You guys, we did it. We finally fucking did it. The Pittsburgh, PA band The Gotobeds have signed a worldwide recording contract with Sub Pop Records. As fans of The Gotobeds from their very first cassette release up through their excellent debut LP, Poor People Are Revolting, released in 2014 on Gerard Cosloy’s 12XU label, we here at Sub Pop couldn’t be happier to work with these fine young men. Keep your ears open for new music in the near future, and be sure to catch The Gotobeds on their upcoming tour with Hardly Art recording artists Protomartyr, which begins with a hometown show on April 8th at Gooski’s and ends April 18th in Athens, GA at Caledonia Lounge (dates below).
 
Who the heck are The Gotobeds, you ask? Well, here’s the deal, according to the band’s singer/guitarist Hazy Lazer (real name TBD):
 
Around March 2009, shortly after I lost my job, I bumped into my longtime friend Parryman at an all-night art gallery and we talked about finally making a band stick beyond a couple of drunken, hazy practices. Pittsburgh at the time had a nice, Thatcher-esque feel thanks to the housing bubble bursting, so I was keen to do something beyond getting up at noon and trying to hit my favorite brunch spot. But not toomuch more.
 
I had all of these songs sitting around that didn’t make sense for my other band, Kim Phuc. Parryman wasn’t really a drummer and I wasn’t really a singer so it seemed natural that we’d try our hand at those things. We made long lists of bands and strange sounds we wanted to try out. Being from a city that has great bands but is removed from most things gave us time to gestate, and if you’re intelligent enough to read between the lines you know I’m covering for the fact that we were initially pretty terrible.
 
Arid Plateau took on bass duties once he made the correct decision to move from Chicago to Pittsburgh despite only knowing a couple of people here. As far as guitar players go, we had several in our infancy, but each of them turned out to be simply experiencing a moment of transitional chaos before they resigned themselves to the rat race. COOL U, who drummed in Kim Phuc, eventually asked to play guitar with us, which completed our final lineup.
 
We kicked around for a few years to find our footing. It’s easy to form a band with an initial sound or look that is someone else’s, but that’s always the least interesting way to go about things. So we tried on a few hats to figure out that they didn’t fit or they wouldn’t get us laid. Most of what we agree on is stuff with guitars in it. I wanted to be the Swell Maps and just make a big bunch of classic songs with junk on top, but we ended up with a mish-mash of DIY/Punk/Post-Punk/Indie sounds ala The Fall, early Pavement, Wire, Wipers, Mission of Burma, Sonic Youth, Total Control, Tyvek, Protomartyr, etc.
 
We approached our first LP in the fashion of The Replacements’ Let It Be, what with the cheeky title and grab-bag of disparate strands of rock. Every band is trying to incorporate too much shit, so we just made sounds that we all loved, and lucked into recording all the songs in one day. “Secs Tape,” “Jenna Rations,” and “Fucking Machine” are all first takes. The ’90s are back! We’re waiting to cash our checks.
 
Important note: The Gotobeds is one word. It’s someone’s name. We’re a punk family like The Ramones or the Osmonds. We’re not going to bed anytime soon.
Jah Bless - Hazy Lazer 2014.
 
What people have said about The Gotobeds:
“This is attitude-heavy, snarling, railing-against-everything punk-informed indie rock. If you dig Protomartyr and Parquet Courts or Pavement or The Fall (or Wire), this is pretty much essential listening.” - Brooklyn Vegan

“A rowdy, ramshackle party house of a band, built on the intersecting bedrock of post-punk and indie rock…The Gotobeds’ members paint a dirty, driven, vulgar portrait of Rust Belt restlessness.” [Poor People Are Revolting] - NPR Music 

“A noisy, raucous 41-minute post-punk assault…” [Poor People Are Revolting] - Pittsburgh Post Gazette

“A stellar debut from a band you should be excited about, especially if you’re young enough to not remember the times when indie-rock was actually the adventurous land of creative bands. Gotobeds (along with Protomartyr and some others) seem to be possibly making that happen again.” [Poor People Are Revolting] - Terminal Boredom

Tour Dates
Apr. 08 - Pittsburgh, PA - Gooski’s *
Apr. 09  - Ithaca, NY - Cornell University *
Apr. 11 - Providence, RI - AS220 *
Apr. 12 - Cambridge, MA - Club Bohemia *
Apr. 13 - Willimantic, CT - Willimantic Records
Apr. 14 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s *
Apr. 15 - Brooklyn, NY - The Wick *
Apr. 16 - Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall *
Apr. 17 - Winston-Salem, NC - The Garage *
Apr. 18 - Athens, GA - Caledonia *
* w/ Protomartyr

Sub Pop has a great history of working with artists from Canada, our wonderful neighbors to the north. Click to listen to “Eh Very Canadian Playlist”, featuring Canadian Sub Pop artists, both new and old, and boasting the brand new track from METZ, the ferocious “Acetate”, off of their May 5th record, II, which you can pre-order here. The playlist is on Spotify and Rdio.

