{"title":"Exploding In Sound Records","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExploding In Sound Records is a record label based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded in October 2011 by Dan Goldin and Dave Spak, the label has quickly become a prominent force in the independent music scene. With a focus on *supporting emerging artists* and *championing diverse sounds*, Exploding In Sound Records has built a reputation for releasing groundbreaking music across various genres.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe label's commitment to fostering creativity and nurturing talent has resulted in an impressive roster of *innovative musicians*. From indie rock to punk, post-punk to noise rock, their catalog boasts an eclectic mix of styles that pushes boundaries and challenges conventions. With each release, Exploding In Sound Records showcases the raw energy and passion that defines underground music.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith their finger on the pulse of what's happening in the alternative music world, Exploding In Sound Records continues to be at the forefront of discovering new talent. Their dedication to providing a platform for artists who defy categorization sets them apart from other labels. Whether you're a seasoned fan or just starting your musical journey, Exploding In Sound Records offers an unparalleled listening experience that will leave you craving more.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"wasteland-baby-2","title":"Wasteland Baby","description":"\u003cp\u003eKal Marks have never made a record as personal as \u003ci\u003eWasteland Baby.\u003c\/i\u003e Though Carl Shane, the band’s vocalist-guitarist, has made a career off of exploring blunt, uncomfortable truths through song, with \u003ci\u003eWasteland Baby\u003c\/i\u003e, he steered Kal Marks toward something utterly new. Shane looked inward to stare down a fear that had long plagued him: What would it look like to have a child in a world that looks like this? “The album was driven by the fears I’m having about being a father,” says Shane. “The initial spark was this fear, and I thought that maybe if I could express it, I could overcome it.” What started out with this simple premise slowly grew into a sprawling, borderline-concept record. It’s no surprise, then, that Kal Marks went deeper and darker than ever before when writing \u003ci\u003eWasteland Baby\u003c\/i\u003e. Though, in order to reach that final product, it required the band—bassist-vocalist John Russell, drummer Adam Berkowitz, and guitarist-vocalist Christina Puerto, who is also Shane’s partner—to interrogate every decision they made with exacting detail. ”We were really all on the same page in that we wanted to make something really, really special and that was going to require us putting a lot of ego aside and just trying to serve the songs as best as possible.” “In an ideal world, Kal Marks will go on forever. But it may be the end of a chapter for a while. I don’t want it to be the end, but there was an element running through the album that maybe could be the end,” says Shane. No matter what the future holds, Wasteland Baby is an emphatic reminder to brush off the things that keep you from truly living and venture into the unknown.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Blue LP","offer_id":50380080578891,"sku":"2212023","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/201374978753_0aa63127_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726206382"},{"product_id":"divided-ep","title":"Divided EP","description":"\u003cp\u003eAlready receiving strong support with plays by the likes of Deb Grant and Mary Anne Hobbs, Lara Jones' Divided EP is both playful and provocative, turning dance floor sounds into protest songs. Addressing subjects that affect us all – the highly polarised state of our politics as well as our conflicted inner and outer selves – Lara has created a sonic space that embraces this duality and gives voice to her own insecurities and anger at the state we find ourselves in, but also a desire for change, for a world that’s a little less divided. Composed, produced and mixed in her small London flat, Lara returns with her most dance floor-driven EP to date, with high energy pulsating electronics and jazz harmonies that weave into electronic grime and a web of arpeggiated synths, basses and glitchy beats. Divided sees Lara find her voice, bringing a punk angst with Jones’ lyrics and vocals, complimented by her signature electronics as she experiments with her voice more than ever. Listen to selected tracks here. EP comes with full sleeve notes by Mike Flynn editor of Jazzwise Magazine\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Black LP.","offer_id":50380227248459,"sku":"2221223","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/getImage_-_2024-09-10T120132.065_44bf457c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726211192"},{"product_id":"god-is-luck-2","title":"God Is Luck","description":"\u003cp\u003eGod Is Luck, the new record from Sean Sprecher's Bad History Month project, seemingly begins mid-note, as if the music was already being played as you stumbled upon its opening track.     It's a pertinent start-point because, in many ways, God Is Luck exists firmly within that realm, many of the songs pulled directly from improvisation before being twisted into the mysterious shapes we find here on the finished record. Recorded between the summer of 2020 and the summer of 2022, God Is Luck is an exercise in artistic freedom. The songs came quickly and easily by design, the whole point of the record and the approach to simply let go. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The third Bad History Month LP - following the Pitchfork-championed Old Blues (2020) - where aspects of the new album mirror the shape of Sprecher's previous work, its creation was an altogether different experience for the Philadelphia-via-Boston songwriter. He describes it as a collaboration with 'luck', the freeform nature of the recording resulting in a process that felt \"fun and easy and fearless in a way that recording had never been.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \"God is Luck means you can control reality by choosing your perspective to always see the luck, which makes you the god of your own reality,\" Sean Sprecher says of his latest record. With that notion at its core, Bad History Month's latest adventure finds twisted new ways to tell age-old tales. Even in its most fearless compositions, buried within dense fog, it strives for goodness; freedom from fear, love for friends, surrounding yourself with those who inspire.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50393801032011,"sku":"2051173","price":37.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_a7225656_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726427467"},{"product_id":"my-name-is-hell","title":"My Name Is Hell","description":"\u003cp\u003eConsidered veterans of the Boston DIY scene, Kal Marks has been going for over a decade, constantly pushing themselves and growing along the way. Their tireless work ethic keeps them out on the road, throughout the US and most recently their first tour of Europe and the UK. While many bands settle into a comfortable place, Kal Marks take pride in expanding their sound, contorting and reshaping the formula with every album they’ve released. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey’ve challenged their audience over the years and it's been met with adoration and critical acclaim from outlets like NPR, Pitchfork, Fader, and Stereogum. Known for being one of the loudest and heaviest “indie rock” bands out there, they’ve shared bills with Big Business, Black Midi, The Messthetics, METZ, True Widow, and more. Their explosive live show is built on feedback and cathartic aggression, an outlet to exorcise the weight of the world around us. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Pink | LP","offer_id":50407407485259,"sku":"1160096","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50407408238923,"sku":"2170769","price":39.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/e3e287f1-49ab-44ab-955f-683c878bd5fe_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726597485"},{"product_id":"through-the-window-2","title":"Through The Window","description":"\u003cp\u003eIzzy Hagerup has been kicking around the songs that make up Prewn’s debut album for the better part of a decade. