Sub Pop, feeling even more self-congratulatory than usual, is pleased to announce the opening of itsMega Mart 2, the brand new, first-ever, almost entirely functional and fully computerised sibling site to the world famous Sub Pop Mega Mart, catering specially to fans and customers who live outside of North America. Warehoused in the UK and stocking an array of Sub Pop goods (vinyl, CDs, and T-shirts), fans on this side of the pond who have long been suffering from outrageous (though totally real) shipping charges can finally rejoice!
As if opening Mega Mart 2 wasn’t enough incredible news, Sub Pop is also announcing a 20th Anniversary remastered reissue of The Shins’ classic 2003album Chutes Too Narrow, featuring new, custom die cut artwork. Chutes Too Narrow, the band’s heavily anticipated follow-up to their debut, Oh, Inverted World, was recorded in James Mercer’s basement home studio, with later mixing assistance from Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, David Cross, Les Savy Fav, etc.). And, with 10 songs, clocking in at just over 30 minutes, the record is a brief yet entirely scintillating glimpse at chiming, reflective and perfectly skewed pop innovation. This new, anniversary reissue will be available on limited edition coloured LP (Transparent Sun Yellow), Black LP, CD and DSPs on Oct 20th and is available for pre-order now: https://europe.subpop.com/
Chutes Too Narrow was released to widespread acclaim in 2003, garnering Pitchfork’s Best New Music, four stars from Rolling Stone, and raves from The New York Times, MOJO, The Village Voice, SPIN, and tons more. It subsequently made best-of-the-decade lists from The AV Club, NME, Paste, Pitchfork and Uncut.
Mercer says of Chutes Too Narrow, “I was very aware at the time that I had struck gold with the first record, and it was unlikely to happen again. ‘Sophomore slump’ and all that. The pressure to prove myself as a viable writer had never been so pronounced. Midway through the mixing process, I realized one of the songs would not work, so I stayed up after everyone went to bed and wrote ‘Young Pilgrims.’ And with Ek’s help, it worked! Such a stressful but beautiful experience!”
In other reissue news, on October 6th Sub Pop will be releasing Mudhoney’s seminal Superfuzz Bigmuff vinyl EP AND their ’Touch Me I’m Sick’ 7” on limited edition new colour variants (Mustard Yellow for Superfuzz Bigmuff and Neon Orange for ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’) . Both are available to pre-order now from, yes you guessed it, Mega Mart 2: https://europe.subpop.com/
Head over to Mega Mart 2 now to find not only these but all manner of Sub Pop releases old and new, including the “first ever time on vinyl in its original form” reissue of The Vaselines’The Way Of The Vaselines (due Sept 8th), CHAI’s dazzling s/t fourth album (Sept 22nd), a first-time vinyl pressing of The Postal Service’s Everything Will Change live album (Sept 8th) and Deeper’s Sub Pop bow, and third album proper, Careful! (Sept 8th).
More about Sub Pop, by Sub Pop:
Founded in 1988, Sub Pop Records is a medium-sized independent record label based in Seattle, WA. With early releases by Nirvana, Mudhoney, Soundgarden and TAD, the label is often associated with something called “the grunge movement.” Exploitation of this association has frequently proven financially fruitful. Later years saw album releases from such moderately-to-somewhat-well-known artists as: Sunny Day Real Estate, The Murder City Devils, The Shins, Iron and Wine, The Postal Service, Band of Horses, Flight of the Conchords, Fleet Foxes, Sleater-Kinney, Beach House, Washed Out, Shabazz Palaces, The Head and the Heart, Weyes Blood, Clipping, Suki Waterhouse and Father John Misty, among many other very talented and deserving artists whose managers will be contacting us shortly about inclusion in the preceding list.
At Sub Pop Records, it is our intent to market and sell the recorded music (and related merchandise) of artists whose music some shifting definition of “we” really and truly love. We mean to represent these artists as faithfully and diligently as possible and hold out hope that this is enough for us to remain solvent in the face of the well-documented collapse of the music industry at large. We also enjoy laughter, good times and the company of friends.
Mega Mart 2 Possibly Asked Questions:
Q: What is the Sub Pop Mega Mart 2? A: It’s Sub Pop’s new online store, shipping from a warehouse based in the UK.
Q: Will this be less expensive for me? A: Maybe! Depends on where you live. But, why not check?