Eh Very Canadian Playlist Tracklist

Special Apology in Advance for Valentine’s 2015!

Between now and February 12th, anyone who orders Danny Bland and Greg Dulli’s I Apologize in Advance for the Awful Things I’m Gonna Do AND makes a $25 or greater donation to the very worthy MusiCares organization, will receive a copy of the book with a personalized, original haiku written by Mr. Danny Bland himself, inscribed by hand into this same book’s endpapers by this same D. Bland. This personalized haiku could be about you or about some friend, loved one or enemy (present, former or future)! It is your choice! You have only to provide us with some descriptive insight into the person about whom this haiku will be writ. Please provide this descriptive information and your invoice number from your MusiCares donation in the comments field at checkout.

Clearly, this is the best Valentine’s Day gift idea to come along perhaps ever.

Here’s where you can make a donation to MusiCares:

https://secure.grammy.org/musicares/donate/65891

And here is where you can order I Apologize…

https://megamart.subpop.com/goods/danny_bland_and_greg_dulli/i_apologize_in_advance_for_the_awful_th…

And yes, we did a very similar if not identical promotional thing during the holidays. Poetry is just too fitting for Valentine’s Day for us to pass up the opportunity to try again!

Doldrums’ The Air Conditioned Nightmare is now available everywhere on CD / LP / DL from Sub Pop. The album, led by highlights “HOTFOOT”, “Video Hostage”, “Loops” and “Blow Away”, was recorded in Montreal and LA and produced by Doldrums’ Airick Woodhead.  
 
You can now watch the official video for “Loops” (via the embed) helmed by director Lily X. The FADER premiered the new visual, and had this to say, “What in God’s holy name is going on in the video for Doldrums’ “Loops”… A trove of trippy imagery that will damn near make your head explode—and it quite nicely fits the project’s warped, melted-pop aesthetic (see premiere April 7th).“
 
Doldrums’ previously announced 2-month tour in support of The Air Conditioned Nightmare, begins tomorrow night, April 9th with a hometown show in Montreal, QC at Bar Le Ritz and currently ends July 31st-August 2nd in Sackville, NB for Sappyfest. Support for the North American dates (April 15-May 9th) will come from Last Gang recording artist Moon King. Please find a complete list of tour dates below.
 
Purchases of The Air Conditioned Nightmare are available from Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, Amazon and Bandcamp. All customers who order the LP version of the album from megamart.subpop.com will receive the limited “Loser Edition” on clear vinyl and a limited edition clear 7” which features the songs “IDONTWANNABEDELETED” (feat. Samantha Urbani) and “Market Signals.” Additionally, there is a new T-shirt design available both individually and as part of a bundle with purchases of the new record.
 
What people are saying about Doldrums:
“Using samplers and DJ gear in place of guitars and drums, the expanded Doldrums have come up with a hyper-detailed prog-dance-pop odyssey” - FACT Magazine
 
“An album that is full of conflict, using samplers to create a blend of discordant noises with industrial drums and occasionally uplifting vocals. Music fit for Montreal’s late-night warehouse parties.” - CBC

“Nestled in these adrenalised, highly evolved songs are bright pop hooks, showing that other artists could compete with Doldrums, but they wouldn’t be able to keep up.” - DIY

“The album’s 10 tracks are an electronic counterculture update that proudly carries the scars of its disenchanted pioneers.” - Consequence of Sound

“ In what little cracks are left between demolitions and Woodhead’s sly, zonked-out rambling, you can hear the clatter of live, room-recorded drums, endless effects trails, and hand-triggered samples lifted from God knows where. These are remnants of Doldrums’ writing process, and chances are that involves jamming on some heady grooves in a small, smokey room. It’s surprising how well all the ideas work together, no matter how cluttered and overstuffed “HOTFOOT” may sound, but Doldrums has specialized in conjuring the unexpected.”  [“HOTFOOT” / Track Review] - Pitchfork 
 
“The song hits hard, its skewed metropolitan pulse giving way to aggro percussive bass bursts that remind me of LCD Soundsystem’s “Losing My Edge.”  [“HOTFOOT” Track Review]  - Stereogum
 
”A master class in drone-y weirdness with a pop sensibility”  [“HOTFOOT” / Track Review] - COMPLEX
 
“‘Owes a little to ’90s electronica, and this one would probably sound right at home next to Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy.’” [“My Friend Simjen” / Track Review] - Brooklyn Vegan
 
“Densely packed with shifting layers of sound effects and heart-pounding sub-bass.” [“My Friend Simjen” / Track Review] - The Fader

”Top notch.” [“Loops” / Track Review] - NME
 
“A techno infused banger” [“Loops” /Track Review] - Clash
 
“‘A less chaotic preview of the album, with a giddy beat taking the reigns for Woodhead’s yearning voice” [“Loops” / Track Review]  - DIY
 
“A complex tapestry of house pop textures, with undulating synths tying themselves around a steady set of hi-hat-heavy beats.” [“Loops” / Track Review] - Exclaim!
 
