Hey there!

Sub Pop Records in Seattle, WA is offering a grand total of $15,000 worth of college scholarship money to three eligible high school seniors. There are three scholarships—one for $7,000, one for $5,000 and one for $3,000. As longtime and proud losers ourselves, we’re exceedingly happy to be able, in some small way, to help further the education of art-enthused misfits from the NW.

Applicants must be a resident of Washington or Oregon, and a graduating senior on your way to full-time enrollment at an accredited university or college. We are looking for applicants who are involved and/or interested in music and/or the creative arts in some way. However, you do not need to be pursuing an education in the arts.

To apply you must submit an essay, one page or less, using any combination of the following questions as a guide (or write something completely your own, be inspired and creative!). Please list the school you are graduating from and the school you plan to attend in the fall at the top of your essay along with your contact information.

- What are you doing in the arts/music field in your community?

- What does being a Sub Pop ‘Loser’ mean to you?

- What are your influences and/or who inspired you to become involved in the arts?

- Describe your biggest failure and explain how it has brought you closer to your goal(s).

- Discuss a special attribute or accomplishment that sets you apart.

- How has your family or community background affected the way you see the world?

Applicants are strongly encouraged to send digital links and/or provide hard copies of their artwork along with their essay (we have never had a winner who submitted only an essay). However, please be aware that Sub Pop will not return any of this material, so please don’t send originals. Sub Pop will give equal opportunity to all applicants who fit the criteria outlined above. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, March 22nd.

Please send all submissions and attachments to scholarship@subpop.com by Wednesday, March 22nd. We will announce the scholarship winners on April 3rd.

The time has come for us to celebrate another revolution around this flaming coil of molten garbage for our number one favorite corporate sell-out, the Sub Pop Airport Store. This May marks 3 years in Sea-Tac’s heavily populated Central Terminal. Come for the Qdoba, stay for the moderately priced vinyl records (sorry, they’re not calendars).

In simultaneous celebration of our anniversary and this month’s obscure internet holiday, World Goth Day, I’ve created a Special Bonus Zine Page highlighting some of the “Dark Music” of Sub Pop. As a dedicated night shift worker and self-deprecating-20-something-nightcrawler (using this in place of “goth” to avoid hate mail), I’ve forever been a fan of all things Sub Pop. However, I wanted to specifically bring forth some of the label’s dark music of present and past. 

From Sub Pop 100’s track list including Skinny Puppy’s “Church in Hell” and Scratch Acid’s “Greatest Gift” (drummer Rey Washam went on to play with Ministry and Jello Biafra and Al Jourgensen’s Lard) to Birthday Party-influenced bands like The U-Men (infamous for setting the moat surrounding Seattle Center’s Mural Amphitheater on fire during a concert), there is a clear lineage of darker influences spanning genres from post-punk to industrial and dark wave. There is still a vein of significant contemporaries in bands like Hardly Art’s Grave Babies, Sub Pop alums A Frames, Italian band His Electro Blue Voice, and dark electronic duo Handsome Furs. 

If you see me at the airport store, please do ask me to discuss your favorite Clock DVA album, please don’t lecture me on the bands I didn’t include in this blog post (I know, I wasn’t born when you saw Nirvana play in your friend’s basement).
 
Also, in lieu of apologizing profusely for not selling bottled water or newspapers, please accept some Top 3 lists from the Airport Staff:

Top 3 Albums to Clear Out the Store
1. Earth, Earth 2

2. Eugene Mirman, I’m Sorry You’re Welcome

3. Comets on Fire, Blue Cathedral

Top 3 Albums to Lure Hippie Moms from Vashon Island

1. Rose Windows, Rose Windows

2. Jesca Hoop, Memories Are Now

3. Beachwood Sparks (any)

Top 3 Instant Play-n-Sell Albums
1. Chad Vangaalen, Shrink Dust

2. Handsome Furs, Plague Park

3. Shabazz Palaces, Lese Majesty

Top 3 Free Things in the Airport

1. Classic Logo stickers at Sub Pop Records (Central Terminal)

2. Cheese samples at Beecher’s (C Gates)

3. A “massage” from TSA (Security Checkpoint of Your Choice)

[Photo credit: Guy Lowndes]

Cry those tears of joy, because Father John Misty’s first round of 2017 North American tour dates in support of Pure Comedy (out April 7th) are on the books. Headlining dates include Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre (May 5th and 6th), Brooklyn’s King Theatre (May 10th), Chicago Theatre (May 15th), The Paramount in Seattle (May 24th), Vancouver’s Festival Lawn at Deer Lake Park (May 26th), and Mexico City’s Metropolitan Theatre (June 7th).

