Sub Pop has signed Polish artist Perfect Son (aka Tobiasz Biliński) for the world, to release Cast, his label debut on CD/LP/DL February 15th, 2019. The 10 track album, which features the lead single “It’s For Life,” along with the highlights “Promises,” and “Lust,” was co-produced by Biliński and Marcin Buźniak at Axis Audio in Warsaw, with additional production from Jeff Zeigler at Uniform Recording in Philadelphia, and mixed/mastered by Buźniak.
On “It’s For Life,” Biliński’s soft falsetto and arching melodies are embedded in a world of enormous drums, pounded piano, and blown-out bass. The lyric video (as seen above, and also heard on Spotify or Apple Music) was co-directed by Biliński and his wife Anna Mayer-Bilińska, and shot in his hometown of Sopot, and in Warsaw, where he now resides.
1. Reel Me 2. Lust 3. It’s For Life 4. Old Desires 5. So Divine 6. Promises 7. High Hopes 8. My Body Wants 9. Wax 10. Almost Mine
More About Perfect Son and ‘Cast’
Sometime in 2016, just as the Polish singer and producer Tobiasz Biliński began to find success through the dim and fractured electropop of Coldair, he knew it was time for a radical change. The songs on The Provider, Coldair’s much-lauded third album, had been an exorcism of sorts. Laced with songs about early death, chronic disappointment, and clouded minds, the record was, as he puts it now, his earnest attempt to “get all this old shit out.” That mission accomplished, he needed something new, a restart—the unabashedly radiant and unapologetically complex pop of Perfect Son, delivered in 10 perfect shots on Biliński’s Sub Pop debut, Cast.
[Photo Credit Weronika Izdebska]
In the past, Biliński’s music has flirted with and explored the darkness, first in a sort of Transatlantic freak-folk and then with the gothic refractions of Coldair. But on Cast, Perfect Son steps boldly into the light without sloughing off emotional weight or depth. With powerful, sweeping production that recalls the best pop beats of Matthew Dear and arcing melodies that conjure the majesty of Jonathan Meiburg, Perfect Son animates sensations of lust, belonging, and newfound trust with tumescent electronic arrangements that threaten the safety of any sound system.
On opener “Reel Me,” his soft falsetto floats through a Steve Reich-like pulse and above an ominous guitar, as he describes the feeling of a soul lost in the wilderness and doubting his own humanity. But the drums and the bass stir him awake, giving him a sense of vitality and belonging: “I’m finally aware,” he confesses, eyes brightened. “And fearing things.” During the thunderous “It’s For Life,” Biliński wraps his voice around a world of enormous drums, pounded piano, and blown-out bass. “It’s alright/It’s for life,” the newly married singer offers in the instantaneous chorus.
Biliński doesn’t forsake the heavier things here. The haunted “Old Desires” battles latent demons, soundtracked by howling synthesizers and harmonies that seem to hang in the distance like ghosts. The sweeping closer “Almost Mine” is a candid confession of pain and a frank acknowledgment that, one day, even the relationships that give us strength and purpose will crumble. Biliński sings about falls throughout Cast but also about picking yourself back up, about pressing on despite or perhaps because of the bruises. In the process, he is lifted by music that feels unabashedly motivational, built to remind us that the best times are hopefully to come.
Perfect Son, it should be said, is Sub Pop’s first Polish artist, the result of an extended interest in Biliński’s work and the country itself from label co-founder Jonathan Poneman. Several years ago, Biliński applied to play at South by Southwest as Coldair. Poneman saw his performance, and was impressed. The two stayed in touch, with Poneman eventually signing Coldair to a publishing deal. “I bugged him about releasing my stuff constantly,” Biliński admits with a laugh. “And I guess he admired my persistence.”
When Cast was finally finished, Poneman didn’t need more convincing. These songs, after all, are magnetic, with the searching harmonies and deep drums of “Promises” and the rhythmic intricacy and serial synths of “Wax” pulling you close on first listen and holding you there for the foreseeable future. These songs and this story are about the power of human perseverance and deliberate reinvention, of knowing that you can confront and come to terms with the darkest angels of your being. Cast is a testament to the possibilities of the future, brilliantly disguised as 10 grandiose and undeniable pop anthems.
