In May 1981 B-Movie and Soft Cell went into Advision Studios in London with the same producer, Mike Thorne (Wire, Bronski Beat, China Crisis, The Communards) to record singles for the label they were both signed to. Phonogram had really wanted to sign B-Movie but had also committed to Soft Cell, having been coerced into it by Stev0, who managed both artists and wouldn’t let them have one without the other. B-Movie commenced recording the dark moody anti-fame anthem ‘Marilyn Dreams’, whilst Soft Cell got underway on a cover of an obscure Northern Soul classic. When both songs were released in July 1981, ‘Tainted Love’ became a worldwide hit and shot Soft Cell to international fame, making them the biggest stars of 1981.

Record Store Day 2025. Combining the run of early singles with more obscure later period tracks underlines the strength and depth that Wire had. This is pop art as art/pop and an exploration of the blank canvas of pop culture and how far that canvas can be stretched, going from three minute constructs to ambient washes. The 7” single was always the ultimate artefact and statement, with the A side being the band momentarily paused in time and distilled and freeze-framed into the forever with less than three minutes of electric sound.

Record Store Day 2025. Live On Tour was recorded at the Agora in Cleveland on December 18, 1978 and published as a promo LP for radio broadcast in 1979. Recorded on the More Songs About Buildings and Food tour, the promo release was never officially released commercially to the public. This is the first official release of the full show, fully remastered from the original analog tapes and features one previously unreleased track. 2LP set cut at 45rpm.

An eclectic compilation album celebrating twenty ‘tips of the tongue’ from David Keenan, released to coincide with a book of his collected music writing. As well as being the title of a book. Volcanic Tongue was a record shop that existed in Glasgow from 2005 to 2015, run by David Keenan and Heather Leigh, it championed contemporary DIY music from around the world, often released in tiny runs on homemade CD-Rs, and also sought to shine a light on forgotten artists from the past, who had often released their music as a ‘private press’ LP. The shop was also known for it’s weekly mailing list, with Keenan enthusiastically rapping about new arrivals, especially the record of the week, given the sobriquet ‘tip of the tongue’. This collection has been put together from releases that were a ‘tip of the tongue’, containing music that runs the gamut from outsider synth to psych-folk to damaged rock’n’roll, with tracks recorded between 1968 and 2013, a celebration of a vibrant and eclectic underground avant-garde.

Irish indie rock sensation Fontaines D.C. return with new album ROMANCE, their debut on XL Recordings, out on August 23rd. Recorded shortly after their tour supporting Arctic Monkeys, it seizes on the momentum of 2022’s Skinty Fia, which firmly established them as one of today’s most exciting rock bands. ROMANCE represents a bold sonic and stylistic evolution for the band and lead single “Starburster” shows the band at their most electrifying to date, as Chatten’s swaggering stream of consciousness collides with explosive production.

Previously unreleased version of Public Image Limited’s debut album that was re-recorded and remixed for release (with alternate artwork from original release) in 1979 via Warners in the US and Canada, but ultimately shelved. This is the holy grail for fans of John Lydon’s post-Sex Pistols band. A stunning debut and landmark release for the post-punk movement of the late ‘70s.

Four years have passed since Young Knives’ last studio outing – 2020’s aggressive and philosophical look at humanity’s propensity for hyper-violence, Barbarians – and during this time the band have taken a step to consider the changing of the world around them, their place in it, and the sometimes-futile pursuit of controlling what it is that we leave behind when we’re gone.

Released in 1979, Beat Rhythm News was the one and only album that Essential Logic - the band started by former X-Ray Spex saxophonist Lora Logic after being unexpectedly ejected from the group - released in their original iteration. For its forty-fifth anniversary, the album is reissued in expanded form to encompass the band’s complete studio recordings from 1978 to 1983, including debut single ‘Aerosol Burns’ and the 1979 Wake Up EP.

The Effigies were a 1980s-era Chicago punk band whose music had a lasting effect on many fans including one Steve Albini. They made many albums and EPs but their most lauded work was 1984's For Ever Grounded which now comes back out for its 40th anniversary complete with brand new 2024 mixes.

British Folk-Rock Post-Punk duo, The Waeve, return with their latest guitar driven romp, City Lights. Graham Coxon (Blur) and Rose Elinor Dougall return with the follow-up to last year's acclaimed eponymous debut. Produced by James Ford (Fontaines DC, Arctic Monkeys), the record features both artists on vocal duties in addition to playing a host of instruments including saxophone, keyboards and drums. The WAEVE have established themselves as a songwriting partnership to watch and with City Lights they further push the boundaries of their collaborative creativity, using this album to chronicle the evolution of their relationship and forays into parenthood.

THE THE, one of the most acclaimed and cherished bands of the last few decades, have announced details of the release of ‘Ensoulment’, their first studio album of new songs in a quarter century. This 12-song album will be released through Cinéola / earMUSIC on Friday 6th September 2024.

Formed in 2016, The Scratch recognised for their contemporary and experimental approach to heavy metal and Irish folk music, rose to prominence following a performance at the annual Rory Gallagher festival which went viral. Releasing their debut album Couldn’t Give A Rats one month into the Covid lockdown in 2020, the band re-emerged triumphantly, building a loyal fanbase and selling-out venues across Ireland including two shows in Dublin’s 3 Olympia, the UK, Europe, and North America.

Colossal is the third full-length album from "post-everything" Minneapolis-based rock trio Scrunchies. Recorded by Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Il., Colossal is a whirlwind of art punk, noise rock, and post-punk with enough cathartic melodies to soften the abrasion. Colossal is an AAA album- recorded, mixed, and mastered with analog gear and tape.

THE GOTH-TINGED, PSYCHEDELIC, NEW WAVE INDIE CULT CLASSIC IS BACK FROM THE DEAD! The Rochester, NY band's 1981 debut EP has been newly remastered & is now expanded to include six bonus tracks: three studio outtakes & three tracks recorded live at Rochester's Scorgies in 1983. The title track has received years of interest from DJs and 80s indie fans. With a fresh remaster & unearthed outtakes, it is a must! The original EP release came out on Howie Klien's 415 Records ( Romeo Void, Red Rockers, Translator, Wire Train) -distributed by Columbia. The original 5-song EP has long been out of print. The newly remastered EP tracks sit sonically alongside the outtakes and live cuts to flesh out this indie classic. To celebrate the 2023 compilation release "Die Trying & Other Hot Sounds", New Math reformed & spent most of last year playing shows around the Upstate New York area. Feeling rejuvenated, the band decided to record some of their original repertoire that had not yet been captured in the studio and was previously lost to time.

Since forming in high school, Brisbane band The Goon Sax—the trio of Riley Jones, Louis Forster, and James Harrison, best friends who take turns writing, singing, and playing each instrument— have been celebrated for their unpretentious, kinetic homemade pop.