… and LIVE FROM NEW YORK, IT’S FATHER JOHN MISTY!!!! About to be the musical guest (with host Octavia Spencer) on Saturday Night Live this coming March 4th at 11:30pm /10:30pmCT on NBC.

Father John Misty’s “Ballad of the Dying Man” is a standout track from Pure Comedy. The track has earned raves from Pitchfork (“Best New Track”), Rolling Stone, Stereogum, The Ringer, SPIN, and more. The Ringer says of the track, “It is simultaneously plaintive and winking and obnoxious and beautiful, as all the good Father John Misty songs are.”  SPIN offers this, “ It opens with a descending chord progression on acoustic guitar and piano that recalls Neil Young’s “Motion Pictures,” then slides into a patient pop arrangement worthy of Elton John.”

[Photo Credit: Jay Scroggins]

Seattle rapper (and the first Sub Pop signee of Shabazz Palaces Ishmael Butler), Porter Ray has shared another stellar new track “Lightro [Looking For The Light]” (feat. Stas Thee Boss)” taken from his forthcoming debut album, Watercolor, out March 10th. “Lightro…” also features fellow Seattleite, Stas Thee Boss of THEESatisfaction, and premiered today via Uproxx.

Uproxx says of “Lightro…” and Watercolor, “Over a wafting cloud of synthy production Ray tackles the grimness of death and the fleeting nature of life, before the track bleeds into Stas’ starlit harmonies....When he starts spitting, you know it’s him immediately. He runs through various cadences and countless rhythms like it’s nothing to change up, but never loses a sense of cohesion in his rapping…In many ways, Watercolor is a distillation of Northwest rap told through the region’s most promising newcomer (see premiere February 21st).”

Porter Ray’s current live dates include a hometown release show on March 8th at Barboza (with guests Jarv Dee, Cam the Mac, and Bruce Leroy), multiple appearances at SXSW March 15th-19th, and Sasquatch Music Festival on May 26th. More live dates coming soon.

Tour Dates + Ticket Links
Feb. 26 - Seattle, WA – Crocodile (w/ Pickwick for ACLU Benefit)
Mar. 08 - Seattle, WA – Barboza (Watercolor Release Party)
Mar. 15-19 - Austin, TX - SXSW
May 26 - Quincy, WA - Sasquatch Music Festival

“Lightro…,” and the forthcoming Watercolor, find Ray blending thoughtful portraits of Seattle streets with cathartic biographical accounts of an eventful adolescence and early adulthood, during which his father passed away, his brother was shot and killed, he became a father, and saw his son’s mother go to jail.  Possessing insight beyond his years, Ray’s laid back yet captivating style, vivid lyrical vignettes and powerful storytelling are built around a vulnerability and unflinching honesty.

Watercolor is available for preorder in all your favorite formats.  LP pre-orders through the Sub Pop Mega Mart and independent retailers will receive the limited Loser Edition on translucent vinyl with magenta swirl in North America & Translucent vinyl in Europe, while supplies last.  

Watercolor features original production from B-Roc, Dez Anthony, and Kmtk, and was mixed by Erik Blood.  Guest appearances include Cashtro, Stas Thee Boss, Nate Jack, Jus Moni and Black Constellation elders Palaceer Lazaro and Fly Guy Dai of Shabazz Palaces.

Follow all things Porter Ray everywhere in the galaxy via Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

What are “The People” saying about Porter Ray? Well, since you asked:

“A star in the making.” [Watercolor] - Uncut
 
“A natural storyteller, Ray unleashed a series of vivid mixtape portraits of his locale’s druggy highs and lows that painted him as a new school Nas with the lyrical slickness of Roc Marciano. The street-wise intellect certainly lets his slightly off-pitched voice do most of the heavy lifting over the stuttering spacey synthetics, phased keys and warped Rhodes of B-Roc’s atmospheric production.” [Watercolor, 4/5] - MOJO
 
“As a rapper, Porter’s storytelling skills drive his lyrical content. He tries to paint pictures, never sounding over excited or too energetic, opting for beats which create unique moods….with his effortlessly smooth tone and considered lyricism, Porter carries himself with striking presence and wisdom.” [Watercolor]  - Crack Magazine
 
