New release alert! ‘Matinée Idols’ (matcd075) is a brilliant new compilation to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Matinée Recordings. Since our humble beginnings in a Capitol Hill rowhouse in Washington, DC in 1997, Matinée has had the pleasure of working with 54 different artists from 12 different countries. While most of our 20 years have been spent avoiding the many distractions in sunny California, our dedication to releasing the best indie music has never wavered. To mark our 20-year anniversary, 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 officially released June 23, but you can order a copy RIGHT NOW exclusively from the Matinée shop! As part of the celebration, we will randomly select one track a day over the next two weeks to share on Soundcloud and the results will appear below. Happy birthday to us!

New release alert! English pop legends The Popguns return to the new release shelf next month with a brand new ten-track album entitled ‘Sugar Kisses’ (matcd079). The album is officially released June 16, but we will begin taking orders and shipping copies the first week of June! Watch this space for complete album details and presale information. In the meantime, you can listen to the amazing first track off the album now via Soundcloud or watch a video of the song on YouTube below:

Matinée Recordings will celebrate the 20th anniversary of our first release later this year and we have a bunch of great new releases planned including debut releases from three new Matinée bands! Before we announce the new releases, we thought it made sense to clear out our stockroom so we are having a flash sale for the next week with a handsome 40 percent off everything in the shop! This discount applies to every item in the shop … including new releases, back catalog titles, singles, albums, cds, vinyl, and digital downloads … now through Thursday, May 18. Quantities are limited and there are several releases close to selling out forever so please don’t delay. Use promo code FLASH to take advantage of the savings.

As always, you can maximize postage savings by selecting the flat rate priority mail envelope which can hold approximately ten CDs or ten 7″ singles for a price that is not much more than what you pay to send just two or three items. Please note that 10″ and 12″ vinyl cannot ship using the flat rate envelope. Please see the Matinée shop for current availability and help us clear space for an ace batch of new releases this year. Happy shopping!

Celebrate the season with festive favorites from Brighter, Bubblegum Lemonade, Champagne Riot, The Fairways, Harper Lee, Lovejoy, The Lucksmiths, Math and Physics Club, Northern Portrait, Pale Sunday, The Perfect English Weather, The Pines, Pipas, The Popguns, Razorcuts, Slipslide, The Snowdrops, Strawberry Whiplash and The Windmills … perfect for Christmas wrapping frenzy. Happy holidays!

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New artist alert! The Perfect English Weather are Simon and Wendy Pickles, a duo from Brighton taking time out from The Popguns to create an enchanting collection of odes to overcast afternoons in seaside cafes, conversations with cats, and weekend adventures to cancelled Morrissey concerts. Inspired by the unjaded love of a great pop song, the result is grown up music for those who still prefer a karaoke party to a dinner party.

Their debut album ‘Isobar Blues’ (matcd078) was originally intended to be a short set of simple acoustic recordings, but one thing lead to another and they couldn’t help turning some of these vignettes into full-on electric guitar pop. The result is a flurry of guitars, words and melodies that stay with you all day … as their signature song ‘English Weather’ so dreamily reminds us.

Opening track ‘The Sweetest Feeling’ has an almost Motown feel to it and a great positive vibe backed by a joyous chorus, while ‘Hit Town’ is a very tongue-in-cheek Smiths styled jangler, telling the story of a weekend in Athens where Morrissey cancelled his concert last minute as he couldn’t “make his plane in time”. The perfect, cool laid back groove of ‘Try A Little Harder’ is again less than serious as listeners are reminded not to be too tough on each other’s little imperfections.

‘Reacquainted’ begins with a slow picked guitar and plaintive vocals before opening into its full glory as our clandestine couple emerge into daylight from a cinema matinee. ‘English Weather’ is the first of the fully acoustic songs and is a perfect chance to close the eyes and get lost as Wendy’s gorgeous tones describe a rainy afternoon spent hidden away in a park cafe. We are then kicked back into life by ‘Spirited Away’, a perfect pop tune with a wicked hook that seems to refer to the death of a favourite pop star … do we wonder who that might be?

‘London In Your Eyes’ changes the mood and is a straight slice of heartache with definite echoes of Lou Reed and Galaxy 500 in an arrangement which features Wendy on organ and tambourine. From this point the album meanders downstream in a more low-key, acoustic vein. ‘Christmas Single’ is a lovely song about spending Christmas at home with the family with someone else on your mind, while ‘You Wrote’ is a simple acoustic arrangement with to-die-for vocals and a rare appearance of Mr. P on harmony backing vocals. The album closes with ‘Two Stars’, which has a stark, ethereal feel and a lyric loaded with cosmic metaphors, leaving a final image of our tiny place in time and space – a beautiful way to end the record.

‘Isobar Blues’ is released November 25 but you can order a copy RIGHT NOW exclusively from the Matinée shop on CD or digital download formats. While you wait, you can listen to a few top tunes below.

New release alert! The superb new album ‘The Great Leap Backward’ (matcd077) from Scottish pop partisans Bubblegum Lemonade is the perfect reminder that old school indiepop never goes out of style.

