The sensational new album ‘Fast Falls The Eventide’ (matcd082) from Sweden’s Azure Blue is available now! Across eleven impressive tracks, the sound is darker than on previous releases with more synths and electronic flourishes but with the same timeless melodies and dreamy moods that we have come to associate with Azure Blue.

The album presents a sonic tale about being true to yourself and the neon colors explode as rushing minimal wave tempos meet slowly floating cinematic scenes about new love. Tobias Isaksson has produced, played, and mixed nearly every detail of the album himself in the studio in Stockholm from a stubborn dogma of a sound palette where the hard and rough meets the beautiful and ethereal.

Highlights include the stunning first single ‘Whatever ’18’, the sophisticated ‘Crimson Red,’ the new indie classic ‘My Final Candle,’ the positively catchy ‘Don’t Turn Me On,’ and the old school synth pop of ‘Erratic Motion.’ Several tracks include guest vocalists including notable Swedish artists Peter Moren (Peter Bjorn & John), The Land Below, Paola, Cesar Vidal (Caesars), Julia Boman, and Tangela.

Absolutely contemporary and undeniably cool, ‘Fast Falls The Eventide’ is an impressive, moody, moving progression from one of Sweden’s most internationally acclaimed indie artists.

The album is officially released June 15, but you can order it RIGHT NOW exclusively from the Matinée shop. The album is available on limited edition vinyl on Hybris Records and cassette on Zeon Light Records. Have a listen to four gems now on our Soundcloud!

Sweden’s Azure Blue returns to the new release shelf with a stunning six-track EP (matinée 097) featuring the sophisticated synth pop and lyrical acumen of Tobias Isaksson and ace contributions from popular Swedish artists Cesar Vidal, The Land Below, Peter Moren, Charly A, and Bo.

Lead track ‘Whatever ’18’ is the first single from the forthcoming new album ‘Fast Falls The Eventide’ due in June. It is top shelf electronic indie about choosing the right things to ignore and an absolute earworm to feature on teenage rebellion playlists.

The EP features five additional tracks that will not appear on the new album, including popular songs from European releases for the first time in North and South America with exclusive bonuses from digital singles and cover versions. ‘Every Ending Story’ is smooth synth pop that suggests Isaksson has more than a few New Order and OMD records in his collection, while ‘Reflections of Light’ is a classic three-minute pop song with refined synths and orchestral flourishes, and ‘Tragedy and Changes’ sets the loud loutish lovers from The Smiths classic ‘I Know It’s Over’ to an electronic beat.

The EP ends with two superb cover versions of songs from the 1990s. ‘Justice’ is the final track from the debut solo album by Robert Forster of The Go-Betweens, and Azure Blue takes the song to another place and another decade altogether. Final track ‘747’ is exclusive to this EP and is a hypnotic electro-pop version of an song originally recorded by popular Swedish band Kent. Azure Blue reworks the song into a massive club hit to end the EP on another high note.

A very welcome return for Azure Blue, ‘Whatever ’18’ is prime Swedish electronic indie pop and an unconditional score for the Matinée discography. The EP is officially released April 27, but you can order it RIGHT NOW exclusively from the Matinée shop for immediate shipment. Have a listen to ‘Whatever ’18’ and ‘Reflections of Light’ on our Soundcloud!

New release alert! The fourth studio album from Math and Physics Club is entitled ‘Lived Here Before’ (matcd081) and is now available for preorder! The album features all the carefully constructed pop handicraft we’ve come to expect from these Pacific Northwest lads, but also shows the band stretching confidently into new territory at a stage when many bands would simply be retreading the same paths.

Working from a makeshift studio in the wilds of Snohomish, Washington, with fabled grunge producer Chris Hanzsek (Soundgarden, Green River), the band recorded eleven songs over four days in the company of Douglas firs and Swainson’s thrushes. Longtime fans will still recognize the band’s upbeat sound set against often bittersweet storytelling, but there’s also a darker, more world-weary undercurrent that feels earned with the passage of time, or perhaps as a reflection of the times themselves.

Lead track ‘Threadbare’ sets the tone with its Shins-esque beat and close-up intimacy, followed by a powerful push-me-pull-you between the verses and choruses, sweet and sad. ‘Marblemouth’ is an unabashed Britpop rocker with chiming guitars and driving bass, while ‘Broadcasting Waves’ bursts in with an infectious groove that serves as a backdrop to searching for love across fields and open oceans.