“Ray is Seattle to the bone, continuing the tradition of Sea-Town rappers with malleable flows and unorthodox sounds that bend along with them....The first taste of his album is a posse cut of sorts featuring Shabazz Palaces,Palaceer, and Castro. They all spit complicated rhyme schemes over a hollowed-out soundscape with dry 808 drums and shimmering, space-age synths reminiscent of THEESatisfaction.” [“Sacred Geometry”] - Stereogum
 
“Seattle rapper Porter Ray shares another hazy and seductive gem from his debut…“Arithmetic” showcases Porter’s golden voice and effortlessly vivid flow over a dreamy, immersively narcotic beat, elevated by spectral siren calls from the great Stas Thee Boss (formerly of THEESatisfaction) and anchored by a crucial assist from revered Seattle MC Infinite.” [“Arithmetic”] - Gorilla vs Bear
 
“On the first track from the Seattle native’s forthcoming Watercolor, Porter leads the song with melodic cadences and descriptive verses. Here, he and his collaborators all highlight the narratives that make up this holy equation.” [“Sacred Geometry”] - The FADER

[Photo Credit: Steve Gullick]

Sub Pop has signed London-based songwriter Marika Hackman to the label, and will release I’m Not Your Man, her North American label debut, on June 2nd.  The album - including recently released track “Boyfriend” - was produced and mixed by Charlie Andrew (Alt-J) at various locales throughout London. I’m Not Your Man will also be available in Europe from AMF Records.
 
Hackman also has (for your audio-visual enjoyment) an official video for “Boyfriend,” directed by Libby Burke Wilde [watch here], which co-stars the singer and her friends from UK band, The Big Moon.
 
There’s an open-ended nature to I’m Not Your Man: the discussions within, conversations on femininity, sex and sexual identity, millennial ennui, the pressures of living in a social media bubble and the perils of being young in a fast- paced industry. Says Hackman, “The record’s all about female relationships, romance and breakdowns, but there’s also a dim worldview going on. I’m Not Your Man can either mean, ‘I’m not your man, I’m your woman’, or it can mean, ‘I’m not a part of this…’,” explains Hackman. It’s a fiery statement from a songwriter who no longer wants to be shackled to limiting descriptions.
 
To help channel this fervid energy, Hackman recruited her best mates – London quartet The Big Moon to play as her backing band on I’m Not Your Man. “They really captured the soul of what it all meant to me and brought a lot of fun and creativity,” says Hackman. The unspoiled nature of the recording environment has thrown up a truly dynamic, multi-genre sound. It’s all tied together via razor sharp wit and authenticity.

 
[Cover Art: Painting by Tristan Piggot. Read more about it here.]

I’m Not Your Man will be released on CD / LP / DL / CS and is now available to preorder in North America from Sub Pop [link here]. LP preorders through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in the Americas will receive the Loser edition on orange colored-vinyl with a bonus 7” (while supplies last). There will also a be new t-shirt design available with this release.
 
Marika Hackman has scheduled a handful of SXSW appearances to preview I’m Not Your Man (March 15th-18th). Additional live dates will be announced soon.
 
Mar. 15 - Austin, TX - SXSW / Latitude 30 / BBC2 Official Showcase
Mar. 16 - Austin, TX - SXSW / The Blackheart / Transgressive Records Showcase
Mar. 18 - Austin, TX - SXSW / Urban Outfitters Back Lot

Pissed Jeans “The Bar is Low ” is the lead single from Why Love Now, the band’s fifth album, out today worldwide on Sub Pop.  The song is now the subject of a humorous new video, helmed by returning director Joe Stakun (“Bathroom Laughter,” “Romanticize Me,” “Boring Girls”). 

Pissed Jeans previously announced 2017 tour dates in support of Why Love Now, are currently underway, with a show tonight, Friday, February 24th in Brooklyn, NY at Brooklyn Bazaar and tomorrow, Saturday, February 25th in Somerville, MA at ONCE Ballroom. There will be additional live dates to come.
 
Feb. 24 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bazaar
Feb. 25 - Somerville, MA - ONCE Ballroom
Mar. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle
Mar. 11 - Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA
 
Why Love Now was co-produced by Lydia Lunch, Arthur Rizk and Pissed Jeans, and is available on CD / LP / CASS / DL on Sub Pop. The album features the aforementioned “The Bar is Low,” with additional standouts,“Ignorecam,” “Love Without Emotion,” and “I’m A Man” (featuring lyrics and vocal from Ugly Girls author Lindsay Hunter).
 
More on Pissed Jeans from Maura Johnston here.

