Sub Pop is proud to present “John Waters Covers ‘The Singing Dogs’ “Jingle Bells’” b/w “It’s a Punk Rock Christmas,” a new 7” single available ahead of “A John Waters Christmas,” his annual holiday tour. The single will be released worldwide on November 8th through, you guessed it, Sub Pop.
 
The A-side single features a parody version of The Singing Dogs’ “Jingle Bells’,” which takes the Christmas classic on a howling turn that should delight (and possibly dismay) dog owners everywhere. Meanwhile, the B-side, “It’s a Punk Rock Christmas,” is a raunchy spoken word yarn about the lack of the punk rock spirit during the anxiety-provoking season.

The new single was produced by Grammy-winner Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, The Good Ones [Rwanda], poet Raymond Antrobus, Parchman Prison Prayer) who produced all of Waters’ previous three singles. Brennan states, “In producing John’s annual Christmas tour for over twenty years, it seemed almost negligent that he didn’t have a Christmas record. Everyone from U2 to Justin Bieber to William Shatner to Bob Dylan does, and John’s wit couldn’t be a more fitting cheer for the annual holiday music canon.”
 
The Pope of Trash has also announced his annual “A John Waters Christmas” comedy tour, which begins Sunday, December 1st, in Santa Cruz, CA, at Rio Theatre and ends Thursday, December 19th, in Baltimore, MD, at Baltimore SoundStage. Tickets for these shows are on sale now.
 

 
“John Waters Covers ‘The Singing Dogs’ “Jingle Bells’” b/w “It’s a Punk Rock Christmas” is available to preorder on Clear with Red and Green Swirl vinyl from Sub Pop Mega Mart in North America, MM2 in the UK and Europe, and select independent retailers worldwide.       
                          
“John Waters Covers ‘The Singing Dogs’ “Jingle Bells’” b/w “It’s a Punk Rock Christmas” follows the 2022 release of “It’s In the Book” (which features Waters covering a stand-up routine recorded and made famous by midwestern-US comedian/actor/musician Johnny Standley in 1952), and his 2021 single, “Prayer to Pasolini” (his tribute to the legendarily controversial Italian film director Pier Paolo Pasolini). Both singles are also available from Sub Pop.

John Waters
“John Waters Covers ‘The Singing Dogs’ Jingle Bells”’ b/w “It’s a Punk Rock Christmas” 

Tracklisting:
A. “John Waters Covers ‘The Singing Dogs’ Jingle Bells”’
B. “It’s a Punk Rock Christmas”

The Bug Club’s On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System is out now worldwide from Sub Pop. The album, which features feel-good ditties “Quality Pints,” “Lonsdale Slipons,” “A Bit Like James Bond,” and “We Don’t Care About That,” was produced and mixed by Tom Rees at Rat Trap Studios in Cardiff, Wales, and mastered by Mikey Young.

The Bug Club is supporting On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System with previously announced 2024 tour dates, as well as a show (or instore performance, as it happens…) on this very night, Friday, August 30th at Brighton, UK’s Psych Fest. Please see a current list of tour dates below. 

Fri. Aug. 30 - Brighton, UK - Brighton Psych Fest

Sat. Aug 31 - Hull, UK - The Adelphi

Sun. Sep. 01 - Edinburgh, UK - Edinburgh Psych Fest

Mon. Sep. 02 - Riley & Coe Session, BBC Radio 6 Music

Tue. Sep. 03 - Liverpool, UK - Rough Trade (instore)

Wed. Sep. 04 - Nottingham, UK - Rough Trade (instore)

Thu. Sep. 05 - London, UK - Rough Trade East (instore)

Fri. Sep. 06 - Cardiff, UK - Spillers (instore)

Tue. Oct. 15 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby’s All Right

Sat. Oct. 19 - San Diego, CA - Whistle Stop (5 pm show)

Sun. Oct. 20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo

Mon. Oct. 21 -  San Francisco, CA - Kilowatt

Wed. Oct. 23 - Portland, OR - Showbar

Thu. Oct. 24 - Seattle, WA - Black Lodge

Thu. Nov. 07  - Bournemouth, UK - Bear Cave

Fri. Nov. 08 - Margate, UK - Lido

Sat. Nov. 09 - Bedford, UK - Esquires

Wed. Nov. 13 - Newcastle, UK - The Cluny

Thu. Nov. 14 - Hebden Bridge, UK - The Trades Club

Fri. Nov. 15 - Leicester, UK - The SoundHouse

Sat. Nov. 16 - Norwich, UK - Norwich Arts Centre

On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System sees the band serve up a beefy slab of their signature Modern-Lovers-meets-Nuggets garage rock, featuring B-52’s call-and-response fun mixed with AC/DC power chord grunt (read more at Sub Pop).