‘The Pull of the Tides’ builds slowly to crescendo and back again, evoking bands like The Ocean Blue and The Softies along the way, and setting up one of the album’s more subtle tracks, ‘Like Cinnamon’, which flips the dynamic between music and lyrics with its brooding backdrop. In a surprise, the band includes its first instrumental with a slinky tango titled ‘Falling for It’ providing a wink and a nod to early REM interludes like ‘Underneath the Bunker’.

‘Dear Madeline’ is vintage Math and Physics Club with intertwining guitars and soft brushes beautifully set against one of the band’s more poignant vignettes. The mood shifts to agitation with ‘Take a Number’ which paints a more insidious type of darkness, fueled by its dueling guitar riffs and percussive flourishes. The album’s title is also pulled from one of its lyrics.

‘Past and In Between’ whips things into a lather with its groovy bass and Motown beat that dodges in and out of piano, organ, and big, layered harmonies of oohs and ahhhs. But the final resolve is left to hang in the air, which smartly sets up perhaps the album’s high point, ‘All the Mains are Down’, which rips along with chiming guitars, piano, and three-part harmonies that bring to mind early REM (one of the band’s lesser noted influences).

The album closes in characteristic economy with ‘Drive to You’ which features an arrangement stripped down to simply two guitars and a lilting melody, accented with subtle organ. It’s a fitting end note that reaches back to the band’s earlier days and leaves us feeling a bit more sweet than bitter, which seems just about right.

Housed in a handsome six-panel eco-wallet with sleeve design by the band’s own Ethan Jones, ‘Lived Here Before’ is a magnificent addition to the Math and Physics Club discography. The official release is January 26, but you can order it RIGHT NOW exclusively from the Matinée shop! Have a listen to a handful of album gems below:

Scottish favorites Bubblegum Lemonade celebrate their tenth release in ten years with a brilliant six-track holiday EP entitled ‘Laz Christmas’ (matinée 096)!

Lead track ‘Number One for Christmas’ is a surefire Christmas earworm with a big pop chorus and plenty of sleigh bells. In an alternate universe it would be battling for number one on the pop charts, but in our world it’s a safe bet to kick off your holiday playlist.

‘No Room At The Inn’ is the story of a modern day Mary and Joseph that ends with a wonderful vocal / fuzz guitar climax, and ‘Sunflower In The Snow’ is a song about the recent spate of weird weather that blends Beach Boys effervescence with the darkness of the Velvet Underground.

‘At Christmas Time’ is guitars jangling and festive shambling for the Postcard Records crowd, while ‘New Year Or New York’ sets the tale of a war veteran thinking back about a lost opportunity to an elegantly presented keyboard motif.

The EP ends with an indiepop take on the traditional Christmas song ‘Silent Night’ with perfectly shimmering guitars, more sleigh bells, tambourine, and dulcet backing vocals by Sandra of Strawberry Whiplash.

‘Laz Christmas’ is officially released on December 8, but you can place an order for it now in the Matinée shop for shipment next week. In the meantime, have a listen to new holiday classics ‘Number One for Christmas’ and ‘Silent Night’ on our Soundcloud!

Brighton duo The Perfect English Weather return with the new 4-track ‘English Winter’ EP (matinée 095) which marks an intriguing departure from last year’s much loved debut album ‘Isobar Blues’ (matcd078). The release sees the duo, Simon and Wendy Pickles, drawing further distinction from their other band The Popguns and taking cues from sophisticated electronica such as St. Etienne while maintaining the strong vocals and impeccable melodies from previous releases.

Lead track ‘Still’ is an emotional, hypnotic slow-burner on the theme of separation and features a collaboration with former Popguns drummer Shaun Charman who is now also part of indie buzzband Jetstream Pony. This is a by-product of some rehearsals that Simon and Shaun did for a Fireworks gig back in 2016 where Simon stepped in on second guitar. Shaun plays the guitar hook on the track along with some live drums, while Simon and Wendy’s daughter, Anna, sings backing vocal to give the track some sublime moments between the two singers.

Being a seasonal release, the EP has to include a holiday song and ‘Christmas In Suburbia’ delivers that in spades. A very, very pretty tune with some affectionate, wry observations on the season, the song references Christmas lights, snow, Prosecco, and Barbie in a Tonka truck!

‘Cold Out’ is a moody, kinda sleepy one about staying in bed and definitely not going out, with the production moving in a distinctly electronic direction. The song references a meeting between Morrissey and Wendy back in 1984 (“it was so surprising when you knew my name”), and curiously Morrissey is also singing about spending the day in bed on his latest release.

The EP concludes with a cover version of the Go-Betweens classic ‘Dusty In Here’. A longtime favourite of the band, this bare and almost ghostly rendition has just Wendy and her acoustic guitar plus Anna again on backing vocals. This is a track that Wendy and Anna performed at the Grant McLennan tribute gig in London back in 2015 and is the perfect closer to the EP.