Q: Will there be different products available at MM2 vs MM? A: Sometimes, yes!
Q: Where should I shop, MM or MM2? A: Whichever you prefer!
Q: Wait… What is “MM” and “MM2”? A: “MM” is an abbreviation for “Mega Mart,” and “MM2” is an abbreviation for “Mega Mart 2,” both of which are web stores operated by Sub Pop Records.
Q: Don’t you have an actual MM2 FAQ? A: We do! Mega Mart 2 FAQ
Q: What if I have read these dumb “Possibly Asked Questions,” and also the actual MM2 FAQ and I still have questions? A: Try here: https://support.ochre.store/hc/en-us
On October 20th, 2023, Sub Pop will release a 20th Anniversary edition of The Shins’ beloved second album, Chutes Too Narrow.
Remastered by Adam Ayan, under the watchful eye of the band’s prime mover/singer-songwriter James Mercer, this special release features a lovely new, custom die-cut cover for the CD and vinyl formats of the album.
Chutes Too Narrow, the heavily anticipated follow-up to The Shins’ beloved debut, Oh, Inverted World, was recorded in James Mercer’s basement home studio, with later mixing at Seattle’s Avast! Recording Co. with assistance from Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, David Cross, Les Savy Fav, etc.). With ten songs clocking in at just over 30 minutes, the record is a brief yet scintillating glimpse at chiming, reflective, and perfectly skewed pop innovation.
Chutes Too Narrow was released to widespread acclaim in 2003, garnering Pitchfork’s “Best New Music,” four stars from RollingStone, and raves from the New York Times, MOJO, the Village Voice, and SPIN. It subsequently made best-of-the-decade lists from The AV Club, NME, Paste, Pitchfork, and Uncut.
The 20th Anniversary remastered reissue of Chutes Too Narrow can now be pre-ordered worldwide from Sub Pop and The Shins merch store. LP pre-orders in North America at the Sub Pop Mega Mart will receive the limited “Loser Edition” on transparent orange vinyl. In the UK and Europe, pre-orders from Mega Mart 2 (the brand new and first-ever sibling site to the Sub Pop Mega Mart!) will receive the Loser Edition on transparent sun yellow vinyl (both Loser Editions are available while supplies last).
Mercer says of Chutes Too Narrow, “I was very aware at the time that I had struck gold with the first record, and it was unlikely to happen again. “Sophomore slump” and all that. The pressure to prove myself as a viable writer had never been so pronounced. Midway through the mixing process, I realized one of the songs would not work, so I stayed up after everyone went to bed and wrote ‘Young Pilgrims.’ And with Ek’s help, it worked! Such a stressful but beautiful experience!”
The Shins Chutes Too Narrow (20th Anniversary Remaster) 1. Kissing the Lipless 2. Mine’s Not a High Horse 3. So Says I 4. Young Pilgrims 5. Saint Simon 6. Fighting in a Sack 7. Pink Bullets 8. Turn a Square 9. Gone for Good 10. Those to Come
Today, Wednesday, August 16th, marks the release of new Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 8 contributions from Thrash Palace, Gaye Su Akyol, and a collaborative project from Clipping’s Jonathan Snipes and singer Jessica Winter – each available now on all DSPs and as limited-edition vinyl 7” singles.
Thrash Palace is the new supergroup composed of Erika M. Anderson, Vice Cooler, and Sarah Register. In 2022, guitarist Register (Talk Normal, Kim Gordon, and UK-based trio Better Corners), LA-based producer Cooler (XBXRX, Kim Gordon, Peaches, Louisahhh, AH-MER-AH-SU), and Anderson (aka EMA, also of Gowns, Amps for Christ) pulled off a 48-hour recording session at Cooler’s studio, thus birthing Thrash Palace.
Two songs from the session form Thrash Palace’s debut single. On the anthemic “Go,” Anderson’s growling voice rides alongside Register’s barnstorming guitar and Cooler’s stadium-ready drums, pounding out an urgent heartbeat. The contemplative B-side “Teenage Spaceship” highlights the interwoven vocals of Anderson and Register. The two songs offer a tantalizing taste of what’s to come from the trio.
Gaye Su Akyol is a singer, painter, and anthropologist from Istanbul, Turkey. Her two new, self-produced tracks for the Singles Club fuse hard rock, surf, and electronic music to push at the boundaries of rock and Anatolian psychedelic music (see New York Times Dec. 2019 feature).