Due to popular demand, the Deluxe Box Set will now be available December 14th, 2018.
You can now watch clipping.’s new lyric video for “Stab Him in the Throat” directed by Mortis Studio. The song is found on the Rick and Morty soundtrack, and is inspired by the show.
Due to overwhelming popularity, the release date for the Deluxe Box Set version of the Rick And Morty soundtrack has been moved to December 14th in order to meet demand. For those customers who have waited patiently for their pre-orders, we will be shipping orders on a first come, first served basis as soon as these sets become available.
The Deluxe Box Set includes the album on double-LP pressed on an exclusive “Portal” colored vinyl* along with a custom poster, a patch, a sticker, and a bonus 7” single (featuring an extended mix of the screaming sun from the 2nd season finale, pressed on clear vinyl). All of this comes housed in an attractive, borderline extravagant box featuring a plexiglass window cover which reveals a glowing design when lit by its integrated LED lights.
The Rick and Morty Soundtrack is currently available in the following formats:
A standard CD
A double LP pressed on colored vinyl featuring two single-pocket LP jackets housed together in a custom die-cut slipcase.
A full digital release of all of the material on the CD and double LP
A traditional cassette tape of Rick and Morty soundtrack will also be available this Friday, November 23rd, 2018.
About Rick and Morty
Rick and Morty follows a sociopathic genius scientist who drags his inherently timid grandson on insanely dangerous adventures across the universe. Rick Sanchez is living with his daughter Beth’s family and constantly bringing her, his son-in-law Jerry, granddaughter Summer, and grandson Morty into intergalactic escapades. Can the family survive Rick’s insanity and all the chaos the universe throws at them?
Rick and Morty stars Justin Roiland, Sarah Chalke, Chris Parnell and Spencer Grammer. The series is created by Dan Harmon and Roiland who also serve as executive producers.
In the “Moon Whip Quaz” video, slumber party magic summons forth the otherworldly figure known as Quäz; and in the “ode to badass females” visual for “Julian’s Dream (ode to a bad),” the mythical Quäz joins forces with lead protagonist Dr. Julian in her quest to liberate the controversial bodyswap tech she invented.
Shabazz Palaces European and UK tour dates in support of Quazarz Born on a Gangster Star, and Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines have been extended through February 2019. Beginning November 17th in Skopje, Macedonia and ending December 3rd, 2018 in London at O2 Arena, the group will support Ms. Lauryn Hill on the EU/UK edition of “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 20th Anniversary Tour.”
Then in early 2019, Shabazz Palaces’ EU/UK headlining tour has expanded and now begins February 1st in Toulouse at Le Metronum and ends February 8th in Dublin at The Sugar Club.
Nov. 17 - Skopje, MK - MKC* Nov. 18 - Brussels, BE - Forest National* Nov. 20 - Paris, FR - AccorHotels Arena* Nov. 21 - Paris, FR - AccorHotels Arena* Nov. 22 - Amsterdam, NL - De Marktkantine (DJ Set) Nov. 23 - Glasgow, UK - SSE Hydro* Nov. 26 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Arena* Nov. 27 - Birmingham, UK - Birmingham Arena* Nov. 30 - Dublin, IE - 3Arena* Dec. 03 - London, UK - O2 Arena* Feb. 01 - Toulouse, FR - Le Metronum Feb. 02 - Paris, FR - International Cité Theater Feb. 03 - Brugge, Sint-Andries, BE - MaZ Feb. 04 - Rotterdam, NL - Bird Feb. 05 - Amsterdam, NL - Bitterzoet Feb. 06 - Liège, BE - Le Reflektor Feb. 07 - London, UK - Jazz Cafe Feb. 08 - Dublin, IE - The Sugar Club *w/ Ms. Lauryn Hill
Quazarz Born on a Gangster Star and Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines, the group’s third and fourth albums released in 2017, are available now on CD / LP / DL / CS / Illustrated album worldwide through Sub Pop.
ATTENTION RECORD NERDS AND MUSIC FANS! We are now taking subscriptions for the fourth – and, who knows, perhaps the best! – incarnation of the legendary Sub Pop Singles Club.
