Matinée Recordings

11/15/2024

The second of three November releases from Matinée is out now!

In their 35th (!) year, Stockholm indiepop legends Red Sleeping Beauty decided to gently force creativity by releasing one song a month. Their fifth album ‘Diary’ is based on ten of those and might be their strongest set of pop songs yet.

Spanning from jangly indiepop numbers (Is This Love?, The Sound Of Summer, I’m Here Tonight) reminiscent of the band’s acclaimed ’90s singles through somber mid-tempo tracks (Summer House, This Heart’s Now Yours, Cruising Slowly, Head Up High), to straight-up dance floor fillers (New York New Me, Caroline (I Found Love), Could Have Been Me), ‘Diary’ is eclectic yet strangely coherent, thanks to the band’s knack for timeless melodies.

Now down to a duo, ‘Diary’ is enriched by inspired guest appearances from Mary Wyer (Even As We Speak), Julia Lannerheim (Acid House Kings), Jane Wildson (Papa Topo), and Emol.

“We have always been about the songs, and this approach made us focus on just that. The album just happened,” says vocalist Niklas Angergård. “Not ‘making an album’ allowed us to be freer in form and do exactly what we felt like doing that month,” adds keyboardist Mikael Matsson.

The exclusive Matinée CD version includes four bonus tracks: the final two songs from the one song a month series (Free Cake For Every Creature, If I Showed You My Heart), a Spanish version of The Sound of Summer (Canciones de Verano), and a tripped out rework of Cruising Slowly.

The album is available right now from the Matinée shop and the Red Sleeping Beauty Bandcamp so if you are in Europe you can save on postage by ordering from the band link. You can also ask your favorite record shop or mailorder for a copy.

Matinée shop: https://shop.matineerecordings.com/products/red-sleeping-beauty-diary
Red Sleeping Beauty Bandcamp: https://redsleepingbeauty.bandcamp.com/

In their 35th (!) year, Stockholm indiepop legends Red Sleeping Beauty decided to gently force creativity by releasing one song a month. Their fifth album ‘Diary’ is based on ten of those and might be their strongest set of pop songs yet. Spanning from jangly indiepop numbers (Is This Love?, The...

11/08/2024

New release alert .. the highly anticipated sixth album ‘Lawrence of Suburbia’ from prolific Scottish indiepop heroes Bubblegum Lemonade is out today!

The album demonstrates a step up in both songwriting and performance, while still retaining their well established Brill Building pop sensibilities. Combining jangly and psychedelic songs, and peppered with lovely backing vocals from Sandra of fellow Scottish janglers Strawberry Whiplash, the collection is carefully structured and a great listen from start to finish.

The album blasts off with ‘She Comes in Rainbows’, an effervescent Television Personalities-inspired celebration of the more colorful characters in our daily life, and ‘Someone Made You Sad’, a slower track with prominent use of backwards guitar, a catchy melodica motif, and a Madchester feel to the chorus.

‘Love’s Young Nightmare’—one of three singles pulled from the album—is an instantly lovable indie disco floor filler with a brilliant but simple monster guitar riff, while ‘From Her To Paternity’ is a poignant and reflective song with jangling 12-string guitar, Byrds harmonies, and arguably the album’s best song title.

‘Out There on the Radio’ is the second single from the album—a jangleadelic slice of radio-friendly guitar pop which recalls the Primal Scream off-shoot Spirea-X for anyone of a certain age, and ‘There Will Be Another’, a positive, reassuring song with an anthemic chorus and a baggy beat created through a combination of bongos and wah-wah guitars.

Kicking off side two of the album is the brilliant single ‘Never Have I Ever’, an especially infectious radio-friendly hit with clever lyrics, tambourine, keyboards, and jangling guitars. The Velvets inspired ‘The Sweetest Reverie’ (Laz’ favourite on the album) is the sound of hazy sunlight on a spring morning and provides more jangling guitars, a skipping drum beat, and some nice glockenspiel interaction.

‘Saturday’s Child’ juxtaposes a song about slowing down when we get older with a catchy Motown drum beat, a searing wah guitar solo, and EDM-inspired frequency filtering techniques on the backing track, while ‘Renewal Of All Things’ repurposes a Biblical phrase to refer to renewable energy production before building to a strong Velvets-inspired musical climax.