Their single leads with a cover of “Love Buzz,” originally by the Dutch psych band Shocking Blue, and famously covered by Nirvana on their 1988 debut single. It is a fitting tribute to the huge impact Nirvana had on Akyol in at a young age. The B-side, “‘Böyle Olur Mu,” breathes new life into the song with hard-to-forget electro baglama, thick bass riffs, heroic guitars, and dark beats. Akyol has a series of US dates in September that includes stops in Philly, DC, Boston, NYC, SF, and Seattle.
Jessica Winter is a musician and producer from the UK. She has produced Mercury Prize winners The Big Moon, and remixed Metronomy, among others. She’s an electronic pop artist but has toured with the likes of Death Grips. Jonathan Snipes is an LA-based composer and sound designer for film and theater, occasional sound-design teacher at UCLA, and member of the rap group clipping.
The pair’s Singles Club Vol. 8 release, “All I Need” b/w “Finish Line,” resulted from a collaborative session, about which Winter says: “We made these songs in Jonathan’s studio on a short stay in Los Angeles. His studio is wall-to-wall modular synth and analog drum machines. I’d come straight from a party in downtown where most people were on crystal meth, and so I was inspired by this new culture I’d stumbled upon. Thinking about the basic needs of life and what things reduce to, ultimately.”
Subscribe to the Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 8 now to get twelve super-limited 7” vinyl records featuring exclusive music by today’s finest musicians! It’s limited to a mere 835 subscriptions, because it’s volume 8, and 2023 is Sub Pop’s 35th birthday! You’ll get 7”s by Thrash Palace, Gaye Su Akyol, Jessica Winter & Jonathan Snipes, along with Margarita Podridas, Brontez Purnell, Vanishing Twin, Suki Waterhouse, and more. And, to top it all off, you’ll get a lavish storage box, with art by @oldsweaty, to keep the records together.
You will get two singles in the mail roughly every other month though February 2024. Computer users: fear not! You will also get digital downloads of the tracks through your Sub Pop Mega Mart account. Hear music from the series via the Singles Club playlist, and subscribe here.
Weyes Blood is sharing a new video for “Hearts Aglow” from her acclaimed album And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, out now on Sub Pop.
The “Hearts Aglow” video was directed by tour photographer Neelam Khan Vela and is a visual collage of Weyes Blood’s headlining dates in Europe and North America.
Weyes Blood’s “In Holy Flux Tour” in support of And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow resumes on August 14th supporting The Strokes at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater, with a run of headline dates as well as opening shows with Beck & Phoenix, (August 18th-22nd; September 2nd-10th).
Weyes Blood will also play a special hometown headlining show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles with Perfume Genius on October 4th.
On Saturday, October 28th, she’ll begin the “In Holy Flux Tour: The Resurrection,” a run of UK and European shows that will begin in Lisbon, PT at LAV Lisboa ao Vivo and run through Tuesday, November 14th in Nottingham, UK at Rock City.
Weyes Blood will be supported on the “In Holy Flux Tour” headlining dates in the US by Nick Hakim (August 3rd-September 1st and September 12th-14th), Sarah Kinsley (August 15th-16th), and Sub Pop labelmate Lael Neale (September 27th-29th).
In the UK and Europe, Weyes Blood will see support from Vagabon (October 31st-November 15th), Núria Graham (October 28th-30th), and Ichiko Aoba (November 8th and 13th). Please find a current list of tour dates below.