The Bug Club’s On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System is available on CD/LP/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP orders from the Sub Pop Mega Mart (North America), Mega Mart 2 (UK/EU), independent retailers worldwide, and at the band’s live shows will receive the limited Loser Edition on a mix of Red, Orange and Clear vinyl (US) or an Opaque Orange/Red Marble (UK/EU) (whilst stock lasts!). On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System’s album cover artwork is from UK illustrator and comic book artist Willem Hampson.

What people are saying about The Bug Club:

“On The Intricate Inner Workings Of The System… is lean and mean. Recorded with Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard’s Tom Rees at his Rat Trap studio in Cardiff, its 11 songs crackle with incisive melodies and funny pop culture-addled lyrics – they reference The Great Escape’s Virgil Hilts one minute, and move on to the horror of Lonsdale slip on daps the next – but they’re in and out in under 26 minutes. Zero fat.” NME

“All of the singles from On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System are classic Bug Club–we get Willmett ranting and raving (“Quality Pints”), dryly opining (“Lonsdale Slipons”), and cracking a bit of a smirk (“A Bit Like James Bond”) accompanied by Harris racing to catch up, all over catchy, electric rock and roll music.” - Rosy Overdrive

“The Bug Club’s OTIIWOTS blends otherworldly musicianship while filtering their observations of the world around them through a dry sense of humor. It is easy to get lost in the catchy hooks and jovial vocals of this 11-song outing.” GLIDE

“The full title of scrappy Welsh duo The Bug Club’s first album for Sub Pop is On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System By Means of Popular Music Or the Contemplation Of Pretty Faces, Tinned Bubbles and Strife which, as they note, is ‘long as fuck’ even it it doesn’t quite approach Fiona Apple length. It’s definitely the longest thing about the album which, like previous records, delivers two-minute DIY-punk blasts about mundane subjects (this time topics include beer and ‘the worst shoes in the UK.’).” 64 Albums We’re Anticipating For Summer 2024 - BROOKLYN VEGAN

“Throw back a few (and then a few more) to this great record of Modern Lovers meets Nuggets-garage rock…” [On The Intricate Inner Workings Of The System] Bandcamp

“‘Quality Pints’ is a wild two-minute rager that reminds me of the Buzzcocks and the Vaselines. It’s all about something the band has surely experienced during all that touring: the search for a decent beer in various cities around the world. In addition to the explosive punk-rock energy, the song has a hip-shaking rock ‘n’ roll element, manifested in a rattling tambourine and occasional outbursts of electric-shock lead guitar” STEREOGUM

“The amped-up punk track is a blast of shout-along energy, and vicious guitar solos following the pair’s journey to secure a solid pint of beer… It’s as ridiculous as it is fun, and Harris and Willmett are bringing their particular flavor of absurdity to Sub Pop’s legendary roster. Cheers, indeed.”  [“Quality Pints”]  “Best New Songs” - PASTE

“’Quality Pints’ vigorously extols the anticipatory pleasures of searching for good alcohol, but even a teetotaler like your blogger can get inebriated on its speed-demon rock. This is faster, punkier, and more immediately catchy than anything else in the Bug Club’s discography, with manic guitar solos that’ll make you spit out your lager in admiration. One senses that, if he were alive, another BBC DJ, John Peel, would love the Bug Club as much as he did the Fall. Let’s hope an album’s in the works.” The Stranger 

“‘Lonsdale Slipons’ is a post-punk supernova with an infectious bassline, satisfying dual vocals, and a great climax as Sam Willmett declares: ‘These drugs are tasty as hell! I think I’ll have another!’ Listen below and slip on your Lonsdale slip ons and sway.” STEREOGUM

“This song is a ridiculous amount of fun and blends art rock and fun in a way that they rarely are. Personally, I hear a little more Strokes style guitar than AC/DC, but regardless ‘Lonsdale Slipons’ is going to insert itself into your brain and have you singing along to ‘These drugs are tasty as hell / I think I’ll have another’ for days to come.”  If It’s Too Loud

“‘Lonsdale Slipons’ is a throbbing container of mechanical riffs ready to erupt into chaos. ‘These drugs are tasty as hell!’ Sam Willmett cries out. ‘I think I’ll have another!’ Tilly Harris flicks a bassline that leaps out of the speakers after trading punches with Willmett’s guitar. It’s call-and-response soul music reconfigured into crooked-mouthed English post-punk.” “Best New Songs” - PASTE