The album begins with the pulsating rhythms and big fuzzy chorus of ‘Hit The Ground Running’ and the post apocalyptical pop of ‘The Last Girl’ complete with jangling guitars, Shakespeare quoting, and beautiful vocal harmonies. Meanwhile, first single ‘Beard On A Bike’ is a pop classic, going straight for the jugular with an instantly catchy tale of a psychopath on a cycle path.

‘The Only Constant Is Change’ delivers contemplative pop with amusing word play and a constantly evolving vocal melody, while ‘Wishing It Were Friday’ is a prospective radio hit with plenty of pop culture referencing and some breathtaking 12-string guitars, and ‘Straight To The Heart Of The Sun’ has a more pensive feel with acoustic strumming, tambourines, and clever paraphrasing of the Boss.

Side two kicks off with the driving and assured title track ‘The Great Leap Backward’ with its Dr. Feelgood inspired opening riff and confident instrumentation. ‘Tongue Tied’ is another ace single contender with racing guitars, witty lyrics, and a fuzzy pop chorus, while ‘Summer In Your Hand’ is chiming, reflective pop with a fun psychedelic guitar solo.

The hypnotic ‘As Dead As Disco’ contrasts the bright optimism of Woodstock with the dark reality of Altamont using gently bouncing verses and an abrasive chorus. The album continues with the irresistible pop melodies of singalong smash ‘You Bring The Rain’ and comes to its chugging conclusion with the beautiful harmony guitar work of the effortlessly cool ‘Don’t Get The Last Train’.

Sporting extraordinarily catchy songs, spectacular melodies, and intelligent lyrics, ‘The Great Leap Backward’ is another modern pop classic for the impressive Bubblegum Lemonade catalog.

The album is officially released November 18 but you can order a copy RIGHT NOW exclusively from the Matinée shop on CD or digital download formats. In the meantime, have a listen to album gems ‘Beard On A Bike’ and ‘Tongue Tied’ at the Soundcloud link below. Hurrah for Scottish pop!

The smashing ‘Beard On A Bike’ EP (matinée 093) from Scotland’s Bubblegum Lemonade is out now!

Lead track ‘Beard On A Bike’ goes straight for the pop jugular with an instantly catchy tale of a psychopath on a cycle path. The song is a preview of the band’s forthcoming album ‘The Great Leap Backward’ set for release later this year.

The EP also features three non-album tracks exclusive to this release. ‘Golden Afternoon’ is a mid tempo song with a baggy rhythm and ace 12-string Rickenbacker guitars, while ‘Saturday Girl’ is an effervescent ode to weekend warriors with racing guitars and ‘Looking Out For You’ is a poignant late night tale showcasing superb harmonies and jangling guitars.

The early reviews suggest we may have another hit on our hands:

“Beard On A Bike is pop perfection. This is gold, dig it.” –Unpeeled

“I would rank ‘Beard on a Bike’ as his best single in the rack.” –Linear Tracking Lives

“The best songwriting you’ll hear this week.” –Austin Town Hall

“Bubblegum pop with jangle, plenty of reverb, and a dose of western twang…touchstones are early Primal Scream, The Jesus And Mary Chain and a number of your favorite ’60s bands.” –When You Motor Away

See the catalog page for complete release details and more reviews. The EP is available from smart groove merchants or direct from the Matinée shop on CD or digital download. While you are shopping, have a listen to some ace sounds on the Matinée Soundcloud!

The great new Math and Physics Club compilation ‘In This Together’ (matcd076) is out today!

Longtime fans of the Pacific Northwest indie darlings know the band has never stashed away their lesser material on EPs and b-sides. Some would argue that many of their best songs over the past decade have appeared on exclusive EPs and vinyl-only singles, which is why this compilation of 16 non-album tracks plays like one of the band’s finest full length albums.

Here are a few choice quotes from the pre-release reviews:

“Near-perfect indie pop gems featuring jangling guitars and sprightly rhythms. Newly recorded track ‘Coastal California, 1985’ ranks with their best moments from the past decade.” –All Music Guide

“I want to get out into the sunshine, wind the windows down and drive down leafy country lanes with this album as my soundtrack. So far this is easily the best compilation album of the year and quite possibility the only one you’ll need in 2016.” –Pennyblack Music

“Coastal California, 1985 is one of the Club’s finest compositions yet, transmuting into an unapologetically wide(r)screen sound and a refrain you’ll be humming for days on end. Had it been a single, it would be one of this blooming year’s best.” –In Love With These Times

“There’s something stirring and anthemic in the best of these sweetly melodic, heartfelt and life-affirming songs that keeps you hooked on every word and chord change.” –Sounds XP

“Math and Physics Club are a Pacific Northwest treasure.” –When You Motor Away

“Brand new song ‘Coastal California 1985’ highlights the band’s bouncy guitars and swelling harmonies. Song of the Day!” –3am Revelations

You can see complete release details and more reviews on the catalog page. The album is available from your favorite local record merchant or direct from the Matinée shop on CD or digital download. There is also a white vinyl version available from our pals at Fika Recordings in the UK but it is limited to 300 copies so get there quick if you want one.

Check out brand new track ‘Coastal California 1985’ and three other gems from the album at the Soundcloud link below:

How I spent my Saturday: watching Math and Physics Club play an in-store at Sonic Boom Records in Seattle!