August/October 2023: North America Beck & Phoenix Support Dates “In Holy Flux Tour: Unleashed” US Headline Shows Aug. 14 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheater # Aug. 15 - Aspen, CO - Belly Up @ Aug. 16 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theatre @ Fri. Aug. 18 - Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP * Sun. Aug. 20 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion * Mon. Aug. 21 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion * Tue. Aug. 22 - Austin, TX - Moody Center * Wed. Aug. 23 - New Orleans, LA - The Joy Theater ^ Fri. Aug. 25 - Kansas City, MO - The Truman ^ Sat. Aug. 26 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant ^ Sun. Aug. 27 - Louisville, KY - Old Forester’s Paristown Hall ^ Tue. Aug. 29 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue ^ Wed. Aug. 30 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall ^ Fri. Sep. 01 - Pittsburgh, PA - Roxian Theatre ^ Sat. Sep. 02 - Detroit, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre * Sun. Sep. 03 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage * Tue. Sep. 05 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway * Fri. Sep. 08 - Philadelphia, PA - TD Pavilion at the Mann * Sat. Sep. 09 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden * Sun. Sep. 10 - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion * Tue. Sep. 12 - Richmond, VA - The National ^ Wed. Sep. 13 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore Charlotte ^ Thu. Sep. 14 - Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre ^ Sat. Sep. 16 - Cincinnati, OH - Homecoming Fest Wed. Sep. 27 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield ! Thu. Sep. 28 - Eugene, OR - McDonald Theatre ! Fri. Sep. 29 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre ! Wed. Oct. 04 - Los Angeles, CA - The Greek %
October/November 2023: UK/Europe “In Holy Flux Tour: The Resurrection” Sat. Oct. 28 - Lisbon, PT - LAV Lisboa ao Vivo + Sun. Oct. 29 - Porto, PT - Hard Club + Mon. Oct. 30 - Madrid, ES - Sala la Paqui + Tue. Oct. 31 - Barcelona, ES - Sala Apolo $ Thu. Nov. 02 - Lyon, FR - Le Transbordeur $ Fri. Nov. 03 - Milano, IT - Alcatraz $ Sat, Nov. 04 - Lausanne, CH - Les Docks $ Mon. Nov. 06 - Berlin, DE - Astra Kulturhaus $ Tue. Nov. 07 - Utrecht, NL - Tivoli Vredenburg $ Wed. Nov. 08 - Paris, FR - Pitchfork Music Festival (Salle Pleyel) $ = Thu. Nov. 09 - Antwerp, BE - De Roma $ Sat. Nov. 11 - Glasgow, UK - Old Fruitmarket $ Sun. Nov. 12 - Leeds, UK - O2 Academy Leeds $ Mon. Nov. 13 - London, UK - Pitchfork Music Festival (Eventim Apollo) $ = Tue. Nov. 14 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City $
* w/ Beck + Phoenix # w/ The Strokes $ w/ Vagabon % w/ Perfume Genius ^ w/ Nick Hakim ! w/ Lael Neale @ w/ Sarah Kinsley + w/ Núria Graham = w/ Ichiko Aoba
For up-to-date information on tour dates and tickets, please visit WeyesBlood.com/tour.
Weyes Blood has capitaved audiences with the “In Holy Flux Tour” stops in support for …Hearts Aglow.
MOJO says of her recent Glastonbury set, “Her cosmic Carpenters soundworld, a floating white robe and some typically strangeifying visuals by Adam Curtis for ‘God Turn Me Into A Flower’ make this an early peak of the day.” The Times of London offered this, “A poised mix of chamber pop, psychedelic folk, and hypnotic cabaret…. Summer bride meets sorceress.” Watch her Glastonbury performance of “Andromeda” filmed for BBC Music now.
Her Pitchfork Music Festival set also saw praise from the likes of The Alternative, who say, “The real star of Saturday (and perhaps the whole weekend) was Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering, angelic and aglow in all-white, lit up like she’d been sent from the heavens to rock the absolute life out of us.”
Weyes Blood also recently delivered a stunning performance of “God Turn Me Into A Flower” on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert and featured footage from documentarian Curtis.
Weyes Blood’s And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow is available on CD/LP/CS/DSPs from Sub Pop.
What people are saying about Weyes Blood’s And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow:
“Stunning…” NEW YORK TIMES
“A masterpiece.” ★★★★★ -SUNDAY TIMES CULTURE
“One of the year’s most breathtaking records.” ★★★★★ - NME
“And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is intricately put together, with Mering mirroring the sentiments of in head-bending arrangements.” ★★★★ - ROLLING STONE
“One fantastic tune after another.” “Album of the Week” ★★★★ - THE GUARDIAN
“…Through stark truths and dreamy poetry, brushes against big ideas about our broken world and quiet apocalypses of her own: it’s an ecosystem of intimacy, in its power to redeem and to destroy.” NPR MUSIC
“Utterly contemporary and original.” 9/10 -LOUD & QUIET
“…A record of remarkable consideration. Magnificently composed. Feeling like a timeless classic.” 9/10 - THE LINE OF BEST FIT
“...Her grandest, most elegant work to date.” 9/10 - UNDER THE RADAR
“An idiosyncratic set of love songs and secular hymns with lushly orchestral arrangements.” 8.4/10, “Best New Music” - PITCHFORK
On Friday, September 8, Deeper will release Careful!, its new full-length album worldwide on CD/LP/CS/DSPs through Sub Pop. Careful! was recorded at Palisade Studios in Chicago with help from producer/engineer Dave Vettraino (Makaya McCraven, Lala Lala), and this thirteen-track collection of new songs finds the band reshaping facades, splashing color, and sonically testing their limits.