‘To Leave Is To Die A Little’ is an instantly loveable song featuring an uplifting double-tracked slide guitar intro, a punchy stop/start chorus, Orange Juice-inspired guitars, heavily distorted hi-hats, and a 1970s Disco groove before reaching its strong sing-along ending. The album concludes with ‘You’ll Know The Angels’, a slower song reflecting on one’s mortality and featuring slide guitars, a bongo beat, and Laz’ sister, Mary Kate, singing the haunting coda.

At times joyful, positive, poignant, and reflective, ‘Lawrence of Suburbia’ is an essential addition to the Bubblegum Lemonade catalog and perhaps the best album so far from the artist.

The release is out now and in the hands of our trusty distributor so your local record shop can order it or you can get it straight from the Matinée shop of course. It is also available on the brand new Bubblegum Lemonade Bandcamp so if you are in Europe you can save on postage by ordering from the band link.

Matinée shop: https://shop.matineerecordings.com/products/bubblegum-lemonade-lawrence-of-suburbia
Bubblegum Lemonade Bandcamp: https://bubblegumlemonade.bandcamp.com/album/lawrence-of-suburbia

The highly anticipated sixth album from prolific Scottish indiepop heroes Bubblegum Lemonade is called ‘Lawrence of Suburbia’ and demonstrates a step up in both songwriting and performance, while still retaining their well established Brill Building pop sensibilities. Combining jangly and psyche...

10/25/2024

New release alert! ‘Visions and Themes’ is the stunning new single from the upcoming album by Swedish dream pop heroes Azure Blue. The song is an absolute pop gem about love, dreams, and doubts featuring widescreen synths, manic drum machines, and a breathtaking key rise. Forthcoming album 'The Night of the Stars'—scheduled for release on November 22 in collaboration with Hybris and Anna Logue Records—is an analog dream promising a more luxurious version of the classic Azure Blue sound across ten enticing tracks.

‘Visions and Themes’ is the stunning new single from the upcoming album by Swedish dream pop heroes Azure Blue. The song is an absolute pop gem about love, dreams, and doubts featuring widescreen synths, manic drum machines, and a breathtaking key rise. Forthcoming album 'The Night of the Stars'...

10/15/2024

We are thrilled to announce three albums that are currently at the pressing plant, and you—lucky listener—can preorder them all now in advance of their November release dates!

matcd092: Bubblegum Lemonade - Lawrence of Suburbia
matcd094: Red Sleeping Beauty - Diary
matcd095: Azure Blue - The Night of the Stars

Shipping multiple CDs is often the same price or only slightly higher postage so take advantage of the early preorder and pick up all three albums or add another gem from our astonishing back catalog.

Full details, including tracklistings, release dates, and soundclips are on the Matinée website: https://matineerecordings.com/

09/20/2024

‘Love’s Young Nightmare’ is the fantastic third single from the forthcoming ‘Lawrence of Suburbia’ album by Scotland’s Bubblegum Lemonade. The title track, which came to Laz in a dream, is an instantly lovable indie disco floor filler with a brilliant but simple monster guitar riff. The EP also features two non-album tracks: a slower, pensive stunner called ‘Sad Comedian’ and the rocking anthem ‘America Calling’ celebrating the success of British performers in the States by picking up the pace and incorporating nice female backing vocals from Sandra of fellow Scots Strawberry Whiplash. The EP is available now from the Matinée shop and the usual digital merchants.

'Love's Young Nightmare' is the fantastic third single from the forthcoming 'Lawrence of Suburbia' album by Scotland's Bubblegum Lemonade. The title track, which came to Laz in a dream, is an instantly lovable indie disco floor filler with a brilliant but simple monster guitar riff. The EP also feat...

09/02/2024

The third compilation from the song-of-the-month series by Swedish legends Red Sleeping Beauty is out now! Lead track 'I'm Here Tonight' is a jangly guitar pop classic with twinkling keyboards and an especially catchy chorus, while the perfectly titled ‘Cruising Slowly’ is a mesmerizing multi-lingual one with English vocals interspersed with German and Spanish verses by guest vocalists Emol and Jane Wildson, and ‘The Sound Of Summer’ celebrates the end of the season with magnificent lead vocals courtesy of Mary Wyer of Even As We Speak. The EP is available right now from the Matinée shop and the usual digital merchants.

