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) 

Last week, Sub Pop shared details on behalf of Jon Benjamin: Jazz Daredevil’s bold new effort, The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of The (Unproduced) Film…The Jazz Daredevil and its lead single, “I Want You.”
 
Today, you can now watch ”The Making of The Jazz Daredevil Movie Soundtrack.”  Can The Jazz Daredevil make an entire soundtrack album to a movie that doesn’t yet exist? He tried.
 
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of The (Unproduced) Film…The Jazz Daredevil is out today, August 15th, worldwide from Sub Pop. It features guest appearances from Therese Plaehn-Mirman, Wyatt Cenac, Alexis Kesselman, Larry Murphy, Ana Silvia Daniel, Leo Allen, Brendon Small, Ronnell Johnson, and Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The soundtrack was produced and mixed by Zachary Seman and mastered by Levi Seitz at Blackbelt Mastering.
 
The album is available on LP and all DSPs and can be ordered now from Sub Pop Mega Mart (North America), Bandcamp, and independent retailers in North America. LP orders will receive the Loser Edition on silver vinyl, which is limited to 1,500 copies.
 
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of the (Unproduced) Film… The Jazz Daredevil follows his landmark 2015 debut Well I Should Have… Learned How to Play Piano, which garnered coverage from people like Stephen Colbert and NPR’s “All Things Considered,” blew through two vinyl pressings, and is now a sought-after collectible; and the 2020 follow-up The Soundtrack Collection, arguably the first truly great collection of movie theme songs performed poorly with a Moog synthesizer and expertly by an orchestra at the same time.

Jon Benjamin: Jazz Daredevil
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of The (Unproduced) Film…The Jazz Daredevil 
 
1. They All Say… (The Jazz Daredevil Theme)
2. The Proposition (Dialogue)
3. Apartment Fire (Instrumental)
4. Limo Ride (Dialogue)
5. Limo Ride (Instrumental)
6. Balcony (Dialogue)
7. I Want You
8. Truth or Dare (Dialogue)
9. Sex Scene Song (Instrumental)
10. Do You Want Half a Sandwich? (Dialogue)
11. I Got My Hook in You
12. Meeting Ray (Dialogue)
13. The Man in the Mask (Rich’s Theme)
14. Rita’s Plea (Dialogue)
15. Walk Through the Woods (Instrumental)
16. Don’t Go Through the Woods (Dialogue)
17. Murder Plot (The Caretaker’s Theme)
18. Who’s Rich? (Dialogue)
19. I Shoplift Even Though I’m Rich
20. How Do I Know You’re Telling the Truth (Dialogue)
21. The Twist (Instrumental)
22. Lorraine, No… (Dialogue)
23. They All Say… (Reprise)

On August 15th, 2024, Sub Pop will release Jon Benjamin: Jazz Daredevil’s bold, forthcoming third album, The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of The (Unproduced) Film, The Jazz Daredevil Movie.
 
The Jazz Daredevil sets the scene:
Through ribbons of smoke, Jazz Daredevil walks across the small stage. He takes his place at the piano. Looking out, he clocks his small audience, most of whom talk amongst themselves. “This is my life,” he thinks to himself. It’s not a happy thought. At one table, a woman in sunglasses sits alone. “Is she as lost as I?” He counts in the trio, “one, two, one, two, three…” The Jazz Daredevil plays. He can’t play, though. It’s complicated. It’s the same feeling. That feeling of both freedom and failure. “There’s never nothing to lose” is the thought that crosses his mind, as he mindlessly hits random notes on the baby grand. He glances at the woman alone. ‘Can she change everything?’”
 
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack… includes guest appearances from Therese Plaehn-Mirman, Wyatt Cenac, Alexis Kesselman, Larry Murphy, Ana Silvia Daniel, Leo Allen, Brendon Small, Ronnell Johnson, and Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The soundtrack was produced and mixed by Zachary Seman, and mastered by Levi Seitz at Blackbelt Mastering. Watch today’s first offering, the official video for “I Want You,” which stars Marin Ireland and is directed by Jason Woliner.
 
The album will be available on LP and all DSPs, and can be pre-ordered now from Sub Pop Mega Mart (North America), Bandcamp, and independent retailers in North America. LP preorders will receive the Loser Edition on silver vinyl, which is limited to 1,500 copies.
 
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of the (Unproduced) Film, The Jazz Daredevil Movie follows his landmark 2015 debut Well I Should Have… Learned How to Play Piano, which garnered gushing coverage from people like Stephen Colbert and NPR’s “All Things Considered,” blew through two vinyl pressings, and is now a sought-after collectible; and the 2020 follow-up The Soundtrack Collection, arguably the first truly great collection of movie theme songs performed poorly with a Moog synthesizer and expertly by an orchestra at the same time.

Jon Benjamin: Jazz Daredevil
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of The (Unproduced) Film, The Jazz Daredevil Movie
 
1. They All Say… (The Jazz Daredevil Theme)
2. The Proposition (Dialogue)
3. Apartment Fire (Instrumental)
4. Limo Ride (Dialogue)
5. Limo Ride (Instrumental)
6. Balcony (Dialogue)
7. I Want You
8. Truth or Dare (Dialogue)
9. Sex Scene Song (Instrumental)
10. Do You Want Half a Sandwich? (Dialogue)
11. I Got My Hook in You
12. Meeting Ray (Dialogue)
13. The Man in the Mask (Rich’s Theme)
14. Rita’s Plea (Dialogue)
15. Walk Through the Woods (Instrumental)
16. Don’t Go Through the Woods (Dialogue)
17. Murder Plot (The Caretaker’s Theme)
18. Who’s Rich? (Dialogue)
19. I Shoplift Even Though I’m Rich
20. How Do I Know You’re Telling the Truth (Dialogue)
21. The Twist (Instrumental)
22. Lorraine, No… (Dialogue)
23. They All Say… (Reprise)