Following the previously released singles “Sub,” “Build a Bridge,” and “Tele” comes the official video for the new single “Fame.”
Deeper say about the single and video: “‘Fame’ is a sentimental favorite of ours – to us, it’s the sound of ‘Careful!’. It embodies the conversations in your mind after feeling you made a mistake and the thoughts linger in your head afterwards. The lyricism is built on repeated mantras and the instrumentation builds the tension. This is the first song from the record that embodies a more experimental side we’re excited to showcase.”
The band recently performed at this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival on July 22nd in Chicago, which the Chicago Sun Times described as a “ …unforgettable triumph…joyous, jagged, infectious and definitely musically memorable.” Deeper has expanded its headline world tour to include a hometown show on Oct. 26th at Thalia Hall in Chicago. North American dates are from September 21st to October 26th, and European and UK shows are from October 31-November 14th.
Thu. Sep. 21 - Indianapolis, IN - Healer # Fri. Sep. 22 - Detroit, MI - El Club # Sat. Sep. 23 - Toronto, ON - Baby G # Sun. Sep. 24 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz # Mon. Sep. 25 - Somerville, MA - Crystal Ballroom # Wed. Sep. 27 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Made # Thu. Sep. 28 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s # Fri. Sep. 29 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar # Sat. Sep. 30 - Durham, NC - The Pinhook # Mon. Oct. 02 - Nashville, TN - Third Man Records # Tue. Oct. 03 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl # Wed. Oct. 04 - New Orleans, LA - Santos # Thu. Oct. 05 - Houston, TX - Black Magic # Fri. Oct. 06 - Austin, TX - Mohawk (inside) $ Sat. Oct. 07 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger $ Tue. Oct. 10 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar $ Wed. Oct. 11 - San Diego, CA - Casbah $ Fri. Oct. 13 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room $ Sat. Oct. 14 - Santa Cruz, CA - Catalyst Atrium $ Sun. Oct. 15 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent $ Tue. Oct. 17 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios $ Wed. Oct. 18 - Seattle, WA - Madame Lou’s $ Sat. Oct. 21 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge ^ Sun. Oct. 22 - Denver, CO - Skylark ^ Thu. Oct. 26 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall Tue. Oct. 31 - Berlin, DE - Urban Spree Wed. Nov. 01 - Copenhagen, DK - Vega Ideal Bar Thu. Nov. 02 - Hamburg, DE - Molotow Fri, Nov. 03 - Brussels, BE - Botanique Sat. Nov. 04. Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Sun. Nov. 05 - Paris, FR - La Boule Noire Tue. Nov. 07 - Leeds, UK - Headrow House Wed. Nov. 08 - Glasgow, UK - Broadcast Thu. Nov. 09 - Manchester, UK - Yes Fri. Nov. 10 - Bristol, UK - Dareshack Sat. Nov. 11 - London, UK- Pitchfork Music Festival Sun. Nov. 12 - Kortrijk, BE - Sonic City Festival Tue. Nov. 14 - Cologne, DE - Bumann & Sohn
# w/ Godcaster $ w/ Mia Joy ^ w/ Worlds Worst
What people have been saying about Deeper: ” ’Sub’ finds Deeper settling into its most polished sound yet, one that’s finally ready for the indie-rock big leagues. But even when the grit that defined its earlier work is toned down a bit, Deeper’s music can’t be stripped of an angsty zeal.” [“Sub”] NPR
“accurately recalls that stubborn, left-field streak Chicago artists so readily call their own.” - [“Sub”] CLASH
“With a steadfast rhythm guitar swarmed by Television-esque riffs, “Build a Bridge” is a majestic, dark and massive rock song.” - [“Build a Bridge”]PASTE
“Pop melodies drive “Build a Bridge,” but they’re undercut with Deeper’s classic pointed, jittery guitars that make the track at once catchy and a little unnerving.” - [“Build a Bridge”]CONSEQUENCE