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit however that she really had the seclusion needed to complete them. With a chance opportunity to write and record at Kevin McMahon’s (Swans, The Walkmen, Pile) Marcata Studio during lock-downs, she was able to focus without distraction, bringing her ideas to life. As a member of McMahon’s Pelican Movement collective the two already had a positive working relationship, and this was a chance for Hagerup to temporarily remove herself from daily life in Northampton to create without distraction at a difficult time. She’d spend the day writing, working to weave ideas into solid threads, watching the pieces come into place during productive uninterrupted sessions. She describes the immersive time spent in the studio as “life changing,” in large part due to the pure isolation where “creating was the focus and I could really be alone, leading me to find myself more prolific than I ever thought I could be.” The results are staggeringly beautiful and triumphantly visceral. Speaking about the process, Hagerup shared, “these were some of the most rewarding, exciting days in my musical life. I learned that so much of writing a song is just pushing through all the mental blocks and fears and judgements that get in the way.” While the recordings have sat semi-completed, Prewn has grown to become one of Western Massachusetts’ most in-demand bands, the line-up expanding to include Mia Huggs (bass), Calvin Parent (guitar), Karl Helander (drums). With full band recordings set to come in the future, \u003cem\u003eThrough The Window\u003c\/em\u003e is an intimate introduction to the project, capturing a place and time, the songs urgently needing to find their way out.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Blue","offer_id":50426565820747,"sku":"2210496","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":56709996970315,"sku":"R7567-9688","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Through_the_Window_63d82dc9_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726813104"},{"product_id":"eighteen-hours-of-static","title":"Eighteen Hours Of Static","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrendan Finn, Joe Galarraga, Amar Lal, and Carlos Salguero Jr. met whilst learning about specifications of Cat 5 cables in New York City. Shortly after, they formed a band. Big Ups blend punk, post-punk, metal, and indie rock into a salty mash that gets stuck to the roof of your mouth. At their brightest, they have been likened to The Descendents, but at their sludgiest, they call to mind bands like Pissed Jeans and The Jesus Lizard, albeit with an Albini-esque metallic clang. The record was recorded by Charles DeChants in the rock 'n' roll labyrinth known as Excello Recording in Brooklyn over three days. The album is one characterised by aggressive mood swings. The band slows their usual frantic pace on the burner \"Wool\" - a song about dealing with suffering.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Silver LP","offer_id":50426629980491,"sku":"2213186","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50426629488971,"sku":"370822","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Eighteen_Hours_of_Static_202efb25_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726814964"},{"product_id":"did-you-get-better-3","title":"Did You Get Better","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith a squall of guitar and a crash of drums, two years on from the release of their exhilarating debut EP, Chicago noisemakers Babe Report finally release their debut album in 2024, in the form of the rough-and-ready Did You Get Better, released this Spring via Exploding In Sound -  Formed of ten new songs, and all wrapped in under half an hour, it's an immediate and breathless arrival. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOpening track 'Turtle of Reaper' arrives in a flurry of noise and energy. Presented as an indictment of the fear-mongering in click-bait media, it's a cacophonous two-minutes of scorched vocals and frenetic drums, the chorus a call back to 12\/31\/99, when all the news told people to turn off their computers before Y2K hit. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Universal' offers something somewhat more refined, with occasional moments of restraint amid the commotion that arrives in a hardy whack of heavy riffs. \"This one is all about climbing up onto your neighbor's back to succeed,\" the band explain. \"Most aspects of life are not a zero-sum game, but when they are, it feels ethically wrong to win.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eElsewhere, 'Allergy 2000' is the album's weighty centre-point, characterized by its soaring guitar lead line and stifled, murky vocals what might have started out as an experiment in writing a Yo La Tengo song soon comes into its own with a rabid tempo shift that feels indicative of the album's fervent nature, never allowing the listener to rest on their laurels.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHowever it finds you or you find it, Did You Get Better finds a way to take the reins, ploughing headfirst into its journey and rarely looking back for approval, to even worry if anyone else is joining for the ride.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Blue LP","offer_id":50433351909707,"sku":"2200293","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_0ee2ab87_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726878998"},{"product_id":"revival-of-a-friend-3","title":"Revival of a Friend","description":"\u003cp\u003eGrief doesn't have an endpoint -  No matter how much time passes or how much healing you can muster, the absence stays ubiquitous. But with patience and care, you can endure and live with it. Sour Widows know this. The Oakland-based indie rock outfit was formed in 2017 by bandleaders and best friends Maia Sinaiko and Susanna Thomson during personal upheaval and tragedy: Sinaiko's partner died and Thomson's mother was diagnosed with cancer. Their bond and their band anchored them through this time and the songs they wrote processed the death surrounding them. Their debut album Revival of a Friend is resonant indie rock about the spiritually purifying power of connection and love in the face of loss. Across 10 winding and potent guitar-led tracks, they channel their mourning into solidarity and comfort.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Grey LP","offer_id":50433608155467,"sku":"2200326","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Red LP","offer_id":51269905973579,"sku":"R7335-5325","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_60bbfb0b_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726881286"},{"product_id":"buds-4","title":"Buds","description":"\u003cp\u003eI would like to think that the songs on this album are all pop songs at the core, says Steve Hartlett, the band's songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist. On first blush, Buds won't shock longtime Ovlov fans, but on repeat listens, those fuzzy, crushing guitars start to feel less like the central focus and more of a delivery system for Hartlett's grander ambitions. \"For the past few years, the number of rock bands I've been listening to has grown smaller and smaller,\" says Hartlett. \"Unfortunately, it's the only genre and style I've ever really felt comfortable writing. That's probably mostly because I write everything on a guitar. Don't get me wrong, I love rock music--there's nothing more satisfying than playing an E chord through a Big muff as loud as the amp will go--I just want to slowly progress into writing the most perfectly poppy of pop songs.\" Buds is dense and dark, but Hartlett's assertion is dead-on: these are just big, bold pop songs. It's still Ovlov, but a more assured version, one that isn't so shy about putting their ambitions on full display.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Green LP","offer_id":50434048885067,"sku":"2167520","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_d664d2ec_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726885289"},{"product_id":"albers-ep","title":"Albers EP","description":"\u003cp\u003eYarni is all about tactile, real, physical experience and the creations that result. Now, alongside printmaker John Pedder, he’s making that more explicit than ever. Yarni and John swapped musical and visual influences, each feeding the other; songs and art developing as a single process. From The Clash to the Bauhaus movement, references merged, and in particular, Anni Albers became a touchstone for both. Every physical copy of this EP is different, the geometry of John’s prints echoing Ben’s music. The loping hip-hop jungle of the title track, the airborne house groove of “Red Meander”, the footworking jitter of “Agitator II”, the cerebral dancing of “Rummy” – all are inspired by John’s artistry. The EP is brought to you via Sound Records, a label focused on artistry, process, and artifacts – things you can feel, hold and treasure. Here’s hoping you’ll hold it too, and feel the joy that has been put into it from the very start.