a copy RIGHT NOW exclusively from the Matinée shop and enjoy a digital copy while you wait for the postman to deliver it. You can also stream select album tracks now on our Soundcloud!

Surprise! You may be here to check out the ace new single ‘The Swedish Winter’ from the new Red Sleeping Beauty album ‘Stockholm’ (matcd084), but you’re in for an even bigger treat because you can order the entire album RIGHT NOW!

For anyone that needs a refresher, Red Sleeping Beauty is a trio of Niklas Angergard, Kristina Borg, and Mikael Matsson and they formed in the early 1990s and released a series of pop gems on the finest labels of the day including Marsh Marigold, Motorway, Sunday and Siesta. After a 15-year disappearance, they returned in 2016 with new releases including the excellent album ‘Kristina’ on modern label titans Shelflife and Labrador. The band contributed the smash hit ‘Dressed In Yellow and Blue’ to the ‘Matinée World Cup’ EP (matinée 098) last year and this album marks their official first full release for Matinée.

The euphoric ‘We Are Magic’ is both the first song recorded for the album and the first song Kristina sang after defeating cancer. With swirling synthesizers and crystalline vocals, it marks an especially impressive return for the band and is the perfect opening track for the album.

With an intro that should appeal to vintage O.M.D. enthusiasts, ‘Always On Your Side’ is an indie gem featuring Niklas on lead vocals, while ‘Tonight’ is an ode to the hopes and possibilities of youthful summer nights and a hit single just waiting to happen.

‘New York City Girls’ channels early Pet Shop Boys and Kraftwerk and is surely the coolest song recorded by the band to date, and ‘A Perfect Facade’ is a sad song detailing life in a small seaside town and featuring the angelic backing vocals of Rose Suau of Shoestrings / Djustin / Invisible Twins fame.

Side two of the album opens with ‘Top Love’ – a duet about everyday life and a modern synth classic complete with shameless Yazoo outro, and is followed by ‘Tell Me Lies’ featuring pop guitars, a heavenly chorus, and lyrics about having really high thoughts about yourself.

Having stolen their name from a great McCarthy single, it was only a matter of time before the band covered ‘Red Sleeping Beauty’ and now, nearly 30 years after their first recordings, their haunting version slots perfectly into the new album.

Future dancefloor filler ‘The Swedish Winter’ is the band’s most Saint Etienne moment so far. It’s a song about the long, depressing Swedish winter and the short (one day or so), not-so-depressing Swedish summer, while album closer ‘Don’t Cry for Me, California’ begins as a power ballad but morphs into another club hit, complete with 80s Pet Shop Boys orchestral flourishes.

Mixed and mastered by sound genius Tomas Boden (co-producer of the latest album from fellow Swedes The Radio Dept.), ‘Stockholm’ is by far the strongest set of Red Sleeping Beauty songs to date with the right amount of edge and spark to allow them to reach their true potential. The album is a modern classic and an absolutely magnificent addition to the Matinée discography.

‘Stockholm’ is officially released April 12, but you can order a copy RIGHT NOW exclusively from the Matinée shop and get a digital copy to keep you company while you wait for your mailman to deliver it. You can also stream several album tracks now on our Soundcloud!

The brilliant new album ‘Stockholm’ (matcd084) from Swedish legends Red Sleeping Beauty is released April 12, but you don’t have to wait any longer to hear the lead single ‘The Swedish Winter’ because it is out today!

The song is about the long, depressing Swedish winter and the short (one day or so), not-so-depressing Swedish summer. It is the band’s most Saint Etienne moment so far.

The digital single (matda007) is available now in the Matinée shop and the usual digital platforms including iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify.

You can also stream it on our Soundcloud:

New release alert: Scottish faves Bubblegum Lemonade have an astonishing new 12-track album entitled ‘Desperately Seeking Sunshine’ (matcd085) out next month!

The first single from the album is called ‘Our Mother’s House’ and it is one of those catchy singalong numbers that will be stuck in your head for months to come. It’s up there with ‘Caroline’s Radio’ or ‘Susan’s In The Sky’ or ‘Beard On A Bike’ in the pantheon of bubblegum pop hits.

To celebrate its release, we’ve created a three-track EP (matda006) that showcases a few of the extra songs the band recorded during the album sessions.

In addition to ‘Our Mother’s House’ the EP includes a smash about a certain royal family called ‘Barely Regal’ and another too-good-to-be-a-b-side track called ‘When Life Gives You Lemons’. These two tracks are exclusive to the EP and will not appear on the forthcoming album.

The digital single is available now in the Matinée shop and other digital platforms including iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify. You can also stream the title track on the Soundcloud player below:

The second single from the new album ‘Don’t You Wanna Feel The Rain?’ (matcd083) from The Perfect English Weather is ‘Only Shadows’ (matda008). The digital single is available now in the Matinée shop and other digital platforms. You can also stream it from our Soundcloud below: