[Photo courtesy of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport]

May 1st, 2016 was a major milestone for the well-intentioned, hard-working and lovably bumbling music industry professionals at Sub Pop Records. Somehow we have managed to open and sustain a retail location at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, FOR TWO ENTIRE YEARS!

And, today, aka Monday, May 9th, we’re going to make a party about it.

Hard to believe? Totally! And yet, here we are, ushering the Sub Pop Airport Store into its terrible twos. To mark this momentous (and, somewhat improbable) occasion, we’re low-key celebrating in grand fashion TODAY inside that very store. Herewith a glimpse at what travelers/revelers might find within these 4-ish walls…

• Free Cupcakes!
  
• Free CD Samplers of recent Sub Pop and Hardly Art musical selections!
• Actual DJ’s spinning actual records from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM!
• Delicious and free Cupcakes!
• Limited Ed. Vinyl for sale! (not free, but reasonably-priced)
• The opportunity to take your own photo in our Nirvana photo-op cut-out thingy!
• Oh, the Cupcakes! (free, and also a while-they-last situation)

Plus: from 12:00 noon until about 2:30 PM, the soon-to-be world famous and already-wildly-entertaining Sub Pop Podcast will be on-site, interviewing customers, store and airport employees, and passersby asking such incisive questions as, “What is Sup Pop anyway?” Nothing at all could go wrong with this plan, amiright? Hilarious hi-jinks will almost certainly ensue!

The Sub Pop Airport Store 2nd Anniversary Party and Opportunity to Buy T-shirts, Records, CDs, Tapes, Posters, Travel Items, Etc. at Regular Price takes place on Monday, May 9th. You should totally come.

Born of a peach tree in Georgia, Arbor Labor Union’s Sub Pop debut I Hear You  is now streaming in full via SPIN.

SPIN says of the album, “The quartet combines the droning jams of Luna with the tender tension of Ought (and the squealing yawps of Meat Puppets frontman Curt Kirkwood) on debut album I Hear You, one of the most satisfying full-band records of 2016’s first half. The tracks are long, the six-strings are loud, and the grooves are absolutely transfixing. Though the feeling they produce is old, the songs themselves feel new, just the latest in a proud lineage (see album premiere May 6th-13th).”

Arbor Labor Union’s previously announced U.S. tour in support of I Hear You, begins next Saturday, May 14th in West Columbia, SC at New Brookland Tavern and ends Friday, June 17th in Athens, GA at the 40 Watt. There will be additional live dates announced soon. (Complete tour routing below.)

Here’s what The People are saying about Arbor Labor Union:

“It’s seven-plus minutes of stodgy desert rock delivered with a southern drawl that recalls QOTSA’s more groove-based moments, as well as cult Swede act The Soundtrack Of Our Lives. “Go ahead and say out loud: ‘I AM NOT INSANE!!!’” screams singer/guitarist Bo Orr at one point, sounding both insane and hell-bent on alerting the white coat brigade. It’s a swirling, motorik and wilfully heavy beast.” [“Mr. Birdsong”] - NME

“It’s a chugging, ballsy rock squall… that’ll stomp its way straight into your heart.” [“Radiant Mountain Road”] - NOISEY

“Jammy, slightly sludgy indie rock, owing more than a little to the early ’90s, with the impassioned shoutings of Bo Orr.” [ “Belief’d”] -Brooklyn Vegan

“Arbor Labor Union are deeply in hock to a certain strain of garage rock bordering on heavy metal as performed by the likes of The Stooges or Blue Cheer, spiced with a dash of Fall-like post-punk.” [Review, 7/10] - Uncut

“The Georgia outfit seems to have found a strange middle ground between Queens of The Stone Age and The Hold Steady on their new track, with thick chugging rhythms and talk-sing vocals perfect for drives down dangerous roads with reckless friends.” [“Mr. Birdsong”] - Crave Magazine

“Unsurprisingly, I Hear You‘s first single “Radiant Mountain Road” continues the band’s reputation for a raw, furiously passionate sound and aesthetic that draws from Neil Young and Crazy Horse (think of “Cinnamon Girl“), and Pearl Jam (think of “Last Exit,” “Spin The Black Circle,” off Vitalogy and “Blood” off Vs.) as the song was a towering, noisy squall consisting of layers upon layers of chugging power chords, thundering drumming and rumbling bass chords paired with Orr’s howling and shouting above the fray. “Belief’d,” I Hear You‘s latest single  is a slow-burning, sludgy power chord number with deeply metaphysical leanings and intensely visual poetic lyrics — in my mind’s eye, I can picture a “stacking of faceless heads into a totem pole,” and looking up to the heavens to see “an army of stars,” and feel “blankets of wind,” while Bo Orr howls lyrics that focus on mysticism and higher states of consciousness within the cosmos, and of our place within it.” [“Belief’d” / “Radiant Mountain Road”] - Joy of Violent Movement

“Regimented, slothful or otherwise, Arbor Labor Union have the habit of eeking out a smoky, barbequed riff and sticking to it with minimal variation for four-to-eight minutes while frontman Bo Orr yelps Bukowskian poetry as if his blackened lungs are about to run out of breath for good. There’s a pleasing half-time intermission that sounds like a Goo-era Sonic Youth instrumental and then it’s back to the alternative indie-rock shanties with earthy beats that are virtually irresistible to air-drum along to. “I am destroyed by the joyful noise,” barks Orr, “And when the volume peaks, then I rejoice”. Amen to that. Back of the net.” [Review]  - The Quietus

Tour Dates
May 14 - West Columbia, SC - New Brookland Tavern
May 15 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle Back Room
May 16 - Washington, DC -  DC9
May 18 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie
May 19 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
May 20 - Cambridge, MA - Club Bohemia
May 21 - Buffalo, NY - The Leopard Lounge at Town Ballroom
May 22 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
May 24 - Chicago, IL - Schubas
May 25 - Madison, WI - The Frequency
May 26 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
May 27 - Iowa City, IA - The Mill
May 28 - Omaha, NE - Milk Run
May 29 - Denver, CO - Lost Lake Lounge
May 31 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
Jun. 02 - Nampa, ID - Flying M Coffee
Jun. 03 - Seattle, WA - Barboza
Jun. 04 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
Jun. 06 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
Jun. 07 - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room
Jun. 08 - Los Angeles, CA - Bootleg Hi-Fi
Jun. 10 - San Diego, CA - Hideout
Jun. 11 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar
Jun. 13 - Austin, TX - The Mohawk
Jun. 14 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada
Jun. 15 - Houston, TX - Rudyard’s
Jun. 17 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt

Ticket links are yours for the clicking, right over here.

The Gotobeds (l to r): Gavin Jensen, Carey Belback, Eli Kasan, TFP
[Photo credit: Shawn Brackbill]

This morning, The Gotobeds shared “Brass Not Rash,” which just so happens to be the second track from their forthcoming album Blood // Sugar // Secs // Traffic, via Noisey. 

Noisey had this to say of “Brass Not Rash”: “A catchy post­-punk gem that dips in and out of its own melody when it damn well sees fit. It comes off like a petulant nod to Les Savy Fav: shouty, affirmative and brainy (see track premiere April 27th).”
 
The Gotobeds have scheduled North American shows from April 28th through July 17th to support of Blood // Sugar // Secs // Traffic. These dates will include stops in Detroit, Brooklyn, Toronto, Montreal, DC, Boston, and more. Additional live dates to be announced soon. (Tour dates below.)

The Gotobeds’ Blood // Sugar // Secs // Traffic will be available on CD/LP/DL/CASS worldwide June 10th through Sub Pop, and is available for preorder now at Sub Pop Mega Mart, iTunes, Amazon, Google Play,Bandcamp, and independent retailers near you. LP preorders will receive the limited “Loser” edition on baby poop yellow vinyl.

The 11-track album, featuring “Real Maths/Too Much” and the aforementioned “Brass Not Rash,” was produced by the band and Matt Schor in their friend My War Matt’s basement, and mastered by Matthew Barnhart at Chicago Mastering.

 
More on The Gotobeds by Protomartyr’ Joe Casey:
Hey, what’s this? Well that, my friend, is the newest album from The Gotobeds, entitled Blood // Sugar // Secs // Traffic. It’s their second full-length LP and their first for Sub Pop. Whoa, whoa, please slow down. I’m already completely lost. What you just said sounded like a stream of complete gibberish. Okay, I’ll lay it out for you and if you have any questions could you yell them at me? SOUNDS GOOD. The Gotobeds formed vaguely around 2009 in Pittsburgh and play a mutant strain of rock music that is often filed under punk, indie rock, or 99-cent discount bin. WAIT, THE GOTOBEDS? I HEARD THEY WERE KNUCKLEHEADS! Only if the knuckle is the part of the human body that contains the brains. Much like their previous releases on underground stalwart labels like Mind Cure and 12XU, this new album artfully slips intelligence and experimentation into a dying art form. It’s a harder feat than you’d think. [read at Sub Pop].

 
Tour Dates
Apr. 28 - Columbus, OH - Big Room Bar
Apr. 29 - Detroit, MI - Donovan’s Pub
Jun. 11 - Brooklyn, NY - Northside Festival
Jun.18 - Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox
Jul. 06 - Bloomington, IN - the Bishop Bar
Jul. 08 - Madison, WI - the Frequency
Jul. 11 - Toronto, ON - Drake Hotel
Jul. 12 -  Montreal, QC - Le Divan Orange
Jul. 13 - Allston, MA - Great Scott
Jul. 14 - Portsmouth, NH - 3s Artspace
Jul. 15 - Providence, RI - Aurora
Jul. 17 - Washington, DC - DC9

For ticket links, click on over here.

Time for you to not miss hearing all 12 songs from Kyle Craft’s Dolls of Highland; Kyle’s forthcoming Sub Pop debut is streaming now (5 days before release!) exclusively via SPIN.com.
 
SPIN says of Dolls of Highland: “Kyle Craft is a 27-year-old singer/songwriter from Louisiana, who in his past life was either a glam-rock idol or frontman for a power-metal band. His sound is a swampy ’70s boogie that splits the difference between Dr. John and David Bowie…but his voice is a captivating, armor-piercing howl that gives his first album Dolls of Highland its own character, and keeps it from ever feeling explicitly retro. The engrossing LP, recorded in Portland with two members of Sub Pop veterans Helio Sequence helping to mix, has more of an out-of-time quality to it, with the moseying piano shuffle of “Eye of the Hurricane” and the chilling Spectorian balladry of “Lady of the Ark” existing as standards in some alternate-universe classic-rock canon (see feature April 25th).”
 
Meanwhile, Pitchfork, in its excellent (8.1 out of 10!) review of Dolls of Highland, offered this: “…Melds the voodoo-infused mythology of the South with rambunctious glam rock, and Kyle Craft summons you into its world like a carnival barker wooing customers into a funhouse…vivid, immersive storytelling and sharply focused, fat-free songs that have the lived-in feel of 40-year-old FM-radio favorites. And he can dial down the irreverence and deliver the drama on more sobering turns like “Trinidad Beach (Before I Ride)” (where Craft forges a spiritual kinship with another southern Anglophilic misfit, the late Chris Bell of Big Star), and the astounding “Lady of the Ark,” a strummed-out song for a silenced siren that’s launched heavenward atop Spectorized drum crashes and sleigh-bell rattles (8.1/10, review April 25th).”

 
Kyle Craft’s previously announced U.S. tour schedule in support of Dolls of Highland spans April 28th in Seattle, WA at the Sunset through May 30th in Salt Lake City, UT at Kilby Court. There will be additional live dates announced soon. (Current dates below.)

Kyle Craft will release Dolls of Highland on CD / LP / DL / CASS worldwide April 29th through Sub Pop, and is now available for preorder from Sub Pop Mega Mart,iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and Bandcamp. The limited “Loser” edition on pink with black-swirled vinyl is already sold out via the Megamart, SO… grab it from the artist at shows on tour AND at independent retailers near you (while supplies last).

The twelve track album features the singles “Lady of the Ark,” “Eye of a Hurricane,” “Pentecost,” and “Future Midcity Massacre.”  Dolls of Highland was written, recorded and produced by Craft, mixed by Brandon Summers and Benjamin Weikel of The Helio Sequence at the Old Jantzen Building in Portland, and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound.
 