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"12\"","offer_id":50434823717195,"sku":"2053747","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Albers_EP_5125640e_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726895483"},{"product_id":"tru-2","title":"TRU","description":"\u003cp\u003eCompared to its 2013 predecessor, \u003cem\u003eAm\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eTRU\u003c\/em\u003e is less late-'80s Dino Jr., more early-'90s Sebadoh: While Ovlov are still as wonderfully wooly ever, they're unleashing the noise in more purposeful, sculpted spurts and displaying a greater willingness to let their melodies sparkle through the clouds of distortion. Tuneful, feedback-slathered surges like \"Half Way Fine\" and \"Spright\" feel as comfortable as a beaten-up pair of Chuck Taylors, introducing dramatic dynamic shifts and savvy melodic change-ups to keep you on your toes. You may not always be able to make out Hartlett's lyrics amid the cyclonic fuzz, but the despondence and disillusionment in his voice always cut through loud and clear. And when he can't quite find the right words, he and fellow guitarist Morgan Luzzi unleash that simmering angst through nonverbal means, like the roiling guitar tsunami that brings the hazy-headed \"Baby Alligator\" to a cataclysmic close.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Blue","offer_id":50441771385163,"sku":"2167521","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP - Brown","offer_id":51308981289291,"sku":"R7559-6419","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP - Red Ripple","offer_id":56938678583627,"sku":"R7559-6277","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_6a641c8a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726986713"},{"product_id":"buds","title":"Buds","description":"\u003cp\u003eOver the course of twelve years, a litany of splits and EPs, two full lengths, and even a couple break-ups, Northeastern fuzz-rock heroes Ovlov have earned a loyal cult following - all while staunchly following their own path at every turn.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow, the band has returned with their third full length, \u003ci\u003eBuds\u003c\/i\u003e, an album three years in the making that nd the band deftly maintaining their endearingly steadfast identity while also reckoning with the inevitability of change. Made up of brothers along with their childhood friend, Ovlov's musical DNA is rooted in the kind of familiarity that can only come from real friends playing together. It's largely that chemistry that steers the band's approach: if it doesn't feel right for everyone, don't do it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Orange | LP","offer_id":50447172993355,"sku":"2004144","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Brown | LP","offer_id":50447172796747,"sku":"1152073","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/c6b185e0-52ae-417d-92b8-121b5a7c0a75_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727072839"},{"product_id":"somebody-elses-song","title":"Somebody Else's Song","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the years since the release of \u003cem\u003eWater From Your Eyes'\u003c\/em\u003e groundbreaking effort, \"\u003cem\u003eSomebody Else's Song\u003c\/em\u003e,\" the duo have taken the world by storm, becoming one of the most consistent and beloved experimental pop bands of the era. They've toured with \u003cstrong\u003eInterpol\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eSquid\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ePalm\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eReal Estate\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003ePavement\u003c\/strong\u003e, earning a reputation as critically acclaimed songwriters and a stellar live act with a boisterous presence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis October marks five years since the release and Exploding In Sound Records are celebrating with a limited edition reissue on green vinyl with purple and black splatter! Back in 2019, Brooklyn's \u003cem\u003eWater From Your Eyes\u003c\/em\u003e had been evolving and experimenting with their sound. With \"\u003cem\u003eSomebody Else's Song\u003c\/em\u003e,\" the band felt that they had found their place, the album an amalgamation of their past releases, honing in previously explored aesthetics but combining and rearranging ideas to capture feelings of self-reflection and personal growth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt their core, the duo of Nate Amos and Rachel Brown make experimental pop music, songs you can dance to, songs that will stick in your head long after you've heard them. The sound of \u003cem\u003eWater From Your Eyes\u003c\/em\u003e is far more expansive however, and \"\u003cem\u003eSomebody Else's Song\u003c\/em\u003e\" is blissfully unclassifiable. The lines of genre have blurred beyond recognition. The landscape flickers between haunting ambiance and noisy immersion, electronic and acoustic elements expressing emotional and mental states that are ever-changing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eSomebody Else's Song\u003c\/em\u003e\" was their first true \"New York album\" since the band's relocation from Chicago, and much of the weight comes from the personal change inherent from living in a new place as life continues to whir around us. The duo took their time, the ideas coming into formation over the course of two years. That patience is apparent as the album unfolds, a balance between vulnerability and enormous shapeshifting rhythms.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50447177843019,"sku":"2191012","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_37324166_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727073021"},{"product_id":"old-blues","title":"Old Blues","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat does 'Old Blues' mean to you? For Bad History Month's Sean Sprecher, 'Old Blues' is many things. The title of the Boston based musician's sophomore album (since the dissolution of duo Fat History Month) refers to 'macro and micro scale Bad History, childhood trauma dragged into adulthood, the self-doubts and anxieties of aging, problems people have been fighting wars over since the ancients,' and most naturally, 'the tradition of channeling hard times into good music.' The record is an extremely personal yet relatable album, an assertion of the hope that there are parts of ourselves and each other that we can push towards being better than our common weaknesses would have us believe. An influential fixture on the east coast DIY scene and beyond, Bad History Month has been creating profound and sincere music that deals with unhappiness and its absurdity in equal measure since 2007. Due out April 24th, Old Blues is a welcome return from one of our generations brightest songwriters.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50454891004235,"sku":"1092499","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/fedc1d96-b05f-4f5e-b870-8fb8231bb9e6_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727186814"},{"product_id":"patched-in-sounds-of-the-stroud-underground","title":"Patched In: Sounds Of The Stroud Underground","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhether folk, rock, jazz, electronica or hip hop, Stroud's musical innovators are united by a love of improvisation, experimentation and collaboration. This record is the first attempt to capture the key sounds of the scene and features acts as diverse as the haunting electronica of Orbury Common, the post-punk jazz of Mermaid Chunky, the etherial cello of Simon McCorry and glitchy hip-hop of Fidel Cutstro. The record also features a track from Blancmange legend Neil Arthur in his Near Future guise as well as the first ever recorded track by Wooolheads, a collaboration between Sound Records' own Sean Roe and artist Uta Baldauf. Other acts involved are Mahon Sounds, Little Metropolis, Unicorn Ship Explosion and Phonsonic.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe record is limited to just 500 copies and is likely to become a collectors item given the interest in the project. Artwork is by locally respected artist Adam Hinks (Good on Paper) and insert sleeve notes are written by music journalist Rupert Howe.