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.

Velocity Girl
UltraCopacetic (Copactic Remixed and Expanded)
 
Tracklisting:
1. Pretty Sister
2. Crazy Town
3. Copacetic
4. Here Comes
5. Pop Loser
6. Living Well
7. A Chang
8. Audrey’s Eyes
9. Lisa Librarian
10. 57 Waltz
11. Candy Apples
12. Catching Squirrels
13. Warm/Crawl
14. Creepy
15. Stupid Thing
16. Even Die
17. Here Comes (Peel Session version)
18. Always (Peel Session version)
19. Crazy Town (Peel Session version)
20. 57 Waltz (Peel Session version)
21. Copacetic (Peel Session version)

Light Verse is the new ten-track Iron & Wine album that features many highlights but none brighter than the Fiona Apple duet  “All in Good Time” which has been embraced by fans of both artists along with radio and critics.
 
Its official video, which is being shared today, translates the narrative of our two protagonists in the song through the eyes of a couple finding love in cinema and dance, with the help of some mischievous kids upending their day. It’s Singing In The Rain meets The Breakfast Club.
 
The “All In Good Time” video was filmed at The Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge, Illinois, and is directed by Jamie Fleischel.
 
The “All in Good Time” video is being released ahead of the North American leg of Iron & Wine’s previously announced Light Verse headlining tour, which begins this Friday, June 14th in Milwaukee at the Pabst Theatre and currently runs through Saturday, August 24th in Nashville, TN at The Ryman.  
 
Iron & Wine will be joined each night by the Emmy Award-winning performance collective, design studio, and film/video production company Manual Cinema. Founded in Chicago in 2010 by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, Julia Miller, and Kyle Vegter, Manual Cinema combines handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music to create immersive stories for stage and screen.
 
Manual Cinema will perform live shadow puppetry and handmade animations alongside the band, creating a visual world that will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for fans.
 
Iron & Wine will then take the Light Verse tour to the UK and EU this fall, which begins October 22nd in Belfast, Ireland at Mandela Hall and ends November 15th in Antwerp, Belgium at De Roma. Support acts for the North American dates will be Ken Pomeroy, Amythyst Kiah, Rosali, and Sunny War, and in the UK and EU will come from Lizzie No.
 
For updated information on Iron & Wine live shows, please visit https://ironandwine.com/tours.
 

North America Summer 2024
Fri. Jun. 14 - Milwaukee, WI - The Pabst Theater %
Sat. Jun. 15 -  St Paul, MN - Palace Theatre %
Mon. Jun. 17 - Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom *
Tue. Jun. 18 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Union *
Thu. Jun. 20 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre *
Fri. Jun. 21 - Portland, OR - McMenamins Crystal Ballroom *
Sat. Jun. 22  - Portland, OR - McMenamins Crystal Ballroom *
Sun. Jun. 23 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom *
Tue. Jun. 25 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater *
Thur. Jun. 27 - Monterey, CA - Golden State Theatre *
Fri. Jun. 28 - Los Angeles, CA - The Bellwether *
Sat. Jun. 29 - Los Angeles, CA - The Bellwether *
Sun. Jun. 30 - El Cajon, CA - The Magnolia *
Tue. Jul. 02 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren *
Wed. Jul. 03 - Taos, NM - Kit Carson Park (support for Avett Brothers)
Fri. Jul. 05 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom *
Sat. Jul. 06  - St Louis, MO -  The Pageant *
Mon. Jul. 08 - Chicago, IL - The Salt Shed *
Wed. Jul. 31 - New Orleans, LA - Orpheum Theater !
Thu. Aug. 01 - Houston, TX-  White Oak Music Hall !
Fri. Aug. 02 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at the Moody Theater !
Sat. Aug. 03 - Dallas, TX - Majestic Theatre !
Mon. Aug. 05 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern !
Tue. Aug. 06 - Wilmington, NC - Wilson Center at CFCC !
Wed. Aug. 07 - Raleigh, NC - Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts !
Fri. Aug. 09 - Washington, DC - The Anthem !
Sat. Aug. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philadelphia !
Sun. Aug. 11 - Boston, MA - Roadrunner !
Tue. Aug. 13 - New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall #
Wed. Aug. 14 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Paramount #
Fri. Aug. 16 - Montreal, QC - MTELUS #
Sat. Aug. 17 - Toronto, ON - The Danforth Music Hall #
Sun. Aug. 18 - Detroit, MI - Masonic Cathedral Theatre #
Tue. Aug. 20 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre #
Thu. Aug. 22 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room at Old National Centre #
Fri. Aug. 23 - Louisville, KY - Old Forester’s Paristown Hall #
Sat. Aug. 24 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium #
 