The third compilation from the song-of-the-month series by Swedish legends Red Sleeping Beauty is the 'I'm Here Tonight' EP. The title track is a jangly guitar pop classic with twinkling keyboards and an especially catchy chorus, while the perfectly titled ‘Cruising Slowly’ is a mesmerizing mult...

06/07/2024

New release alert! ‘Three Times The Drama’ is the third single from the forthcoming album by Swedish dream pop favorites Azure Blue. The song's crystal-clear topline shines over electric guitars and analog synths to create an immediate pop song with great summer hit potential. The song is also a bittersweet dedication to Tobias Isaksson’s mother, who recently passed away, and its completion provided comfort following a period of unspeakable grief. The upcoming album 'The Night of the Stars' pushes the quality to its peak, promising a richer, clearer, and more luxurious form of the patented Azure Blue sound.

‘Three Times The Drama’ is the third single from the forthcoming album by Swedish dream pop favorites Azure Blue. The song's crystal-clear topline shines over electric guitars and analog synths to create an immediate pop song with great summer hit potential. The song is also a bittersweet dedica...

06/01/2024

Our second compilation of the ace song-of-the-month series by Swedish legends Red Sleeping Beauty is out now! ‘Summer House’ is a melodic gem with moody keyboards and a stunningly memorable chorus, while ‘New York, New Me’ is a long-lost 80s club hit not unlike an early Depeche Mode or Pet Shop Boys classic, and ‘If I’d Show You My Heart’ concludes the EP layering gently strummed guitars and keyboards in beautiful fragility. The EP is available now from the Matinée shop and the usual digital merchants.

Swedish favorites Red Sleeping Beauty are celebrating 2024 by releasing one song every month of the year, and this exclusive Matinée EP compiles the second quarter tracks in another brilliant package. 'Summer House' is a melodic gem with moody keyboards and a stunningly memorable chorus, while 'New...

03/01/2024

Swedish favorites Red Sleeping Beauty are celebrating 2024 by releasing one song every month of the year, and this exclusive Matinée EP compiles the first three gems in one magnificent package. ‘Is This Love?’ is an absolute smash layering keyboards and jangly guitars into a perfect pop song, while ‘Free Cake For Every Creature’ is a song about a band with the same name that sneaks up on you and eventually is all you want to hear and ‘Caroline (I Found Love)’ is a hook-filled dance floor filler just waiting to happen. The EP is available now from the Matinée shop and the usual digital merchants.

Swedish favorites Red Sleeping Beauty are celebrating 2024 by releasing one song every month of the year, and this exclusive Matinée EP compiles the first three gems in one magnificent package. 'Is This Love?' is an absolute smash layering keyboards and jangly guitars into a perfect pop song, while...

09/29/2023

New 7" alert! POPISM is the new 4 track EP from Brighton’s irrepressible indie-rockers The Popguns.

The title POPISM is inspired by a love of the unpretentious power of pop music at its simple and expressive best. Pop has no need for artfulness, authenticity, or intellectual approval but tells us the honest and unambiguous truth along with the overriding feeling that happiness is always possible.

Two tracks on the EP embody this ethos perfectly. 'Red Cocoon' relives the fuzzy memories of a mildly debauched festival weekend, with the hangover of the working week looming ahead, while 'Indie Rock Goddess' is a tongue-in-cheek two-minute blast promoting the excellence of growing old disgracefully.

Slightly contrary to those POPISM principles, the EP also contains two songs of elusively nuanced meaning. 'Caesar' is a big pop rush of strings and guitars and hopes that the next generation can make a better job of protecting the natural environment than this one has, while 'Dirty London' describes how the statues and buildings of power around Whitehall announce the memory of power and empire to a well-intentioned population who must inevitably inherit the dirt along with the freedom and prosperity.

The EP is released on 7” vinyl through Matinée Recordings and on CD through the Popguns’ own SnugPop Recordings.