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50463624167755,"sku":"1143415","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/d63b7316-a3cd-4867-b28d-ae2c1a925c3c_thumbnail_4096.png?v=1727265227"},{"product_id":"mt-surreal","title":"Mt Surreal","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"It's the same as it ever was,\" Disco Doom sing on the opening - and title - track of their brand new album \u003ci\u003eMt Surreal\u003c\/i\u003e but it's a lyric that never quite rings true. While there's definitely a path from these eight new songs to the hearts and minds of those waiting to hear them, it's never linear, never as straightforward as just putting one foot in front of the other. Disco Doom is, as always, led by the band's core of Anita Rufer and Gabriele De Mario, and the pair began working on a new album back in 2018, with the final version we hear today worked on from 2019 until late 2021, the story taking many twists and turns along the way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReleasing music together for some twenty years, such longevity has earned the band a legendary status in Switzerland, as well as a reputation for making incredibly forward-thinking rock music. Since the release of 2014's \"Numerals\", the Zurich-based band have toured the EU\/UK with both Built To Spill and The Breeders, had their music featured in the end credits of HBO's Animals, and have also released a critically acclaimed album under their J\u0026amp;L Defer alter-ego.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTrue to its name, \u003ci\u003eMt. Surreal\u003c\/i\u003e is truly that a strange and peculiar journey that'll wrap you up deep inside its intoxicating world, where lyrics leap out at odd moments, where a hook grabs just when the whole thing threatens to combust. \"\u003ci\u003eMt. Surreal\u003c\/i\u003e is a feeling we can't describe properly and one that's constantly changing. It is a longing for what we can not yet describe,\" the band say of the new album.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50464074236235,"sku":"1164902","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/88a79417-d6c4-488f-b831-650b2c53336e_thumbnail_4096.png?v=1727270161"},{"product_id":"devin","title":"Devin","description":"\u003cp\u003eManeka is the musical project of Devin McKnight. A familiar presence in music circles for much of the past decade, McKnight has made appearances in projects like Grass Is Green and most prominently as the guitarist in Speedy Ortiz, with his lead parts underpinning their 2015 breakthrough ‘Foil Deer’. He amicably left Speedy Ortiz in 2017 with the intention of developing his own voice as a songwriter, and quickly released his first EP under the Maneka name which was praised by publications like Billboard, Stereogum and DIY. Now McKnight is releasing his debut full length as Maneka, an album entitled ‘Devin’, a deeply personal release that encapsulate the musical experience of one of the more distinct and multifaceted performers currently making guitar music. The album, which nods to genres as varied as grindcore, jazz, shoegaze, hip hop, new wave and post-punk, is a celebration of McKnight’s identity as a musician and a person. Thematically the album digs deep into the corresponding territory of McKnight’s experience as a musician and a person of color in America, exploring a perspective that is rarely represented in indie rock. His embrace of this thematic direction is reflective of the lessons learned over the course of his career so far. The results are consistently engaging, and surprising. The album is an incredibly personal document that succeeds in communicating, with depth, clarity, humor and emotional directness, the experiences that make Devin McKnight who he is.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50464098025803,"sku":"1069772","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/5cc610fd-8e36-40e5-b44c-969e15f850bf_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727270431"},{"product_id":"reverse-of-mastery","title":"Reverse Of Mastery","description":"\u003cp\u003eDig Nitty's songs were written while Erin McGrath was working as a New York City Park Ranger, monitoring birds at the beach in the Rockaways. McGrath used that experience to shape her ideas. 'The complete blankness of walking in a straight line monitoring birds would free up my brain and melodies would float in.' \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile it may not be related to the album's core themes of friendship, death, trauma, chronic illness, loneliness, and love, there is a representation of freedom synonymous with birds that can be found within Reverse of Mastery. The Brooklyn based trio's full-length debut works from so many of the moments that define early life, feelings brought on by deep friendship and profound loss, capturing sentiments as they occur in context to their surroundings. Blending together elements of spooky folk-country, surf\/punk rock, and indie, there's a wide depth of dynamics in the band's collaborative songwriting.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50464128368971,"sku":"1101319","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/c9c6d8ea-481d-4947-8758-654922531b89_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727270838"},{"product_id":"songs-known-together-alone","title":"Songs Known Together, Alone","description":"\u003cp\u003ePile is currently known as a band but it started in 2007 as a solo project by Rick Maguire. Because of the circumstances of 2020, it temporarily returned to being a mostly solo operation and Rick recorded \u003ci\u003eSongs Known Together, Alone\u003c\/i\u003e, a reimagining of some of the band’s previously released material. Recorded live in a barn in upstate New York, Rick used the opportunity to explore new sounds and instrumentation, half of the songs were performed on guitar and a foot-pedal synthesizer and the other half performed on piano. The reimagined performances show Pile in a new light, and while the approach is unlike anything heard from the band before, the emotional charge is just as palpable.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50476359123275,"sku":"1130728","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/59904eb9-3bb3-4cb4-a013-e5f08636eee1_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727458462"},{"product_id":"hot-air-balloon-ep","title":"Hot Air Balloon EP","description":"\u003cp\u003ePile - the trio of Rick Maguire, Kris Kuss, and Alex Molini - found inspiration in the studio while working on their latest LP \u003ci\u003eAll Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e, working tirelessly to record, experiment, manipulate, mutate, and layer the songs with lush orchestration, haunting synths, and abstract textures. Challenging the confines of the standard “rock band,” they took inspiration from artists like Portishead and Aphex Twin, reigniting their passion as they explored their sound in a new realm. The sessions resulted in a flutter of productivity and before the band knew it they had completed well over a dozen songs, stretching far beyond the confines of a single LP’s runtime. After much deliberation, songs were pulled from the record, never a “trimming of the fat” but more of a consideration of which songs were able to stand best on their own. These songs form the Hot Air Balloon EP. Released digitally on January 5th, 2024, and now in LP format for the first time, the EP captures the band experimenting in all directions, from the direct to the further abstract. Following the release of “Scaling Walls,” a song Paste Magazine called “a contemplative slow-burn,” the band introduce the EP with the quasi title track, “The Birds Attacked My Hot Air Balloon,” a song that finds Pile in a more surrealist state, the meditative composition bristling with shuffling rhythms and brilliantly disorienting synths.