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 Rolling Stone, 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.

Thrash Palace 

“Go” b/w “Teenage Spaceship”

Gaye Su Akyol
“Love Buzz” b/w “Böyle Olur Mu”

Jessica Winter & Jonathan Snipes

“All I Need” b/w “Finish Line”

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

Today, CHAI — the adored Japanese four-piece composed of identical twins MANA (vocals/keys) and KANA (guitar), drummer YUNA, and bassist/lyricist YUUKI — present their new single/video, “NEO KAWAII, K?,” from their forthcoming self-titled album out September 22nd on Sub Pop. Since the band’s inception in 2011, CHAI has espoused a philosophy they call Neo Kawaii, in reference to the Japanese word for cute, a label typically bestowed upon women who maintain societally prescribed beauty standards. As young women, CHAI felt that any deviation from what culture considered kawaii was discouraged, and so Neo Kawaii emerged as a rallying cry against those oppressive standards. “Neo Kawaii is about reclaiming self-esteem,” MANA says. On the ESG-inspired single “NEO KAWAII, K?” MANA sings: “This is just my body, not a trendy body/ Gonna be loved, baby!/ Just as I am.”

Of “NEO KAWAII, K?,” Mana continues: “Everyone is NEO KAWAII! This is CHAI’s answer, this is a fact in this world! We can finally say what it really means to us♡ Everyone’s a bit weird. Everyone’s different. Everyone’s awkward, almost to a point that it’s hard to relate. But that’s what’s interesting! That’s what makes it beautiful. To everyone who’s pushed around by these notions, we want to tell you this! We, and all of our lives, are NEO KAWAII! NEO KAWAII is not just plain KAWAII (cute)- it’s cool, it’s strong, it’s kind, it’s warm! Don’t get it mixed up♡  Hey! NEO KAWAII people!

NEO KAWAII needs no preparation.  We just want to say that you’re NEO KAWAII too, K? ♡?”

WATCH CHAI’S “NEO-KAWAII, K?” VIDEO

CHAI — unlike previous albums — was written on the road, with the band finding time to record in the days between shows at Stones Throw Studio in LA, Ometusco Sound Machine in Mexico City, and Grand Street in New York. Working in studios with vast collections of gear allowed them to experiment with aesthetics as-yet-unheard on a CHAI album. “It was actually a chill and relaxed process, because we were playing shows every day and were really in the music,” MANA says.

Unlike their acclaimed 2021 album WINK, this self-titled collection of songs finds CHAI returning to their roots, drawing inspiration from their Japanese cultural heritage and the music that raised them. Realizing that message applied to people outside of fans in Japan (who screamed in delight when MANA shouted “NEO KAWAII!” into the mic) made CHAI consider what other facets of their upbringing might resonate with audiences outside of their home country. Each CHAI album borrows aesthetic inspiration from specific musical movements, and on CHAI, the quartet wanted to make direct comparisons to city pop, a Tokyo-born sound popularized in the ‘70s and ‘80s. City pop was a Japanese take on Western lounge music, borrowing from jazz, boogie, funk, and yacht rock to create a sound that straddled two cultures; but for CHAI, city pop was just the music of childhood. 

Of the album, Mana says: “This is CHAI! With our self-titled album CHAI, CHAI declare that we live proudly as Japanese women♡ We hope this album gives everyone a little more confidence in living how they want to live.  That is our ideal. If this album becomes that existence for anyone, that is the right answer in our eyes⭐ Listen, feel. We give you our evolution, inside and out! Now come onnn, NEO-KAWAII BABIES. If you can’t catch up with us, you’ll never feel the NEO KAWAII♡”

This fall, CHAI will bring their acclaimed live set stateside for a North American tour, beginning September 23rd at Flipside Festival and stretching through Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington, DC and more. Full dates, including UK and EU shows, are listed below and tickets are on sale now. 

WATCH CHAI’S “PARA PARA” VIDEO

PRE-ORDER CHAI

CHAI  TOUR DATES 

Sat. Sept. 23 -  Boise, ID @ Flipside Festival

Sun. Sept. 24 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern

Mon. Sept. 25 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge

Wed. Sept. 27 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

Fri. Sept. 29 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom

Mon. Oct. 2 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall

Wed. Oct. 4 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern

Fri. Oct. 6 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw

Sun. Oct. 8 - Boston, MA @ Crystal Ballroom

Tue. Oct. 10 - Washington, DC @ Union Stage

Wed. Oct. 11 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s

Fri. Oct. 13 - Mexico City, MEX @ Indie Rocks!