POPISM is the new 4 track EP from Brighton’s irrepressible indie-rockers The Popguns. The title POPISM is inspired by a love of the unpretentious power of pop music at its simple and expressive best. Pop has no need for artfulness, authenticity, or intellectual approval but tells us the honest and...

09/22/2023

New Bubblegum Lemonade single out today! On this second single from the forthcoming Bubblegum Lemonade album, Laz and Matinée Recordings renew their musical vows with something old, something new, and something blue.

The new is ‘Out There on the Radio’, a jangleadelic slice of radio-friendly guitar pop which recalls the Primal Scream off-shoot Spirea-X, for anyone of a certain age. Unusually, the song is presented from the point of view of the muse, rather than the creative.

The blue is the reflective ‘One Hundred Wishes’, with its muscular sliding chord riffs and vocal harmonies by Sandra from fellow Scots, Strawberry Whiplash.

The old is ‘New Clothes for the Old Gods’, a song initially recorded back in 2011 that somehow never found a suitable slot on previous releases. A fully paid-up Bubblegum classic, the stroboscope guitars and skipped drum beats sound like something from the Mary Chain’s ‘Automatic’ album, but with an extra helping of guitar feedback.

‘Out There on the Radio’ will appear on the new album ‘Lawrence of Suburbia’ later this year, while the other two tracks are exclusive to this release.

On this second single from the forthcoming Bubblegum Lemonade album, Laz and Matinée Recordings renew their musical vows with something old, something new, and something blue. The new is ‘Out There on the Radio’, a jangleadelic slice of radio-friendly guitar pop which recalls the Primal Scream ...

09/15/2023

New release alert! 'Rise' is the fantastic new single from an upcoming album by Swedish favorites Azure Blue. A shimmering track with a rushing drumbeat topped by luxurious layers of analog synths and a Peter Hook-like bass, the song is a dream pop anthem featuring a timeless chorus and vocal harmonies from Azure Blue's long time companion The Land Below.

The single also includes 'Define Your Dreams'—a bright flare first previewed during the dark days of the pandemic with massive synth walls and lyrics that suggest that while difficult times have passed, more difficult ones may be coming.

The forthcoming album 'The Night of the Stars' promises a more luxurious form of the patented Azure Blue sound: richer, clearer, and more powerful than ever. Coming soon in collaboration with the ace Swedish label Hybris so watch this space for details!

'Rise' is the fantastic new single from an upcoming album by Swedish favorites Azure Blue. A shimmering track with a rushing drumbeat topped by luxurious layers of analog synths and a Peter Hook-like bass, the song is a dream pop anthem featuring a timeless chorus and vocal harmonies from Azure Blue...

07/30/2023

'Second Time' by Red Sleeping Beauty (featuring Mary Wyer of Even As We Speak) is track of the week on the ace A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed - website "This number is a sleek, shimmering bit of business. There's certainly a hint of Saint Etienne's Sarah Cracknell here, but also that inimitable Even As We Speak sense of the possibilites of pop. The lush surfaces of this number contrast with the realities of the lyrics and vocals. The whole effect is one that's catchy but poignant." The new 4-track 'From Sarah With Love' 7" EP is out now!

A little more than a year ago I featured the lead single from this EP as a Track of the Week , and now I'm here to feature the flip as ano...

07/28/2023

New release alert! Swedish legends Red Sleeping Beauty return to the new release racks today with an exclusive new 7” single that pays tribute to the brilliance of the late 80s/early 90s English label Sarah Records.

The single kicks off with ‘Solid Gold’—a collaboration with Sarah Records heroine Amelia Fletcher (Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research, Tender Trap, The Catenary Wires) providing ace lead vocals and her usual dose of pop magic. With this song, Red Sleeping Beauty have come full circle. Starting out as a jangly guitar pop band in the 1990s and coming back after a 20-year hiatus in 2016 as an electronic synth pop trio, Red Sleeping Beauty return to their roots on this track—a bouncy, jangly, singalong guitar pop smash.

The lead track on the flipside is ‘Second Time’—a collaboration with Sarah Records goddess Mary Wyer (Even As We Speak) delivering lush lead vocals and the Australian charm that only Mary could add to this essential track. It sounds like the kind of song Saint Etienne released at their peak—a hi-energy, sophisticatedly laid back, dance floor filler.

To complement these all-star collaborations, Red Sleeping Beauty recorded cover versions of two early Sarah Records hits—‘Pristine Christine’ originally released by The Sea Urchins on Sarah 001 and ‘I’m In Love With A Girl Who Doesn’t Know I Exist’ originally released by Another Sunny Day on Sarah 007. Realizing it is impossible to improve on such perfect songs, the band chose to reinterpret them in the characteristic Red Sleeping Beauty style to create a perfect four-track EP.

Limited to 450 copies on black vinyl and with artwork reminiscent of classic Sarah singles, this 7” release is a heartfelt tribute to one of the most influential indie labels of all time and an essential addition to the Red Sleeping Beauty and Matinée discographies.

Special thanks to Amelia and Mary for their ace collaborations, to Another Sunny Day and The Sea Urchins for inspiring the two cover versions, and to Clare and Matt at Sarah Records for giving us something to celebrate.

The 7" is available right now from the Matinée shop and the Red Sleeping Beauty Bandcamp, and there should be a few copies available at this weekend's Glas-Goes Pop Festival in Scotland as well. Look for it in good record shops and mailorders in the coming weeks.

Special tip for anyone who preordered the new 'Happy Secret' LP from The Lucksmiths: please see the Matinée Recordings website news page if you are interested in adding the Red Sleeping Beauty 7" to your order. Preorders will ship next week and in many cases there is no additional postage charge to add the 7" single to your order.

Swedish legends Red Sleeping Beauty return to the new release racks with an exclusive new 7” single that pays tribute to the brilliance of the late 80s/early 90s English label Sarah Records. The single kicks off with ‘Solid Gold’—a collaboration with Sarah Records heroine Amelia Fletcher (Ta...

06/29/2023

We are absolutely thrilled to announce the release of a special 25th anniversary vinyl edition of the brilliant ‘Happy Secret’ album from Australian legends The Lucksmiths! The album is officially released July 28 but you can preorder it right now on classic black or limited edition transparent blue vinyl, with copies shipping on or before the official release date. We also have restocked the album on CD for anyone who missed it the first time around. This is a co-release with the magnificent Lost And Lonesome label in Australia, so please hit them up if they are closer to reduce your carbon footprint. The Lucksmiths Official

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A PREORDER ITEM WITH OFFICIAL RELEASE 28 JULY. Comprising various singles, b-sides, and compilation tracks recorded 25 years ago, 'Happy Secret' was originally released on CD by Candle Records in Australia and Drive-In Records in the US. This 25th anniversary reissue on Matinée...

06/02/2023

The new single 'Caesar' from The Popguns is out now! A new 4-track EP ‘POPISM’ will follow in the summer. Hurrah!

'Caesar' is an emphatic return by The Popguns with their first new music since 2019. The new single is an epic pop-rush of a song, featuring soaring strings and an infectiously yearning chorus expressing hope and anger about the world currently being passed on to the younger generation. A 4-track EP...

11/21/2022

Today's World Cup victory for England is a great reason to pull out our ace 2018 World Cup EP, with fantastic contributions from The Popguns (England), Last Leaves (Australia), Pale Sunday (Brazil), The Royal Landscaping Society (Spain), and Red Sleeping Beauty (Sweden)!

Matinée bands celebrate the 2018 World Cup with five exclusive soccer-themed anthems to soundtrack the 21st international tournament this summer. Australian stars Last Leaves kick things off with the splendid guitar pop classic ‘Golden Days To Come’ with its call and response chorus, trumpets, ...

08/16/2022

Attention Northern Portrait fans: in addition to the ace new album 'The Swiss Army' which is available on black vinyl, sea blue vinyl, and compact disc, we have repressed a few of the band's older titles that were sold out so at this very moment every song released by the band is available again! The debut album 'Criminal Art Lovers' has been repressed in a deluxe new eco-wallet version, and the popular 'Ta!' compilation is also available again, along with the very special 'Pretty Decent Swimmers' 10" on swimming pool blue vinyl and the beautiful 'Life Returns To Normal' 7" on ultra clear vinyl. Links to everything on our Northern Portrait artist page: https://shop.matineerecordings.com/collections/northern-portrait