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!