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Blue 12\"","offer_id":50496693567819,"sku":"2223457","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Hot_Air_Balloon_EP_42bdd75f_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727723222"},{"product_id":"theres-a-rhinoceros-in-the-mega-church","title":"There's A Rhinoceros In The Mega Church","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThere’s A Rhinoceros In The Mega Church\u003c\/i\u003e is their debut LP released on Sound Records. U.S.E. (also often expressed as Unicorn Ship Explosion, but feel free to interpret this yourself), are unfortunately two boys known to their mums as Rob \u0026amp; Sash. Since we last saw Rob he has been working really hard as a multi-instrumentalist. He’s almost mastered the drums (he’s even been to jazz school), and he’s near to the final chapter of piano lessons. He’s really talented. He has his own music studio where he produces \u0026amp; writes music for the likes of, The Staves, Holysseus Fly \u0026amp; other fantastic acts that are well worth a listen if you have the time. Sash (or Sasha) is a great guy. Everyone loves working with him. He’s an average musician with big ideas, which is why he uses modular synths. He has written much music for many artists you’ve probably not heard of and has collaborated with some musicians you’ve definitely heard of. He sometimes works as a sound designer for some fashion brands you can’t afford, but you wouldn’t want to wear them anyway (so don’t feel bad for not being successful enough to spend £400 on a t-shirt). Sometimes a really cool woman called, Agnieszka Szczotka, collaborates with these two loveable boys. She is a performance artist of great skill. She studied art at the Royal Academy and chose to abandon her supreme painting and sculpture skills to dedicate her life to confrontational live performance art. Big respect. Together they are Unicorn Ship Explosion (not yet known as U.S.E. as it hasn’t caught on yet). It’s a creative attempt to be in the present and not overwork music as is often the norm these days.As a result an exciting new genre is emerging from this album. The genre hasn’t a name yet, but what is certain is that A.I. can’t recreate it, and wouldn’t want to either. Let’s be human together and accept and appreciate we can’t always be great. Enjoy the good moments with the bad. And together, yes together, you the reader and us(e) your new best friends, shall show A.I. that humanity is beautiful.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Black 12\"","offer_id":50523595473227,"sku":"2221227","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/getImage_-_2024-09-10T121044.228_5d93d827_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728020443"},{"product_id":"ministerial-cafeteria","title":"Ministerial Cafeteria","description":"\u003cp\u003eSince 2017, Thirdface has intrigued their audiences and peers alike with their raw, intense technicality. The Nashville quartet consisting of drummer Shibby Poole, guitarist David Reichley, bassist Maddy Madeira, and vocalist Kathryn Edwards bring an atypically musical approach to hardcore with release after invigorating release. Thirdface takes the most harrowing elements of punk, grindcore, and death metal and fuses them into a ferocious sound that is quite considerably their own. From their inception, Thirdface has developed consistently, culminating in their new release Ministerial Cafeteria, due through stalwart unconventional rock label Exploding in Sound Records. \n\nThirdface is decidedly remarkable in their dedication to Nashville DIY. Edwards runs the beloved all ages venue Drkmttr; Poole is a go-to recording engineer for local bands; and all four members have played in various other projects over the years. Within the constellation of Nashville’s DIY scene, Poole, Reichley, and Madeira were already well acquainted with each other’s playing styles through a previous band. Starting as a side project in 2017, the three shifted gears and began leaning toward a more intense sound requiring a vocal presence unburdened by an instrument. Since then, the release of 2021’s self-recorded Do It With A Smile led Thirdface to regional tours with the likes of Touché Amoré and City of Caterpillar.\n\nOn Ministerial Cafeteria, Thirdface loosens the reins only a little more than on Do It With A Smile, but the small change makes a profound difference. Thirdface’s onslaught of blasts and D-beats are no less present than ever, but now ‘grooves’ are allowed a little more life, stretching for an extra measure or for a full repetition before they’re snatched away. Simply, Ministerial Cafeteria gives more space for the dancers, but their faces will still be on the ground as they try to process what they’re hearing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50531960521035,"sku":"2220793","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_7611d2ea_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728113496"},{"product_id":"am-9","title":"Am","description":"\u003cp\u003eSince 2009, Ovlov's transmissions have been sporadic, but they've always been impactful. The band's early run of EPs established the Connecticut four-piece as a modern update on a certain strain of northeastern indie-rock. By the time the band's debut album Am was released in 2013, Ovlov was getting comparisons to Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh tossed in their direction, and while those elements were certainly present in their sound, Ovlov always let catchy pop hooks slip into the mix too. Over the years, Am has increasingly been regarded as a modern alternative rock masterpiece, inspiring a new generation of bands as it continues to fly off the shelves.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Purple Indie Clear Galaxy","offer_id":50532306649419,"sku":"2167519","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP - Purple Swirl","offer_id":58214132121931,"sku":"R1103-6731","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_c094b33c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728119397"},{"product_id":"lawn-girl-2","title":"Lawn Girl","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMiranda Winters, as the voice of Chicago's much-loved noisemakers Melkbelly, has spent the past few years happily in her own shadow - While she has quietly written and occasionally released her own music for 15 years, Winters finally steps out into the bright light with the release of Lawn Girl, the debut album under her Mandy moniker. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album, a combination of older songs and newer creations, feels positively and endearingly alive-like a freeing of pent-up energy, an intimate rebuilding of the self. While Winters recorded and produced a number of the songs herself, she worked with Taylor Hales at Electrical Audio to feed those songs back into the studio, where they were re-recorded with room mics and worked back into the original versions. \"I see it like photocopying,\" she says of the process. \"I've always loved working with photocopying and related printing techniques in my visual art because of the way everything decays and falls apart. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt was nice to honor that on the record.\" Performed by an all-women band-Linda Sherman (guitar), Lizz Smith (bass) and Wendy Zeldin (drums)-the songs on Lawn Girl suitably find Winters ruminating on the idea of femininity; about her mom (who graces the album cover) and being a mother herself; her female friends; and what it means and what is required to make art and music in a female space intentionally.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50532321821003,"sku":"2191005","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_c38e1e48_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728119755"},{"product_id":"all-fiction-2","title":"All Fiction","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor fifteen years, Pile's evolving take on rock has earned the group one oft-repeated superlative: your favourite band's favourite band.  Ceaseless touring took its members from Boston's basement circuit to international festivals, hitting loftier technical apexes with each new record. \u003ci\u003eAll Fiction\u003c\/i\u003e, the band's eighth record, fialtnds the ambitious group assembling its most texturally complex material yet.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50828925141323,"sku":"2008122","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50828926845259,"sku":"2008123","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/All_Fiction_e4fb7300_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1731518633"},{"product_id":"yeddo-2","title":"Yeddo","description":"\u003cp\u003eExploding In Sound Records is thrilled to reissue Yeddo, the debut album from Boston’s Grass Is Green. Originally self-released back in 2010, the seminal record, which pre-dates the label, celebrates fifteen years in 2025, and the band will reunite to play a weekend of shows together with Ovlov, Speedy Ortiz, and special guests in Boston, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia. A truly legendary debut, this record served as a major catalyst for the formation of Exploding In Sound, and Grass Is Green’s third album, Ronson, eventually became the label’s very first release. We’re beyond excited to bring Yeddo to vinyl for the first time ever, a raw and flawless album of arty punk, post-hardcore, and math rock that feels exuberant at all times.