% w/ Ken Pomeroy  * w/ Amythyst Kiah 
! w/ Rosali  # w/ Sunny War
 
UK/EU Fall 2024
Mon. Oct 21 - Dublin, IE - Whelan’s (solo) ~ SOLD OUT
Tue. Oct. 22 - Belfast, UK - Mandela Hall +
Wed. Oct. 23 - Dublin, IE - Vicar Street + SOLD OUT
Fri. Oct. 25 - Edinburgh, UK - Queens Hall +
Sat. Oct. 26 - Manchester, UK - New Century Hall +
Sun. Oct. 27 - Bristol, UK  - SWX +
Tue. Oct. 29 - Birmingham, UK - Birmingham Town Hall +
Wed. Oct. 30 - London, UK - London Palladium +
Thu. Oct. 31 - Cambridge, UK - Junction +
Sat. Nov. 02 - Groningen, NL - Take Root Festival
Mon. Nov. 04 - Copenhagen, DK - DR Koncerthuset +
Tue. Nov. 05 - Stockholm, SE - Göta Lejon +
Wed. Nov. 06 - Oslo, NO - Rockefeller +
Thu. Nov. 07 - Gothenburg, SE - Pustervik +
Sat. Nov. 09 - Hamburg, DE - Fabrik +
Mon. Nov. 11 Berlin, DE - Huxleys +
Tue. Nov. 12 - Cologne, DE - Bürgerhaus stollwerck +
Thu. Nov 14 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso +
Fri. Nov. 15 - Antwerp, BE - De Roma +
 
~ w/ DUG + w/ Lizzie No
 
 

Produced by the band’s principal singer-songwriter Sam Beam, Light Verse was made in the city of Angels with David Way at the helm, and joining Beam were some of the area’s finest musicians - David Garza, Sebastian Steinberg, Griffin Goldsmith, Paul Cartwright, Elizabeth Goodfellow, Kyle Crane and Tyler Chester - helping craft what is easily the band’s most playful and adventurous record since The Shepherd’s Dog.   
 
Light Verse marks the first full-length release in over seven years, and today, Iron & Wine is also sharing a “Making of/Behind the Scenes” short film. The typically guarded Beam discusses how the album came to be with studio footage and an exclusive interview.  Watch the making of Light Verse here.
 
Light Verse featuring the highlights “You Never Know,” “All In Good Time (feat. Fiona Apple),”  “Anyone’s Game,” and “Sweet Talk,”  is now available CD/LP/digitally worldwide from Sub Pop.
 
Iron & Wine’s Who Can See Forever soundtrack is also available from Sub Pop. The documentary concert film, which has seen sold-out screenings in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Denver, will platform to streaming services later in the year.
 

Praise for Iron & Wine Light Verse:

“A collection of songs bursting with surprises, reflecting the optimism of the album’s title, and a songwriter rejuvenated.” 8/10 - Uncut
 
“Both harmonically and melodically, Light Verse is more expansive, yet its arrangements are tighter. No longer the lone troubadour, Beam is backed by a group of LA musicians whose expert subtlety bolsters Beam’s magnetic quietude—even when Hollywood strings swell or the accompaniment reaches near cacophony.” 8.6/10 - PASTE
 
“My favorite moments on the album are where you hear those studio dynamics, where the quiet erupts into this chamber ensemble piece with these big shifting movements… it can go from everything from somber to nearly euphoric in its run, and I love that about it.” New Music Friday - NPR Music
 
“Beam has done this kind of thing before, but he seems to be digging a little deeper lyrically here, while crafting arrangements that are truly lush and lovely, better than any on previous Iron & Wine albums. That’s a high bar, but he soars over it with plenty of room to spare, and in the end Light Verse turns out to be one of the most enjoyable, varied, and well-crafted of the band’s records.” ★★★★ - All Music
 
“Even the good times will end eventually. That idea gestures toward the bittersweet irony of this fine late-career album: All the years have pulled Beam’s teeth, but they have also sharpened his pen.” Pitchfork
 
“It’s magnificent… It starts hushed and intimate (You Never Know), then as the band gradually comes in, it takes on a beautiful lushness throughout. Highlights include the lovely harmonies on Tears That Don’t Matter and All in Good Time, a soulful, churchy duet with Fiona Apple.” ★★★★ - MOJO
 
“Gorgeous… Iron & Wine proves he still has much to say in a hypnotic record full of lush production, highlighting the warmth and timelessness of his vocals.” 8/10 - CLASH
 
“Stunning… an album that straddles Iron & Wine’s earlier, stripped-down work and his later, more layered tunes. The gorgeous Sweet Talk and All in Good Time are particularly reminiscent of the former, while Tears That Don’t Matter is Beam at his most dynamically majestic.” ★★★★ - Record Collector
 
“Quirky yet profound, playful but often deeply moving… The ten tracks on Light Verse glow with the a rejuvenated joy and infectious creative energy.”  8/10 - The Line of Best Fit
 
“This time Beam worked alongside a handful of Los Angeles-based musicians and producer Dave Way (John Doe, Macy Gray) in his Laurel Canyon studio, and the bones of the songs on Light Verse are both looser and more freely experimental, often conjuring up a more ramshackle version of the layered psych-pop elements of 2007’s The Shepherd’s Dog.” No Depression

Iron & Wine
Light Verse
 
Tracklisting:
1. You Never Know
2. Anyone’s Game
3. All in Good Time (Feat. Fiona Apple)
4. Cutting It Close
5. Taken by Surprise
6. Yellow Jacket
7. Sweet Talk
8. Tears that Don’t Matter
9. Bag of Cats
10. Angels Go Home

Today, June 7th, Man Man will release their new album, Carrot On Strings, on CD/LP/DSPs worldwide through Sub Pop Records. Following the single releases of “Iguana,” “Tastes Like Metal,” and “Alibi” comes the new official video for their cheeky tableau, “Cryptoad,” which was directed by former Man Man member Dan Scofield. If only car washes could clean the soul of a man…
 
Click here to watch. 
 