Wed. Nov. 1 – Berlin, DE @ Pitchfork Music Festival Berlin

Fri. Nov. 3 – Paris, FR @ Badaboum

Sun. Nov. 5 –Amsterdam, NL @ Tolhuistuin (Paradiso Noord)

Mon. Nov. 6 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Orangerie

Wed. Nov. 8 – Southampton, UK @ Heartbreakers

Thu. Nov. 9 – Brighton, UK @ Patterns

Fri. Nov. 10 – London, UK @ Pitchfork Music Festival

Sun. Nov. 12 – Manchester, UK @ Yes (Pink Room)

Tue. Nov 14 – Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast

Wed. Nov. 15 – Leeds, UK @ Headrow House

Thu. Nov. 16 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade

Today, August 1st, Greek artist Σtella (pronounced Stella) has shared a new standalone single entitled “Girl Supreme.” This song was recorded at Havabanana Studio in Athens, Greece, and produced by Σtella with mixing and additional production work by Edmund Irwin-Singer from the band Glass Animals.

Σtella says of this infectious new bop: “Learning how to use ‘on’ and ‘in’ and ‘at’ got me chasing after ‘Girl Supreme.’ And prepositions got me thinking about propositions – when a casual encounter becomes a fateful affair.”
 
You can listen/watch HERE.
 
“Girl Supreme” follows the 2022 release of her Sub Pop debut, Up and Away. An album where the Athens-based painter, visual artist, and performer updated authentic Greek pop - using traditional folk melodies and instruments like the bouzouki and kanun - fed through synths, 80s pop, laid-back psychedelia, and dusty mid-century 45s. Up and Away garnered International support from Paste, Gorilla vs. Bear, Brooklyn Vegan, Mojo, Uncut, Loud & Quiet, and The Line of Best Fit, who said, “Σtella’s honey-rich vocals overlie a crisp, no-frills backing that has echoes of classic ’60s pop.”
 
Σtella has confirmed a 5-date EU/UK run in August. This string of dates begins on Aug. 14th in Winterthur, Switzerland, with additional club dates in Germany & the UK, ending on Aug. 18th at the Green Man Festival in Brecon Beacons. See below for a complete list of shows.
 

Mon. Aug. 14 - Winterthur, CH - Winterthurer Musikfestwochen
Tue. Aug. 15 - Nuremberg, DE - Z-Bau
Wed. Aug. 16 - Frankfurt, DE - Tanzhaus West
Thu. Aug. 17 - London, UK - Moth Club
Fri. Aug. 18 - Brecon Beacons, UK - Green Man Festival

 
What people have also said about Σtella:
 
“Σtella hooks up with London producer Redinho here to conjure an elegant and sophisticated union of vintage Greek music…and sleek modern pop.” - [“Up and Away”] Gorilla vs Bear
 
“It’s a blending of classic songwriting, aligned with familiar instrumentation, and fueled with modern vocals and strangely somber ambiance. The bass and guitar riffs are captivating and keep the ears plastered for more. Her somber vocals sway into a soft gale that transports the listener to a ruminating landscape.” -  [“Charmed”] Impose
 
“This is the pop we need; considered, vital, comforting, spiritual.” - The Quietus
 
“Future-retro pop perfection” - DJ
 
“simply irresistible” - Electronic Sound
 
“seductively melodic blend of Hellenic pop and hazy, shimmering Eastern Mediterranean vibes” - Shindig
 
“…gorgeous fourth album.” - (4/5) MOJO
 
“…Infectious disco-infused art-pop.” - I-D
 
“Bold, streamlined pop” - PASTE
 
“Intoxicating Greek pop.” - UNCUT
 
“There is an enchantingly vintage pop sparkle to Σtella’s music, epitomised by the new album’s superlative title track, its spritely, 1960s chanson airiness evoking the spirit of France Gall or Francoise Hardy, while the bouzouki-led backing arrangement lends the unmistakable flavour of Σtella’s home country ” - LOUD & QUIET