 
What people have said about Kyle Craft:
“A swamp bar jukebox loaded with British glitter and Seventies Southern rock; a crawfish boil aboard ELO’s spacecraft.” [10 New Artists You Need To Know] - Rolling Stone
 
“Craft admits his voice sounds a good deal like Bob Dylan’s, and that his muse has come to him many, many times. Still, “Lady of the Ark” hints that Craft’s music is so full of its own weird singularity that he’s on to something far beyond idol worship.” -  Billboard
 
“Louisiana’s answer to Jobriath; a big hair and a voice shrill enough to pose a threat to amalgam fillings, Craft’s nostalgia for junk shop glam and ‘70s pianopomp reaches teenage peak rampage here.” [“Eye of a Hurricane”] - MOJO
 
““Eye of a Hurricane” starts Dolls.. with a sudden jolt of energy, courtesy of the song’s ragtime piano lick. The keys continue to drive the track, as the distorted guitar works to add a sense of eeriness to the song. All the while, Craft displays the full prowess of his vocal range, hitting high notes that hark back to glam rock vocals of the ’70s.” [“Eye of a Hurricane”] - American Songwriter 
 
““Pentecost” sees Kyle Craft…return to his hometown in Louisiana, haunted by the ghost of a friend who took his own life. Paired with his knack for great melodies, it demonstrates Craft’s emotional power as a songwriter.” [“Pentecost” / “All Songs Considered”] -NPR Music
 
“With inviting, yet imperfect vocals and a jangly guitar melody, “Lady of the Ark” is a sweeping goodbye to a long-term relationship. It’s somehow warm, melodic, and rough at the same time.” [The Weeks Best Tracks”] - FLOOD
 
“Like many artists from the South, Craft has a conflicted relationship with the region’s cultural duality, a topic he tackles on “Lady Of The Ark.” Shrouded in guitars and organ, he caustically wails, “Swing low, low sweet heathen / Swing for the wretch and the rock and roll kid,” a line he says he wrote in response to the “shame, shame thing that ‘church folk’ tend to do so often,” and which doesn’t sit well with Craft. “Roam this earth repeat it / All this sin until this wicked world makes sense in time,” he defiantlygrowls near the song’s end. Craft’s roaming days may be done for now, but “Lady Of The Ark” shows his music as wild-eyed and restless” - [“Lady of the Ark” / “Songs We Love”] -  NPR Music
 
“It’s thrilling. It’s the sort of music that can only come from a somewhat unique musical outlook, a track that instantly sounds like nobody other than Kyle Craft. The huge sound of pounding drums, the almost mariachi handclaps, the frankly bizarre fairground-organ interlude, the lyrics than hint at a complex incestuous web of lives and lies, and all that before you even get to the voice…he has said that listening to Bob Dylan inspired him to embrace his voice and make the most of it. Kyle has suggested he shares atone with Bob, but to our ears it’s more like the love child of Withered Hand and Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum, and that’s a very good, if slightly divisive, place to be.” - For The Rabbits
 
“Hard to believe given the innate sense of pop heritage that blossoms from every ounce of his fruitful, endearingly scorched lead vocal but it wasn’t until Craft stumbled upon a David Bowie that he began to take an interest in music. Lucky for us that he did – debut track ‘Lady Of The Ark’ is astormy, rugged gem, led by one of the most distinctly impressive new voices in the game. A mighty fine introduction.” - Gold Flake Paint


Tour Dates
Apr. 28 - Seattle, WA -  The Sunset
Apr. 29 - Portland, OR - Jackpot Records in store (Solo)
Apr. 29 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir (late)
Apr. 30 - Seattle, WA - Urban Outfitters Capitol Hill
May 05 - Portland, OR - NextNW (Solo)
May 19 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent*
May 20 - Los Angeles, CA - Roxy*
May 21 -San Diego, CA - Casbah*
May 22 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar*
May 24 - Austin, TX - Parish*
May 25 - Dallas, TX - Three Links*
May 26 - Shreveport, LA - Bears on Fairfield
May 29 - Denver, CO - Lost Lake Lounge**
May 30 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
*w/ Fruit Bats
** w/ Arbor Labor Union