Are you desperate to hear new and exciting music? Do you pine for exquisitely packaged, colored-vinyl artifacts? Do you break into a sweat at the thought of missing out on limited-edition tchotchkes to hold over your friends’ heads? Well, subscribe now and feed your need!
Attentive oldsters may recall the first edition of the Singles Club, which coincided with the launch of Sub Pop as a semi-functioning (and we do mean semi) record label, and featured Nirvana, Soundgarden, Sonic Youth, Fugazi, L7, and countless (ok, around 75, to be more precise) other era-defining artists from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Fans of a more youthful age may remember the second and third editions, which ran from 1998-2002 and 2008-2009, respectively, and together included hitmakers like Iron and Wine, Bright Eyes, The White Stripes, Death Cab for Cutie, Jesus and Mary Chain, The Get Up Kids, The Dutchess and the Duke, Om, Thee Oh Sees, and many more.
All of this ancient history is to say: 1. WE INVENTED THIS SHIT! 2. We’ll get you lots of great music, and there’s a good chance you’ll wind up with some highly sought-after rarities. And, 3. We’re seasoned pros at this and we’ll definitely probably get all your records delivered to the correct address right on time.
For the eminently reasonable postpaid (meaning shipping is included in the price; tax is not) price of $130 for the U.S., $170 for Canada, $185 for Mexico, and $195 for the rest of the world, you will receive twelve (12) 7” singles, shipped directly from Sub Pop HQ in Seattle to you, starting in April of 2019. These singles will feature exclusive tracks by artists from all over the map, both literally and figuratively, but tied together by the common thread of being great at what they do and inspiring to us. We hope you’ll feel the same. This offer is valid for a limited time only, so don’t sleep on it [subscribe here].
Things to know:
Subscribing is the only way to get the physical 7”s. They will not be available in stores.
You can subscribe from anywhere in the world.
You can purchase a subscription as a gift – simply enter the recipient’s name and address in the delivery address fields for your order.
Each single will be available for streaming and digital purchase two weeks after that single ships. But by then you will not be able to go back in time, subscribe, and get that single. So sign up now if you want vinyl!
Subscriptions are exempt from any Mega Mart sale discounts.
You can buy a subscription in the same order as other items you wish to purchase from us. We will ship the rest of your order as soon as possible, but no Singles Club 7”s will ship until April 2019, when you’ll get the first two, with successive singles to follow in pairs every other month thereafter. (We are shipping two singles at a time, every other month, because shipping is expensive and we want this subscription to be relatively affordable.)
Singles Club subscriptions cannot be sent to your local store and are not part of the Sub Pop Local program. As such, there is no free-shipping option for the Singles Club.
If you need to change your address at any point during your subscription, please email websales@subpop.com.
Hot on the heels of the release of their critically acclaimed album, Double Negative, Low have shared a new video for their song “Always Trying to Work It Out.” The visual was co-directed by longtime friend and video collaborator Phil Harder. The band’s Alan Sparhawk had this to say about the video, “We present our slightly Halloween-themed video for ‘Always Trying to Work It Out.’ In which… friends and family star in a stroll through the grocery store; familiar fragments from memory appear; masks are filtering light. Thank you National Sawdust, light tech Shane Donohue, and the Food Co-op in Duluth. It’s dedicated to our city of Duluth.”
Low’s North American 2018/19 international headlining tour in support of Double Negative resumes November 2nd in St. Paul at The Fitzgerald Theatre, and runs through November 17th in Madison at High Noon Saloon, with 2019 dates to follow.