The official release of ‘English Winter’ is December 8, but you can place an order for it now in the Matinée shop for shipment next week. To get you excited, ‘Still’ and ‘Christmas In Suburbia” are now featured on our Soundcloud!

Seattle popstars Math and Physics Club have just completed recording their fourth studio album ‘Lived Here Before’ and it is set for release in January!

The first single from the album is entitled ‘All The Mains Are Down’ (matda003) and it is so good we couldn’t possibly make you wait two months to hear it. Longtime fans will recognize the usual hallmarks of chiming guitars and lyrical economy, but the piano flourishes, dynamic shifts, and three-part harmonies on the song show the band diving into deeper influences and coming up with a ripper closer to early REM than Belle and Sebastian.

‘Lived Here Before’ features all the carefully constructed pop handicraft we have come to expect from these Pacific Northwest lads, but also shows the band stretching confidently into new territory at a stage when many bands would simply be retreading the same paths. The album, including eleven new songs recorded with fabled grunge producer Chris Hanzsek (Soundgarden, Green River), is scheduled for release on January 26.

In the meantime, ‘All The Mains Are Down’ is available today as a digital single in the Matinée shop and other digital platforms. You can also stream the song on the Soundcloud player below:

New release alert! A few years after the break-up of much-loved Australian indie stalwarts The Lucksmiths, three quarters of the band quietly got together again as Last Leaves. With songwriter and guitarist Marty Donald assuming vocal duties alongside longtime collaborators Louis Richter (guitar) and Mark Monnone (bass), and joined by drummer extraordinaire Noah Symons (Great Earthquake), they began work on a body of songs that – a few years later again – finally finds release in their remarkable debut album ‘Other Towns Than Ours’ (matcd080).

It’s been worth the wait. The ten songs here showcase a band already at the top of its game, from the perfect fuzz pop of first single ‘The World We Had’ and the irrepressible jangle of ‘Something Falls’ to darker moments like mesmeric closer ‘Where I Lived and What I Lived For’ and the downbeat Silver Jews swagger of ‘The Nights You Drove Me Home’ (“the past is just a single-star motel/It’s nowhere you should dwell/A room to rest awhile”).

Sounding like a lost classic from the Summershine imprint, second single ‘The Hinterland’ recounts a country convalescence: “From an upstairs window at your parents’ place/You saw the sun set where the highway cuts across the hinterland/Tail-lights fading in the twilight/It was more than you could stand.” Meanwhile, the off kilter, psychedelic-tinged country-soul(!) of ‘Third Thoughts’ finds cause for a lover’s lament in the glimpse of a road afforded by a newly fallen tree, and ‘Other Rivers’ showcases some impressive guitar work that will surely please the most zealous Lucksmiths fan.

Musically, Last Leaves is an altogether different beast from their previous band, Symons’ ever-inventive drumming and Monnone’s sinuous basslines underpinning melancholic melodies, and Richter’s guitar veering from fragile to ferocious, often in the course of one song.

The album was recorded by UK producer Gareth Parton (Foals, The Go! Team) over the course of almost three years, between Melbourne’s inner-northern suburbs and the band’s base in the hills to the east of the city. Donald’s move there some years ago is reflected in the satellite towns, country roads and mountainside motels of ‘Other Towns Than Ours’; as ever, a profound sense of place remains central to his songwriting.

The album is available on LP, CD, and digital download and is co-released with the Lost and Lonesome Recording Company of Australia so please support your local label. The official release is October 20, but you can order it RIGHT NOW in the Matinée shop! Have a listen to some choice cuts and watch some videos below:

As we near the highly anticipated release of the debut album from Australian supergroup Last Leaves, we are excited to announce an exclusive 7″ single from the band called ‘The Hinterland’ (matinée 094)!

Formed from the scattered remains of The Lucksmiths, Last Leaves combine songwriter Marty Donald’s lyrical sleight-of-hand with the jangle and racket of his former band mates Louis Richter and Mark Monnone, and drummer Noah Symons of Great Earthquake fame.

Bristly and warm, boldly fragile, and full to the gunwales with evocative imagery, ‘The Hinterland’ recounts a country convalescence: “From an upstairs window at your parents place/You saw the sun set where the highway cuts across the hinterland/Tail-lights fading in the twilight/It was more than you could stand.” To these ears, it sounds like a lost classic from Australia’s Summershine imprint which of course is high praise indeed. Guitars interweave throughout the verse … Richter’s joyous leads recalling variously Big Country and Stone Roses atop Donald’s staggered rhythm … before bursting anthemically into the harmony-laden chorus.