Carrot On Strings was recorded at Mant Sounds studio in Glassell Park, Los Angeles, and produced by Matt Schuessler, with whom Man Man frontman Ryan Kattner (Honus Honus) had worked on a cover of Neu!’s “Super” for the seminal Krautrock band’s box set. He and the band knocked out the songs live (workshopped in front of live audiences while Man Man toured) over 5 days in August 2022 and then hashing other sonic ideas over the following months. “I wanted things to be loose,” Kattner shares. “My intention was just to knock it all out,” he says. He even recorded more than a few of the single-track vocals while reclining on a couch. “It’s pretty wild,” he says — “because, you know, it wasn’t actually wild at all. It was the first time I wasn’t sequestered in an isolation booth, extensive baffling keeping me apart from the rest of the music. Something about being in the mixing room, tracking vocals, songs blasting out of the monitors that just felt perfect for this particular album.” 
 
As previously announced, Man Man will tour the UK & Europe in late October and November. See below for a full list of shows.

 
Wed. Oct. 30 - Paris, FR - La Maroquinerie
Thu. Oct. 31 - La Rochelle, FR - La Sirène
Fri. Nov. 01 - Rouen, FR - Le 106
Sat. Nov. 02 - Lille, FR - Le Grand Mix
Mon. Nov. 04 - Bristol, UK - The Lanes
Tue. Nov. 05 - Leeds, UK - Headrow House
Wed. Nov. 06 - Birkenhead, UK - Future Yard
Thu. Nov. 07 - Glasgow, UK - Hug & Pint
Fri. Nov. 08 - Edinburgh, UK - Sneaky Pete’s
Sat. Nov. 09 - Middlesbrough, UK - Teesside Univ. Students’ Union
Sun. Nov. 10 - London, UK - MOTH Club
Tue. Nov. 12 - Rotterdam, NL- Rotown
Wed. Nov. 13 - Lasne, BE - Rideau Rouge
Thu. Nov. 14 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso
Fri. Nov. 15 - Wiltz, LU - Prabbeli
Sat. Nov. 16 - Dijon, FR - La Vapeur
 

Carrot On Strings is available to order from Sub Pop. LP orders in North America from megamart.subpop.com, select independent retailers, and in the UK/Europe from Mega Mart 2 (the new, UK-based sibling site to the world-famous Sub Pop Mega Mart) and select UK/EU independent retailers will receive the Loser Edition on Transparent Orange. All color vinyl versions are available while stock lasts.

Man Man
Carrot On Strings

Tracklisting:
1. Iguana
2. Cryptoad
3. Tastes Like Metal
4. Mongolian Spot
5. Blooddungeon
6. Carrots On Strings
7. Mulholland Drive
8. Pack Your Bags
9. Alibi
10. Cherry Cowboy
11. Odyssey

On June 28th, Sub Pop will release Washed Out’s fifth and most audacious album, Notes From a Quiet Life. The music of Washed Out has always levitated over a timeless frontier. You can sense it in his immersive, amorphous vocals, expansive soundscapes, and wistful storytelling. Following the previously released Notes From A Quiet Life, Documentary that was shot earlier this year and Directed by Kristian Melom (“Dear, Dreamer” and “The River”), comes the new single “​​Running Away.”
 
Washed Out’s Ernest Greene shares about the song: “Starting work on a new album often means a lot of failed experiments.  Basically, I’m just waiting around until I stumble into something new that I can build an album concept around.  For NFAQL, that song was “Running Away”.  It had all of the ingredients that ended up shaping the aesthetic for the album: a more minimal arrangement, sonic clarity, and more of an emphasis on classic songwriting technique.”
 
Additionally, Washed Out has announced live shows to support his forthcoming record, with festival appearances at Sundown Festival and Twilight Concert Series in June and Day In Day Out in July. North American Headline shows to follow in August. See below for a full list of shows.

Notes From a Quiet Life is available to preorder now on CD/LP/DSPs from Sub Pop. LP preorders in North America from megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the Loser Edition on Honeydew Melon vinyl. LP orders from independent retail stores & Mega Mart 2 (the new, UK-based sibling site to the world-famous Sub Pop Mega Mart) in the UK and Europe will receive the Loser Edition on Yellow-Green vinyl. All colored vinyl versions are available while stock lasts.

Washed Out
Notes From a Quiet Life
 
Track Listing:
1. Waking Up
2. Say Goodbye
3. Got Your Back
4. The Hardest Part
5. A Sign
6. Second Sight
7. Running Away
8. Wait on You
9. Wondrous Life
10. Letting Go