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":51066368721227,"sku":"2238603","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_1f453bc0_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1736437076"},{"product_id":"improved-means-to-deteriorated-ends-2","title":"Improved Means To Deteriorated Ends","description":"\u003cp\u003eWasher return with their first new full length album in six years! The two piece band, based in Philadelphia and Brooklyn, create brilliantly sloppy indie rippers with gusto. The record, \"Improved Means to Deteriorated Ends\" deals with the struggle to make meaning in our lives, and not doing so hot at the job. Spread between fifteen tracks, the record finds the band venting frustrations around the drive to make things and the idea that we choose what has meaning in our lives. Some songs are more introspective than others, but most are about struggling to reconcile our capacity to make meaning with our emotional response to everything in our lives. While the topic sounds heavy, the record is undoubtably fun, punchy, and loaded with hooks.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":51245789937995,"sku":"2016675","price":34.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP - Burgundy","offer_id":55905713455435,"sku":"R8340-2740","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_8b7e5ff8_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1739227944"},{"product_id":"lucky-leaves","title":"Lucky Leaves","description":"\u003cp\u003eFormed in the same early 2010's scenes that spawned bands such as LVL Up, Ovlov, and Speedy Ortiz, Krill found success doing something completely different. The lyrics on Krill's debut LP \u003cem\u003eLucky Leaves\u003c\/em\u003e reveal Jonah Furman to be a clear-headed and thoughtful oddball, compulsively considering both sides of every coin. The lyrics are as thought-provoking and endearing as the music is complex and refined. Krill is both a band's band, and a fan's band. Earworms such as 'Theme from Krill' and 'Theme from Krill (Reprise)' get stuck in your head on first listen, and it's no surprise that 2013 showgoers were singing along to these tunes almost immediately after hearing them. Now, with Krill back playing shows as the hilariously named \"Krill 2\", Exploding in Sound is thrilled to put \u003cem\u003eLucky Leaves\u003c\/em\u003e is back in print! It's a certified EIS classic, and a record close to many people's hearts. Krill forever!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Orange","offer_id":51308862800203,"sku":"R2004-6840","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/201375021277.jpg?v=1740144654"},{"product_id":"jobber-to-the-stars","title":"Jobber To The Stars","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn pro wrestling, larger-than-life characters act out good-versus-evil storylines in a heightened atmosphere. For Kate Meizner, the vocalist, guitarist, and principal songwriter for the Brooklyn sludge-pop band Jobber, the spectacle of the squared circle doubles as a way for her to process what she calls “mundane and very serious struggles under capitalism.” “It doesn’t let you wallow, but it still captures a crude version of reality,” she continues. “It’s a way to laugh so you don’t scream.” Jobber’s debut full-length, Jobber to the Stars, captures that moment between a horrified yelp and a gut-busting guffaw in 11 twisty songs that cover their candied-center hooks in sweat and blood and muck, like the live-wire opener “Raw Is War” and the distortion-shrouded postcard from the edge “Pillman’s Got A Gun.” It’s power pop that busts itself open to reveal gnarly, messy bits lurking within. The album’s title plays on the band’s name—a wrestling term that refers to a person who “does the job,” or loses, in a match—and Meizner’s own journey over the record’s two-plus-year genesis. “In pro wrestling, a ‘jobber to the stars’ is a performer who always loses to big names, but not to total unknowns,” she says. “They’re good enough to make the stars look great, but never the ones pushed to the top themselves.” Meizner and her bandmates—drummer-vocalist Michael Falcone, guitarist-keyboardist Michael Julius, and bassist Miles Toth—recorded Jobber to the Stars with Justin Pizzoferrato (Dinosaur Jr, Body\/Head, Editrix) at Sonelab in Easthampton, Massachusetts and with Aron Kobayashi Ritch (Momma, Hotline TNT, Squirrel Flower) at Studio G in Brooklyn.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Emerald Green","offer_id":52545558741323,"sku":"R2816-6185","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/unnamed-2025-06-27T102544.294.jpg?v=1751016352"},{"product_id":"god-made-the-highway","title":"God Made The Highway","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor the past decade, the New Orleans band Lawn has thrived on the palpable chemistry between co-lead singers and songwriters Mac Folger and Rui De Magalhaes. Though each boasts distinct sensibilities—Folger’s songs are breezy, jangly, and personal while De Magalhaes’ are biting and propulsive post-punk—they’ve seamlessly blended their idiosyncratic styles over three unassailable indie rock full-lengths. While their latest, \u003cem\u003eGod Made the Highway\u003c\/em\u003e, is their most confident, energetic, and cohesive yet, it’s also the product of distance. De Magalhaes had moved to Chicago following the release of the 2022 Bigger Sprout, while Folger stayed in Louisiana. Despite being apart, the two still found their relentlessly collaborative spark through remote writing, ample voice memos, and a blistering studio session. These 11 urgent and inviting tracks are a testament to their enduring friendship.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Evergreen","offer_id":53016063312203,"sku":"R8915-6088","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/201375047937.jpg?v=1753467193"},{"product_id":"system-1","title":"System","description":"\u003cp\u003eIf Izzy Hagerup’s new album, \u003cem\u003eSystem\u003c\/em\u003e, feels immediately uncompromising it’s because it was never really designed for public consumption. Released under her Prewn moniker, Hagerup describes the album as a “private journal made public”. Told across nine arresting new songs, the album chronicles a deeply personal journey through the darkness of depression, but one that’s always undercut by moments of humour, selfishness and self-reflection, a push-and-pull that feels wholly distinctive.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing on 2023’s \u003cem\u003eThrough The Window\u003c\/em\u003e LP - a collection of songs that Pitchfork hailed as a “striking example of Hagerup’s ability to sit with ugliness” - \u003cem\u003eSystem\u003c\/em\u003e finds Hagerup crawling even deeper into the dense folds of the night. Written and recorded solely by Hagerup, mostly in long stretches of bedroom sessions that found her working through the small hours until she began to hear birdsong, the album reckons with a lot of the thoughts that tend to needle in at that time of night; guilt, shame, and self-absorption, as well as the societal pressures that sit at the root of such things.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom a bedroom floor in the middle of the night, through a tangle of cables and complex emotions, \u003cem\u003eSystem\u003c\/em\u003e grew into a document of disassociation, but it comes undercut with a sense of lightness when compared to what’s come before. It doesn’t surrender to the darkness, it dives into it with a keen and exploring eye and through the gloom it finds constant realizations of the wonder and appreciation of life. That journey holds a special kind of power. There’s bravery in it, a struggle that never asks you to look away but instead to follow it down the rabbit hole. That it leads to a place of fascination is testament to the sheer force these songs hold; songs of hurt and heart, fear and fun.