Exclusive b-side ‘Nora Creina’ borrows its title from a pin-prick hamlet on South Australia’s Limestone Coast and its chorus from a short story by the Canadian writer Alice Munro, its shamble-footed groove giving way memorably to a majestic shoe-gaze outro.

The 7″ is limited to 500 copies worldwide and co-released with the hip Lost and Lonesome Recording Company of Australia so please support your local label. The digital release is September 22 and vinyl ships on or before October 6. You can preorder either format RIGHT NOW in the Matinée shop!

Produced by Gareth Parton (The Go! Team, Foals, The Breeders), the debut Last Leaves album ‘Other Towns Than Ours’ (matcd080) is released October 20, again in collaboration with Lost and Lonesome. Please watch this space for more information on the album. In the meantime, have a listen to your new favorite song on our Soundcloud and watch the official video below:

Hot on the heels of their splendid track ‘Something Falls’ on the ‘Matinée Idols’ compilation (matcd075), Australian supergroup Last Leaves herald the imminent arrival of their long-awaited debut album with a gloriously fuzzy slice of guitar pop entitled ‘The World We Had’ (matda002).

Comprised of ex-Lucksmiths Marty Donald, Louis Richter and Mark Monnone with Noah Symons of Great Earthquake on drums, Last Leaves have put the finishing touches to their album ‘Other Towns Than Ours’ and launch it out of the blocks with the tautest, hook-laden track of the set. For all its immediacy, though, ‘The World We Had’ also packs an emotional punch. What begins as a fond reminiscence of a long-ago winter weekend away becomes a rueful reassessment of where things stand now: “I’m sure we were never so happy before,” asks the quietly devastating middle-eight, “but darling, don’t you think we could say the same for since?” As the outro crashes in … all jangling guitars, tambourines and woo-woos … the question posed earlier in wonder upon a lover’s first experience of snow (“the world we had where did it go?”) is deftly reframed as a lament for a fading love.

Produced by Melbourne-based UK producer Gareth Parton (The Go! Team, Big Scary, Foals), ‘Other Towns Than Ours’ will be released this October in collaboration with the ace Lost and Lonesome Recording Company of Australia. In the meantime, ‘The World We Had’ is available as a digital single now in the Matinée shop and other digital platforms. You can also stream the song on the Soundcloud player or watch a video of it below:

Today is the official release date for ‘Matinée Idols’ (matcd075), a brilliant new compilation to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Matinée Recordings! To mark this milestone, Matinée artists from across the globe contributed previously unreleased, exclusive, or rare recordings to this special collection and the result is a certified pop classic!

Danish popstars Champagne Riot kick things off with an absolute smash hit called ‘Ingrid Bergman,’ while English legends The Popguns showcase their signature pristine pop on ‘So Long’ and Swedish favorites The Electric Pop Group deliver a stunning new song, their first in four years, called ‘Postcard.’

Australian band Last Leaves features several former Lucksmiths and are one of three artists making their Matinée debut on this compilation with the truly sensational ‘Something Falls.’ New band Tinsel Heart from Sweden are also fresh to the Matinée stable and make a splash with an exceptional song called ‘Talk,’ while Scottish darlings Strawberry Whiplash deliver the clever new singalong jangler ‘Me, My Selfie and I.’

The third new addition to the Matinée roster is The Royal Landscaping Society from Spain and they mark their auspicious debut with a shimmering atmospheric popsong called ‘Moon.’ Seattle favorites Math and Physics Club represent the American indie scene in fine fashion with the contemplative new track ‘Shadows Longer,’ while English duo The Catenary Wires follow up their recent mini-album with more beautiful harmonies on ‘You Save Me From Myself’ and fellow Englishmen Seabirds contribute another impressive song called ‘Independent Horses.’

Recent Matinée signings The Perfect English Weather are the fourth English band represented on the compilation and they deliver a melodic stunner called ‘Under My Feet,’ while Scotland’s Bubblegum Lemonade continue to shine with the ace new track ‘Set The Boy Free.’ Fellow Scots The Hermit Crabs showcase the noisy two-minute pop nugget ‘Game Plan,’ and Sweden’s Azure Blue conclude the album with a perfect dose of electronic pop called ‘New Moon.’

An impressive collection of some of today’s finest indie bands, ‘Matinée Idols’ is the perfect way to celebrate 20 years of immaculate pop and document the continued strength of the Matinée roster. The album is available now from your favorite record shop or digital merchant and of course, from the Matinée shop! You can preview the entire album on the player below: