Last month, Sub Pop and Memorials of Distinction shared details on behalf of Naima Bock’s Below a Massive Dark Land, her forthcoming new album. Today, she’s sharing the official video for the wistful new single “Gentle.”
 
Naima says of the song and video, “I’ve lived with this song for a couple of years. It’s a kind of copy and paste of different sections of my life, each verse is a different version of myself or situation I was in. None of them link in reality, but they fit together in this song, which leaves me with a sense of union and satisfaction. I would like to allow for the listener to take the lyrics in whatever way is relevant to them. I can say it’s my favourite song to play and one of my favourite songs that I’ve written. It means a lot to me.”
 
Directors Ellie Wintour and Sophie Lincoln offer this, “Our jumping off point for the video began with the lyrics ‘You want me to be gentle, fragile, you want me to stay young. I pray that I stay gentle, fragile, I pray that I stay.’ We developed Naima a character playing on femininity as facade, but also her sense of easygoing style. In using two-dimensional substitutes for three-dimensional objects – mixing worlds of the real and make-believe – we tried to play on the song’s themes of expectation, assigned roles, and conformity.”
 
Naima will release Below a Massive Dark Land on September 27th, 2024, worldwide through Sub Pop and Memorials of Distinction. Below… is the follow-up to Giant Palm, one of 2022’s most critically acclaimed debuts.
 
Naima’s previously announced international tour dates for the summer and autumn of 2024 to support Below a Massive Dark Land begin Thursday, August 15th in St. Malo, France at La Route Du Rock and end Friday, December 13th in Paris at La Boule Noire. Along the way, Naima will perform solo (August 22nd-24th, September 8th-15th), as a duo with Oliver Hamilton (August 14th and November 6th), and with a four-piece band (November 7th-December 13th). Please find the dates below.
 
Thu. Aug. 15 - St. Malo, FR - La Route Du Rock +
Thu. Aug. 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Barnsdall Gallery Theatre ^
Fri. Aug. 23 - Los Angeles, CA - TBA
Sat. Aug. 24 - Ojai, CA - Greater Goods
Sep. 05 - Arcata, CA - The Miniplex
Mon. Sep. 09 - Portland, OR - Music Millennium (instore)
Fri. Sep. 13 - Walla Walla, WA - Billsville West
Sun. Sep. 15 - Seattle, WA - The Rabbit Box
Mon. Oct. 21 - Boston, MA - Warehouse X1
Wed. Oct 23 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
Side Chapel
Fri. Oct. 25 - Brooklyn, NY - Union Pool
Sat. Oct. 26 - Washington, DC - Rhizome
Wed. Nov. 06 - London, UK - St. Pancras Old Church +
Thu. Nov. 07 - Bristol, UK - Jam Jar *
Fri. Nov. 08 - Liverpool, UK - Leaf *
Sat. Nov. 09 - Newcastle, UK - Cumberland Arms *
Sun. Nov. 10 - Glasgow, UK - McChuills *
Tue. Nov. 12 - Leeds, UK - Hyde Park Book Club *
Wed. Nov. 13 - Manchester, UK - Deaf Institute *
Thu. Nov. 14 - Cambridge, UK - Storey’s Field Centre *
Sat. Nov. 16 - Falmouth, UK - The Cornish Bank *
Sun. Nov. 17 - Frome, UK  - The Tree House *
Mon. Nov. 18 - Exeter, UK - Cavern Club *
Wed. Nov. 20 - Ipswich, UK - St Stephens Church *
Thu. Nov. 21 - London, UK - The Ivy House *
Tue. Dec. 03 - Lille, FR - L ‘Aéronef *
Wed. Dec. 04 - Brugge, BE - Cactus Café *
Fri. Dec. 06 - Haldern, DE - Pop Bar *
Sat. Dec. 07 - Hamburg, DE - Nachstasyl *
Sun. Dec. 08 - Berlin, DE - Neu Zunkunft *
Tue. Dec. 10 - Cologne, DE - Subway *
Wed. Dec. 11 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso *
Thu. Dec. 12 - Brussels, BE -  Botanique *
Fri. Dec. 13 - Paris, FR - La Boule Noire *
 
^ Supporting Angelo De Augustine
* Full band show
+ Duo with Oliver Hamilton
 
Below a Massive Dark Land was predominantly produced by Jack Ogborne (Bingo Fury) and Joe Jones, and recorded at The Crypt in north London, with additional production and arrangement by Oliver Hamilton (caroline, Shovel Dance Collective) and Naima herself. Six of the tracks on Below… were mixed by Jason Agel, with the remainder done by Ogborne and Jones. The album was mastered by Kevin Tuffy.
 
Below a Massive Dark Land will be available on CD/LP/DSPs and is available now for preorder from Sub Pop/Memorials of Distinction. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com (North America), Mega Mart 2 (UK/EU), and independent retailers worldwide will receive the limited Loser edition vinyl on Blue Jay (US) and the eco-friendly Yellow Bio (UK/EU) (All whilst stock lasts!). Naima also created the art for the Below… album cover.

Naima Bock
Below A Massive Dark Land
 
Tracklisting:
1. Gentle
2. Kaley
3. Feed My Release
4. My Sweet Body
5. Lines
6. Further Away
7. Takes One
8. Age
9. Moving
10. Star

Sub Pop Publishing is seeking a full-time Music Licensing Manager based in Los Angeles. We are looking for an individual who has great interpersonal skills, is a self-starter, is detail-oriented, and has the ability to work in an open group environment. 

Sub Pop Publishing was founded in 2011 and is the publishing division of Sub Pop Records, an independent record company founded in 1988. We work with Sub Pop Records artists such as Bully, Shabazz Palaces, clipping., Guerilla Toss, Mudhoney, La Luz and Frankie Cosmos, and our writers have contributed to songs by A$AP Rocky, Joey Bada$$, Christine and the Queens, SYML, Olafur Arnalds, SZA, KayCyy and others.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Working to place the Sub Pop Publishing catalog in advertisements, TV, film, video games, web-videos, social media, podcasts and more by soliciting and responding to music searches and licensing requests

• Actively pitching our catalog in a manner tailored to the taste and project requirements of individual music supervisors, editors, filmmakers, and producers

• Listening to and quickly learning a large catalog of material and applying that knowledge to searches/requests for material

• Ingesting, organizing and maintaining the audio storage system

• Managing outstanding invoices and licenses

• Logging all licensing activity and preparing reports on such activity as requested

• Seeking out, developing and maintaining relationships directly with music supervisors, ad agencies, filmmakers and other potential licensing contacts

• Organizing and attending artist functions for music supervisors, ad agencies and others when appropriate

• Sending out email blasts, playlists, show invites and other forms of promotion

• Quoting, clearing, negotiating and preparing synchronization licenses 

• Some travel may be necessary

Qualifications include: 

• Minimum 3 years experience working in a similar role within a label, publisher or licensing company

• Knowledge and passion for music in general is a must, as is familiarity with the Sub Pop Publishing catalog 

• Interest in music licensing, film and advertising 

• Competent computer skills 

• Ability to work independently and take initiative

• Ability to juggle and prioritize multiple projects 

• Positive attitude, great communication skills and an enthusiastic team spirit

Supervisor: Director of Publishing

Salary Range: $55,000 - $65,000

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to jobapplicants@subpop.com.

We are accepting resumes through the position closing date of July 29th, 2024.

Description of Benefits: PTO (Paid time off including sick time) beginning at 15 days per year, 14 paid holiday days, 401k plan with partial employer match, medical/dental/vision insurance paid for employees and partially paid for their family, transportation benefits, discounted merchandise. Sub Pop Records is an equal-opportunity employer. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, veteran or disability status. Sub Pop Records will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

Sub Pop is currently accepting resumes from energetic, responsible, detail-oriented, and dependable candidates for a Part-time sales clerk, nights and weekends (temp) at our terribly impressive store at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. This guy. 

Responsibilities include:

 • Greeting and assisting customers in a friendly manner. 
 • Full compliance with Sea-Tac operation rules and strict TSA regulations and restrictions. 
 • Efficient handling of cash and credit card transactions. 
 • Ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively. 
 • Availability to work nights, weekends, and holidays. 
 • Assisting in organizing and restocking the store. 
 • Maintaining the general appearance of the store. 
 • Contributing to the team retail effort by accomplishing related tasks as needed. 

Qualified candidates will have: 

 • Previous experience in the retail environment. 
 • Knowledge of the Sub Pop catalog, Pacific Northwest music, the Seattle music community, and the City of Seattle.
 • A friendly and enthusiastic disposition with customers and staff. 
 • Strong and clear communication skills. 
 • A general understanding of retail Point of Sale systems. 
 • Flexibility in schedule and willingness to work early or late hours. 

Store hours 7am-9 pm everyday / 6 am-9 pm

Salary: $20.00 an hour

Benefits: Competitive pay, flexible scheduling, paid time off, holiday pay, store discount, growth opportunities, and more!

Please send your resume to airportstore@subpop.com.