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"120\" style=\"width: 576px;\"\u003e\n\u003ccolgroup\u003e\u003ccol width=\"120\" style=\"width: 574px;\"\u003e\u003c\/colgroup\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr height=\"20\"\u003e\n\u003ctd height=\"20\" width=\"120\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Transparent Orange","offer_id":53157732024651,"sku":"R3394-5230","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":56709983764811,"sku":"R3394-4275","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP - Cloudy Orange","offer_id":58067629637963,"sku":"R3394-3787","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/201375058388.jpg?v=1754937276"},{"product_id":"what-i-want-doesnt-want-me-back","title":"What I Want Doesn't Want Me Back","description":"\u003cp\u003eEvery album is a product of the environment it was created in and nowhere is that more pertinent than on Cusp’s \u003cem\u003eWhat I Want Doesn't Want Me Back\u003c\/em\u003e, their second album and the follow-up to 2023’s excellent debut You Can Do It All. That first album was one written in transition while the band relocated from Rochester, NY to Chicago. \u003cem\u003eWhat I Want Doesn't Want Me Back\u003c\/em\u003e comes much more from a place of stability, of roots beginning to form. “With that feeling of being settled comes the space to ask myself new questions about myself and choices I’ve made,” Jen Bender says, reflecting on that experience. The result of these subtle changes to their form comes to fruition on their thrilling new LP.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormed of 10 new songs, and recorded almost entirely live off the floor at Electrical Audio, \u003cem\u003eWhat I Want Doesn't Want Me Back\u003c\/em\u003e feels like both a maturation and a reinvention, every aspect of their sound tweaked and pushed to find new boundaries, to fill new spaces. A number of the songs here peel back the layers on what it means to write songs, the actual process of music making and being in a band; how and why we seek validation, the shapeshifting nature of legitimacy. “These questions have come up a bit in some of our previous work, but I confronted them a bit more directly on this record,” Jen expands. “The ultimate consensus is: yes, this is worthwhile and yes, it means something.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Ice Blue","offer_id":53229452001611,"sku":"R3627-2531","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/unnamed-2025-08-22T112320.305.jpg?v=1755858211"},{"product_id":"valerian-tea","title":"Valerian Tea","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn the swift follow-up to their 2024 EP, San Francisco’s Magic Fig take that blueprint of their sound and add a little more of everything: colour and creativity, scope and sonic exploration. Formed of ten exuberant new songs, \u003cem\u003eValerian Tea\u003c\/em\u003e sees the psych-pop supergroup (ft. members of The Umbrellas, Healing Potpourri, Almond Joy, Whitney's Playland, and Blades of Joy) dive even further into the lush and layered sound that defined last year’s breakthrough, opening up a whole new realm to be explored. The band remains the same, fixed in the run up to the release of the aforementioned self-titled debut. Founding members Matt Ferrara (bass), Muzzy Moskowitz (guitar), and Jon Chaney (keyboards, piano) work alongside Inna Showalter (vocals, mellotron) and Taylor Giffin (drums and percussion); all arriving from varying musical projects across the always-vibrant San Francisco scene. Built from a swirling mass of instrumentation, which includes piano, synthesizers, glockenspiel, organ, 12-string acoustic and electric guitar, \u003cem\u003eValerian Tea\u003c\/em\u003e is the sound of a band making for themselves a bold new world; a tumbling place of dizzying dynamics and overwhelmingly colorful vision. The album was primarily written before last year’s debut release, then brought to life in the time after, the patient, drawn-out process allowing the band to push the boundaries of their sound and vision. Across the ten tracks that they’ve crafted here, Magic Fig touch upon themes of skewed maternal influence, the fickleness of inspiration, melancholy and contemplation, and does so in a way that feels strikingly unique. Often pulled from childhood memories and deep-seated reflections, occasionally inspired by mystical stories and tellings, \u003cem\u003eValerian Tea\u003c\/em\u003e is often many things at the same time: light and dark, land and air, tangible and completely abstract.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Pink Flume","offer_id":53480452424011,"sku":"R1061-6933","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/unnamed-2025-09-26T115337.742.jpg?v=1758884025"},{"product_id":"here-comes-washer","title":"Here Comes Washer","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a repress of Brooklyn-based Washer's 2016 debut album \u003cem\u003eHere Comes Washer\u003c\/em\u003e. This beloved record has over 2 million streams on Spotify. With \"Here Comes Everyone\", Washer manages to bring together several exciting elements that can regularly elude bands of the indie rock genre. It is catchy, yet challenging and engaging, and the lyrics are easily relatable, while maintaining an aspect of observational commentary. And in the end, it rocks.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Cloudy Green","offer_id":55905437778251,"sku":"R0169-4612","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/unnamed_2_27a2b4f7-e1eb-4582-ba6c-4c2e9e71638d.jpg?v=1763122078"},{"product_id":"assumption","title":"Assumption","description":"\u003cp\u003eWestern Massachusetts band Landowner play abrasively-clean minimalist punk. Singer Dan Shaw started Landowner in 2016, writing and recording the project's debut \u003cem\u003eImpressive Almanac\u003c\/em\u003e with a practice amp and a laptop drum machine. Shaw's initial concept was a made-up genre called “weak d-beat”, meant to sound intentionally absurd “as if Antelope were reading the sheet music of Discharge”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen Shaw joined with his current bandmates in 2017, they translated these early experiments in restraint, minimalism, and caricatured hardcore as a live band. This provided Landowner with its own unique set of blueprints: the guitars “slap hard” without using any distortion or effects, the rhythm section is tight, fast, and repetitious, and the song structures make space for lyrics that reflect on the global systems and dark absurdities our lives are tangled in. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAssumption\u003c\/em\u003e is the band's fifth album. Sonically, it captures the vibrancy and intensity of their live performances. The album title “Assumption” encapsulates the album's multi-layered themes. We make assumptions, taking in information online through an overload of decontextualized snippets and headlines, and then quickly form conclusions, or we allow artificial intelligence to do the thinking for us. \u003cem\u003eAssumption\u003c\/em\u003e is the sound of a band that established its own musical identity and has reached a place of tightness with an ease gained from years of playing together, sounding mechanically precise and at the same time fully human. It may be the band's most cohesive and fully realized work to date.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":56231748337995,"sku":"R4213-3894","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/unnamed-2026-01-05T135710.031.jpg?v=1767621437"},{"product_id":"optimizer","title":"Optimizer","description":"\u003cp\u003eHave you ever felt like you were trapped riding shotgun in a car spinning out of control? Stuck, the Chicago post-punk group comprised of Greg Obis (vocals, guitar), David Algrim (bass), and Tim Green (drums, keys) know the feeling well. This nightmarish joyride with a malicious stranger at the wheel comes straight from the lyrics of “gg”, the closing track on their latest full length album Optimizer, their second release for Exploding in Sound and third album overall. The feeling of being unable to stop a machine hurtling toward danger by its own momentum pervades across the whole record. \u003cem\u003eOptimizer\u003c\/em\u003e reports live from the front lines of a society on the decline, where every attempt toward self-improvement only locks you into a more efficient downward spiral. As with every Stuck release, the central theme flows through every aspect, from the art to the music. \u003cem\u003eOptimizer’s\u003c\/em\u003e cover, designed as always by Green, depicts a classical statue trapped in buffering hell while the album’s title below it sinks along a declining trajectory. Obis’ lyrics trace the same futility, taking stock not just of the delusional patterns around him but the diminishing returns of sticking to your guns with nothing but air left in the chambers. Turning his eye for political lyrics instead to more directly social subjects, Obis sees the world as one big commercial gym packed to the gills with debt-ridden and desperate marks who only tear their gaze away from the mirror to watch the latest pitch from the latest digital huckster promising a better you at a reasonable fee. Obis doesn’t spare himself either. Written directly on the heels of the band’s tour for 2023’s Freak Frequency, the album also grapples with the personal costs of devoting your life to music while the music industry crumbles around you.