Tour Dates:
Apr. 09 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz*
Apr. 15 - Boston, MA - Great Scott*
Apr. 17 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge*
Apr. 18 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby’s All Right*
Apr. 19 - Washington, DC - DC9*
Apr. 21 - Atlanta, GA -  Aisle 5*
Apr. 24 - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald’s*
Apr. 30 - Los Angeles, CA - Echo*
May 02 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop*
May 04 - Seattle, WA - The Sunset*
May 05 - Portland, OR - Holocene*
May 08 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry*
May 09 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle*
May 15 - Copenhagen, DK - Pop Revo Festival, Atlas
May 16 - Rome, IT - Spring Attitude Festival
May 19 - Lile, FR - La Peniche
May 20 - London, UK -  Electrowerkz
May 21 - Dublin, IE - Hidden Agenda @ Whelans
May 22 - Bristol, UK - The Louisiana
May 23 - Manchester, UK - Soup Kitchen
May 24 - Glasgow, UK - Stereo
May 26 - Brighton, UK - The Hope
May 27 - Bruges, BE Cactus
May 28 - Amsterdam, NL - OT301
May 29 - Paris, FR - Le Pop Up du Label
May 30 - Bordeaux, FR - Iboat
Jun. 02 - Cologne, DE - Studio 672
Jun. 03 - Hamburg, DE - Volt
Jun. 04 - Berlin, DE - Privatclub
Jul. 11 - Antigonish, NS - Evolve Fest
Jul. 24 - Guelph, ON - Hillside Fest
Jul. 31 - Aug 2 - Sackville, NB - Sappyfest
* w/ Moon King
 

You can now listen to Rose Windows “Strip Mall Babylon, a new offering from the group’s forthcoming, self-titled and final album, due out May 4th on Sub Pop.
 
Stereogum premiered the track and had this to say, ““Strip Mall Babylon” suggests the album is well worth hearing (we can attest to this suggestion). The song starts deceptively with a slinky groove, before Qazi’s Joplin-esque roar explodes over thick, fuzzy guitars and searing organs. It’s a victorious sign-off for a band with a brief but impressive run. Hear the track below.(see track premiere April 14th).”
 
Preorders for Rose Windows are available now from Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, Amazon and Bandcamp. All customers who pre-order the LP version of the album from megamart.subpop.com will receive the “Loser Edition” on red & black marbled vinyl, and a limited edition 7” which features the songs “Never Did Me Wrong” and a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “The Wanton Song” (while supplies last). Additionally, there will be a new T-shirt design available in two colors, both individually and as part of a bundle with purchases of the new record.
 
Rose Windows recently shared the news of their dissolution through their Facebook page (read more here) and have canceled all scheduled live dates. With that said, we are very proud to have released two albums with Rose Windows, and wish them well in their future pursuits, both musically and otherwise.

We would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of this year’s applicants for the Sub Pop Loser Scholarship. The breadth of qualified applicants this year gave us quite an inspiring glimpse into the minds of many of the freakiest high school Loser brains in the Pacific Northwest. Every year we get the privilege to be inspired by our applicants and every year we still manage to get blown away by how many awesome young people are waving their freak flags high and fighting the good fight here in our little corner of the U.S.A. GOOD JOB LOSERS, you win again!

Noah Philips-Reardon –$7,000

Noah inspired us all with her heart and dedication to promoting a more inclusive, productive, and inspred all ages music community here in Seattle. Her work interning with STG, EMP, Vera Project, Sasquatch and various other local organizations showed us how involved a young person can be in the music community. The blog she runs, showed us a self-driven spirit that looked to promote up and coming artists. The reporting she did on all ages music for KUOW showed us a high school perspective on a Seattle scene, that mainly caters to adults, leaving young people wanting more. She is off to USC to study the music industry and likely one day take all of our jobs.

For the first time in the history of the Loser Scholarship, we could not decide between the second and third spot. After much discussion, comparison, and debate, we decided to split the remaining money evenly between the two.

Michael Erickson–$4,000