The Bug Club

On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System

Tracklisting:

1. War Movies

2. Quality Pints

3. Pop Single

4. Best Looking Strangers in the Cemetery

5. A Bit Like James Bond

6. We Don’t Care About That

7. Lonsdale Slipons

8. Better Than Good

9. Actual Pain

10. Cold. Hard. Love.

11. The Intricate Inner Workings of the System

Today, The Postal Service have shared a brand-new remix of their fan-favourite track “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” by multi-GRAMMY Award nominated electro-pop duo Sylvan Esso.

The track - which is taken from the band’s critically acclaimed album Give Up - comes ahead of their extended 20th anniversary co-headline ‘Give Up Transatlanticism’ tour with Death Cab For Cutie. This extraordinary live run celebrates the 20th anniversaries of each band’s seminal 2003 album, The Postal Service’s RIAA Platinum-certified Give Up and Death Cab for Cutie’s RIAA Platinum-certified breakthrough fourth studio LP Transatlanticism – two classics released within a mere eight months of one another, and created with a total recording budget of just $20k.

Speaking on the remix – which is released via Sub Pop - The Postal Service’s Jimmy Tamborello says, “I love Sylvan Esso and was excited to hear the song through their ears. It came out so good, big and tweaky and fun!”

Speaking on being asked to reimagine the track, Sylvan Esso say, “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight was a formative song for both of us, Nick remembers hearing the promo copy spooling out of his car speakers while he delivered pizza - Amelia remembers hearing it in the back of someone’s van during her freshman lunch hour. Both of us thought the song touched something new then - and to be asked to reinterpret it now is an honour.”

LISTEN TO “THE DISTRICT SLEEPS ALONE TONIGHT (SYLVAN ESSO REMIX)” HERE

This week’s highly anticipated live dates include shows in Glasgow, Cardiff, and Barcelona (tickets available HERE), as well as their co-headline show at London’s All Points East (ft. The Decemberists, Yo La Tengo, Phoenix, The Lemon Twigs, Sleater-Kinney, Teenage Fanclub, Gossip + more) on 25th August, as well as Kalorama in Madrid, Spain, and Meo Kalorama in Lisbon, Portugal. Full dates outlined below. Support at the Glasgow and Cardiff dates comes from Teenage Fanclub and from The Kills in Barcelona.

The extension comes in response to massive demand from fans, following the joint tour’s critically acclaimed and wildly-successful US 2023 dates. That run was entirely sold-out and included back-to-back shows at NYC’s Madison Square Garden, three nights at LA’s Hollywood Bowl, and marquee dates in many other major cities – bringing 250k+ fans together at iconic arenas and amphitheatres across the US.

Benjamin Gibbard, co-founder of both bands, will continue to pull double duty on the 2024 dates, performing Give Up and Transatlanticism in full alongside his respective bandmates. “Few musicians have released two culture-shifting records in the span of a single year,” Pitchfork proclaimed within their glowing review of this fall’s first MSG show, “and even less have done it with two different musical outfits.”

“I know for a fact I will never have a year again like 2003. The Postal Service record came out, Transatlanticism came out. These two records will be on my tombstone, and I’m totally fine with that. I’ve never had a more creatively inspired year.” – Benjamin Gibbard

Ben also recently spoke with The Guardian for a career-spanning piece ahead of the live dates. Take a read HERE.

The Postal Service is comprised of Gibbard, Tamborello, and Jenny Lewis; Death Cab for Cutie is comprised of Gibbard, Nick Harmer, Dave Depper, Zac Rae, and Jason McGerr. All upcoming tour dates are enclosed below.

THE POSTAL SERVICE x DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE | CO-HEADLINE UK / EU TOUR DATES

AUGUST

23 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro*
24 – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena*
25 – London, UK – All Points East Festival
27 – Barcelona, ES – Poble Espanyol^
29 – Madrid, ES – Kalorama Madrid
30 – Lisbon, PT – Meo Kalorama

*with special guest Teenage Fanclub
^with special guest The Kills

Velocity Girl’s UltraCopacetic (Copacetic Remixed and Expanded), the definitive reissue of the beloved indie-rock band’s long out-of-print 1993 debut album.
 