What people are saying about Pissed Jeans & Why Love Now:
“…A lot of fun and delivers some uncomfortable home truths” [Why Love Now, 4/5]- The Guardian

“With riffs weighted so they’re heavy enough to bludgeon, and vocals that feel like they’re being torn straight from the larynx, the album is a tour de force of high octane refrains and filth-driven focus.” [Why Love Now, Album of the Week, 8.5/10] - The Line Of Best Fit
 
“This follow-up finds them operating at a similarly scintillating capacity, grinding down on the ugliness buried in the mundanity of modern life and crushing it into the wreckage of metal and post-punk.” [Why Love Now, 4/5] - The Skinny
 
“There’s nothing orthodox about Why Love Now’s sound. But there’s something snidely familiar about its portrayal of modern life. It’s angry, it’s sad and it’s laughably relatable.” [Why Love Now, 8/10] -Crack
 
“Produced by Lydia Lunch, Why Love Now sees Pissed Jeans on superb form.” [Why Love Now, 8/10] -  Uncut
 
“Beneath the nihilism and cynicism and bile, one suspects Pissed Jeans are the last decent men in America” [Why Love Now] -Evening Standard

“There’s a united sense of purpose on Why Love Now, an LP committed to the common cause of rallying against the kind of masculinity that it seems absurd we still need to oppose in 2017” [Why Love Now, 4/5] - DIY
 
“Pissed Jeans have always found the evil, the sad, the depressing, and the funny in the utter banality of life. Matt Korvette doesn’t sing about smashing the system, he sings about the system smashing him and trying to grow old in it, set to droning punk that’s an update on the sludgy sounds of Flipper, Kilslug, and The Jesus Lizard.” -Noisey

“There’s a lot to love about this fifth album.” [Why Love Now] -London In Stereo
 
“Pissed Jeans are as soiled, sordid and scintillating as ever.” [Why Love Now] - The Quietus
 
“Their fourth album, Why Love Now, is a caustic, squirm-inducing assault on machismo that keeps focused throughout.” [Why Love Now] - Northern Transmissions
 
“It’s a characteristically intense and loud record from Pissed Jeans, loaded with both slow-moving sludge-punk exercises and accessible, ass-kicking hardcore raveups.” [Why Love Now]-Treblezine
 
“… a guttural riff-monster about how just about every man walking the face of the earth today is an asshole.” [“The Bar Is Low”] -Stereogum

“Matt Korvette, the skeptical frontman of a terrific, coarsely named post-hardcore band from Allentown, Pa., doesn’t want to hear your compliments. As a dude, he knows he’s being graded on a curve. This, at least, is the premise behind “The Bar Is Low,” the lead single from the band’s fifth album, “Why Love Now.” The track feels partly inspired by a recent series of unmaskings in the public sphere. “It just seems to be quite an easy bet,” Mr. Korvette sputters. “Those we adore just haven’t spilled their secrets yet.” But the excoriation is all-inclusive: By the end, he floats a claim about our rate of evolution as a species. (Spoiler alert: It’s not hopeful.)” [“The Bar Is Low”] - New York Times
 
“The visceral aggression of Pissed Jeans is something we’re always in the mood for. Raw, caustic, and oddly catchy, these guys sound like Jesus Lizard meets Motorhead. We’ve loved this band for a long time–check out their masterpiece Honeys–and the anticipation for their new album is killing us. We have to wait until February 2017 to get our hands on the full album, but song “The Bar is Low” is holding us over in the meantime. Riffy, mean, and pounding, this song is everything we love about Pissed Jeans.” [“The Bar Is Low”] - The Nerdist
 
“A guttural riff-monster about how just about every man walking the face of the earth today is an asshole.”[“The Bar Is Low”] -Stereogum
 
“Overachieving is overrated. Who the fuck wants to go to college, get straight A’s, and come out on the same level as some punk who just smoked weed and skated by? It might be worth it to become the latter, and you can use Pissed Jeans’ new tune, “The Bar Is Low,” as your anthem. On “The Bar Is Low,” the band showcases the killer songwriting abilities they’ve cultivated for over 10 years. Vocalist Matt Korvette is at his peak, his voice gravelly as the late, great Lemmy Kilmister’s when he sings over the popping riffs. It’s a sick song, so don’t feel bad about being a burnout.” [“The Bar Is Low”] -CLRVYNT
 
“The Philly punks are back and onbone-grinding form.” [“The Bar Is Low”]  - DIY
 
“The track makes for a vigorously addictive introduction to the fifth long-player from the Philadelphia collective.” [“The Bar Is Low”] -Gold Flake Paint
 
“… it’s a no-bullshit salvo of the highest order.” [“The Bar Is Low”] -The Observer