2018 Tour Dates Nov. 02 - St. Paul, MN - The Fitzgerald Theatre Nov. 05 - Detroit, MI - El Club Nov. 06 - Toronto, ON - Great Hall Nov. 08 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rosa Nov. 09 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall Nov. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts Nov. 12 - Washington, DCU Street Music Hall Nov. 13 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Funhouse Nov. 14 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop Nov. 15 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme Nov. 16 - Chicago, IL - Rockefeller Chapel Nov. 17 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
2019 Tour Dates Jan. 29 - Glasgow, UK - Tramway Jan. 30 - Birmingham, UK - Birmingham Town Hall Jan. 31 - Brighton, UK - St. George’s Church Brighton Feb. 01 - London, UK - Barbican Feb. 02 - Kortrijk, BE - De Kreun Feb. 04 - Groningen, NL - Vera Feb. 05 - Erlangen, DE - E-Werk (Erlangen) Feb. 06 - Cologne, DE - Kulturkirche Köln Feb. 07 - Frankfurt, DE - Sankt Peter Feb. 08 - Hamburg, DE - Uebel & Gefährlich Feb. 09 - Aarhus, DK - Voxhall Feb. 11 - København, DK - The Koncerthuset - Studie 2 Feb. 12 - Gothenburg, SE - Pustervik Feb. 13 - Oslo - Norway - Parkteatretjo Feb. 14 - Stockholm, SE - Kagelbanan (Small Room) Mar. 08 - Denver, CO - Globe Hall Mar. 09 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf Mar. 11 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar Mar. 12 - Tustin, CA - Marty’s On Newport Mar. 13 - Tijuana, MX - Moustache Mar. 15 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room Mar. 16 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall Mar. 18 - Portland, OR - Star Theater Mar. 19 - Vancouver, BC - Imperial Mar. 20 - Seattle, WA - Neumos Mar. 23 - Provo, UT - Velour Live Music Gallery
European and U.K. dates supporting Ms. Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 20th Anniversary Tour begin November 17th.
Shabazz Palaces are sharing the official video for “Déesse Du Sang” from their acclaimed 2017 release, Quazarz: Born On A Gangster Star. The ominous, slightly NSFW visual, is directed by returning director Stephan Gray (“Dawn In Luxor,” “Since C.A.Y.A.”).
SHABAZZ PALACES TOUR DATES
Shabazz Palaces European and UK tour dates in support of Quazarz Born On A Gangster Star, and Quazarz Vs. The Jealous Machines have been extended through February 2019. Beginning November 17th in Skopje, Macedonia and ending December 3rd, 2018 in London at O2 Arena, the group will support Ms. Lauryn Hill on the EU/UK edition of “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 20th Anniversary Tour.” Then in early 2019, Shabazz Palaces will return to the EU/UK a string of headlining dates beginning February 4th in Rotterdam at Bird and ending February 7th on London at Jazz Cafe.
Quazarz Born on a Gangster Star and Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines, the group’s third and fourth albums released in 2017, are available now on CD / LP / DL / CS / Illustrated album worldwide through Sub Pop [purchase it now here].
What people are saying Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Starand Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machinesand affiliated singles: “In thermodynamics, black bodies are both perfect absorbers and emitters of radiant energy. That seeming contradiction would not be lost on one Palaceer Lazaro, better known as Ishmael Butler of Shabazz Palaces, who continues to find far-out ways to reflect and refract the sound and fury of popular culture and contemporary blackness…Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star…pushes an interstellar narrative that’s equal parts absurd and real…It’s a cosmic trip. [Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star] - NPR Music
“The power of Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Starand Quazarz vs the Jealous Machinescomes from the way they spike their dense, abstract sound with moments of accessibility: a band broadening what they do without blunting their edge or losing their uniqueness.” - [4/5, Album of the Week] - The Guardian
“The pair’s music sounds like rap music viewed through a prism - a psychedelic reverie of glittering electronic textures and unconventional beats that’s sensual, expansive and disorientating….Like interstellar guides, they’re always positioned a little further out than their peers, and these two records offer suggested routes to an infinity of possible futures.” [8/10] - Uncut
“A thrilling excursion, possessing an otherworldly ambiance and substance you’ll spend months decoding, every spin yielding something new. Adventurous ears, listen up!” [4/5 stars] - MOJO
“Set Quazarz to stunning.” [4/5 stars] - Q
“The Quazarz suite is an unequivocal triumph.” - [9/10] - Loud & Quiet
“These exquisite new sonic meanderings conjure up the ghost of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.” [Record of the Month] - London In Stereo
“Both of Shabazz Palaces’ new albums are meticulously crafted, with an obscure narrative and arrangements so vivid they beckon you to unravel them.” [4/5 stars] - The Skinny
“Digitally cut-up, delayed and reverberated, words tumble, swirl and spill, smearing themselves over fragmented beats and shimmering kaleidoscopic backdrops: strands of audio graffiti sprayed on walls that gleam, shift shape and then finally vanish.” [Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star & Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines] - Wire