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Royal Blue","offer_id":56398367195467,"sku":"R3951-1314","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/201375096492.jpg?v=1769510219"},{"product_id":"this-dismal-village","title":"This Dismal Village","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVenturing into “a limbo world between medieval tropes and modern-day decay”, New Orleans musician Urq (half of art punk duo Spllit) returns with a new solo offering. Recorded over a single, intense month, \u003cem\u003eThis Dismal Village\u003c\/em\u003e is a homespun document that sits somewhere between jittery punk, dreary psychedelia, and hooky bedroom pop. Recorded to 4-track, the record embraces limitation as a creative engine, resulting in a sound that is raw, unsettled, and deeply atmospheric. The album is set not in a fixed point in time or geography, but a liminal environment where dystopic visions and archaic fixtures exist side by side. In the dismal village, kings and witches share space with televisions, skyscrapers, and modern enterprise; organ fanfares echo down streets populated by disgruntled townsfolk and whispered gossip. It is simultaneously the dark ages, 1950s suburbia, and a 21st-century metropolis. Embracing anachronism was central to the project’s identity, an attempt to collapse history into a single, uneasy present. Sonically and philosophically, the album sits firmly in the tradition of rough and raw cassette rock. Guided By Voices’ Bee Thousand looms large as an influence, particularly its ability to build an entire world through unpolished, first-take recordings. Robert Pollard’s idea of the “four P’s” (psych, punk, prog, and pop) serves as a neat summary of the artist’s musical instincts and each element can be traced right through the heart of\u003cem\u003e This Dismal Village\u003c\/em\u003e. Further inspiration comes from post-punk’s so-called “Calgary Sound,” a loose movement blending psych pop, post-punk, and math\/prog elements with a home-recorded, unpretentious ethos. The result is an album that unrolls like a place wandered through, uneasy, occasionally familiar, and impossible to pin down in time. All captured on tape before it could disappear like an apparition, like a dream only half-remembered.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Apple Red","offer_id":56647505281355,"sku":"R7501-6082","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/201375101998.jpg?v=1772206785"},{"product_id":"engraving-of-armor","title":"Engraving Of Armor","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn her new record, NYC songwriter Beck Zegans explores the strange architecture of emotional defence, through a series of songs that flash between fiery rock, experimental folk and psychedelia. Centring on themes of emotional defence and desire, \u003cem\u003eEngraving Of Armor\u003c\/em\u003e sings to the invisible shields we build around ourselves, the weight they carry, and those fragile moments when it all starts to unravel. Released via Exploding In Sound Records, \u003cem\u003eEngraving Of Armor\u003c\/em\u003e is built of nine new songs that move between confrontation and contemplation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn immersive body of work, the songs here are grounded by cyclical, meditative drums, bursts of heavy guitars, and the occasional warm pulse of analogue synths. At its heart, the album digs into what it means to wear emotional armor, and Zegans seeks the answer to this question through songs that touch upon longing, ambivalence, and avoidance; the complicated exhilaration of falling in love. Of both wanting deeply, and resisting that want at the same time. Musically, the album sits in conversation with a wide range of influences, just as comfortable when leaning into the textural experimentation of Autolux and Sonic Youth, as it when pulling from the intimate songwriting of Nick Drake or the modern urgency of Fontaines D.C. Those inspirations conjure a sound that is emotionally direct, sonically adventurous, and quietly hypnotic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Green Smoke","offer_id":56893607706955,"sku":"R2181-0777","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/unnamed-2026-03-27T115447.496.jpg?v=1774612493"},{"product_id":"greatest-hits-vol-ii-1","title":"Greatest Hits Vol. II","description":"\u003cp\u003eNot actually a greatest hits album, despite the name! This LP is a collection of Ovlov's original and beloved EPs, remixed and remastered. The EPs included are: \"Crazy Motorcycle Jump,\" \"What's So Great About The City,\" and \"Not The Same Without You.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Opaque Lemon Yellow","offer_id":56938677403979,"sku":"R6415-9312","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/201375117497.jpg?v=1775149264"},{"product_id":"cel-rayzer","title":"Cel Rayzer","description":"\u003cp\u003eAbsurdity and punk rock go together like celery and tonic water. That is to say, they are two acquired tastes that are even better together, because they push out the squares and cater to the real freaks. That spirit has driven Chicago’s Cel Ray from the very beginning. Springing to life with their debut EP Cellular Raymond in 2023, the Chicago four-piece of vocalist Maddie Daviss, guitarist Josh Rodin, bassist Kevin Goggin, and drummer Alex Watson charted a path through twitchy, absurdist post-punk that fell somewhere between The Minneapolis Uranium Club and The B-52s. Piss Park followed later that year, and aside from the “Raw God” single in 2025, the band spent their time ripping club shows across the Midwest, playing in DIY spots, dive bars, and, one time, being hand-selected to open for Jack White. Now, after years of waiting for a proper full-length, Cel Ray has joined the illustrious noisenicks at Exploding In Sound to release \u003cem\u003eCel Rayzer\u003c\/em\u003e, a record that, as its name subtly implies, is sharper and more acerbic than anything Cel Ray’s done before. What makes \u003cem\u003eCel Rayzer\u003c\/em\u003e so impactful is the inability to pin it down. Yes, it’s garage punk; yes it’s egg-punk; yes it’s post-punk, but it’s beholden to none of those things. This is what makes \u003cem\u003eCel Rayzer\u003c\/em\u003e such a thrill; Just when you think you have the band figured out, they transform into something else so effortlessly, you’re left wondering how they even pulled it off.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Mustard Yellow","offer_id":57465206374731,"sku":"R3290-7729","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/unnamed-2026-05-29T085239.174.jpg?v=1780041166"},{"product_id":"the-bimbonacci-sequence","title":"The Bimbonacci Sequence","description":"\u003cp\u003eImagine \u003cstrong\u003eThe White Stripes\u003c\/strong\u003e as evil, unable to write in 4\/4, and actually brother and sister. That strange little universe is where Michigan Upper Peninsula siblings \u003cstrong\u003eGretchen McKenzie\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eDawson McKenzie\u003c\/strong\u003e, aka \u003cstrong\u003eBimbo\u003c\/strong\u003e, make their wild, experimental art rock.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Bimbonacci Sequence\u003c\/em\u003e keeps production minimal, much like the band’s explosive live set. Living off-grid in the woods, \u003cstrong\u003eGretchen\u003c\/strong\u003e channels that raw isolation into songs that swing between eerie tension, elastic riffs, huge hooks, and rage-fuelled release.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eInspired by the intense joy of \u003cstrong\u003eMetz\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eThe Stooges\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eThe Cramps\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eKrill\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eBimbo\u003c\/strong\u003e mix crude humour with sharp social critique. From Marquette’s small but energetic scene, they’re making weird, free music that weighs solitude against community, and anxiety against ease.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Exploding In Sound Records","offers":[{"title":"LP - Neon Pink \/ Clear Colour in Colour","offer_id":57935454339403,"sku":"R1269-2689","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/201375142073.jpg?v=1784882713"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_3070201c_thumbnail_4096_e0f35c94-96f3-41d1-9720-6b7436767f7c.jpg?v=1726001231","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/exploding-in-sound-records.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}