Velocity Girl were one of the leading lights of 1990s indie-pop, fusing the hooks of Britpop with the fuzzy guitars of shoegaze. This updated edition of the album features a new, band-approved mix, plus a full bonus album with singles, outtakes, and the band’s 1993 Peel Session. All of the music has been freshly mastered by Golden Mastering, and the package includes extensive liner notes from the band.
 
Velocity Girl’s UltraCopacetic (Copacetic Remixed and Expanded) is available on CD/2xLP/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP orders are available in North America at the Sub Pop Mega Mart, in the UK and Europe at Mega Mart 2, and at your local record store. The first vinyl pressing is on opaque red vinyl, limited to 2,000 copies worldwide.
 
Velocity Girl’s previously announced shows in support of UltraCopacetic for the fall of 2024 include Friday, October 25th in Los Angeles at The Teragram Ballroom and Saturday, November 23rd in Washington, DC at Black Cat.
 
Velocity Girl formed in 1989 or so at the University of Maryland outside Washington DC, and shortly thereafter settled on the lasting lineup of guitarist Archie Moore (Black Tambourine), guitarist Brian Nelson (Black Tambourine), drummer Jim Spellman (Starry Eyes, Foxhall Stacks, High Back Chairs, Julie Ocean, Piper Club), bassist Kelly Riles (Starry Eyes), and singer Sarah Shannon (Starry Eyes, The Not Its). The band combined English-inspired noisy shoegaze fuzz with scrappy US indie rock and classic ‘60s-style pop songwriting. A killer single on Slumberland and non-stop touring grabbed the attention of the indie-rock cognoscenti of the day, and, following a heated courtship involving both dinner AND dessert, Velocity Girl signed a contract on a car hood in Hoboken, New Jersey, making Sub Pop their home.
 
In 1992, the band began work on their debut album, Copacetic, at Easley Studios - once home base to the Bar-Kays and other classic soul bands - in Memphis with Bob Weston (Volcano Suns, Shellac) at the helm, and then mixed the album with Weston in Chicago. While the album had strong songs - pop tunes like “Audrey’s Eyes,” “Pop Loser,” and “Living Well” alongside ambitious explorations like “Pretty Sister” and “Here Comes” - the band had little experience with production and lacked the skills to “drive the boat” in the studio. As a result, the album turned out to be a rather stripped-down affair, lacking the lushness of their prior recordings. To the band’s ear it was jarring, and they soon realized this wasn’t the record they hoped to make. Bob Weston had done exactly what was asked of him and captured the sounds, but the band didn’t do its part to articulate a clear vision. But the band’s slot in the studio was over, and Polvo had just showed up to work on their album, so off Velocity Girl went to shoot the video for “Audrey’s Eyes.” Copacetic came out in 1993 and people seemed to like it just fine, but within the band there was a sense of disappointment to the point where most members couldn’t stand to hear the record.
 
Between then and now, the band learned a lot about recording, and Archie Moore developed a career in audio work, and the band finally decided to revisit Copacetic. After extensive digging, the 2” tape reels appeared in Jim’s ex-wife’s mother’s house, and in the spring of 2023, Archie began working on a remix.
 
Song by song the new mixes emerged just as the band envisioned them. Soaring vocals from Sarah (who studied opera in college), chiming lead guitar, juicy fuzzed-out rhythm guitars, and clear pounding drums. The pop songs are much poppier. The sonic blasts are more powerful, and the record hangs together as a cohesive document that flows from song to song. The approach was not to make a 2024-sounding record but rather to go back to the 1992 mindset and create the record the band should have made then. The result, UltraCopacetic (Copacetic Remixed and Expanded), is an exciting alternate history of Copacetic.
 
And, while they were at it, the band dug up and refreshed the rest of their studio material from the era: Ultraopacetic includes “Warm/Crawl” from the Velocity Girl/Tsunami split 7”, “Creepy” from the Crazy Town 7”, “Stupid Thing” from the Audrey’s Eyes 7”, and the unreleased album outtake “Even Die.” Topping it all off is the band’s complete five-song 1993 John Peel session, including two tracks that haven’t been heard since the original broadcast. UltraCopacetic is truly the definitive version of Velocity Girl’s first record.

Today, August 19th, Bandcamp Daily made Ultracopacetic its “Album of the Day” and said, “It isn’t your run-of-the-mill re-release with an addendum of cutting-room-floor finds. It’s how this album deserves to sound: copacetic. That goes for all the elements, which juxtapose more richly. The guitars may well be stroked with plectrums made of feathers one minute and attacked with razors the next.”

21. Copacetic (Peel Session version)