all catalog features misc premiere roster tour video

Not just news posts anymore


We see this space as an opportunity to give a platform for our roster—but moreso, the individual people that comprise our roster—to speak on anything that's important to them, or to simply share anecdotes about their music. Our hope is that this will expand into a curated, open-ended hub for not just news and updates, but also recommendations, behind-the-scenes, "premieres" & exclusives, random musings, calls to action, and as a means for us to riff on what we think is important. Our logo is a speech bubble, after all.

Every post we've ever made going back to 2006 has been meticulously tagged and archived here for you. Use the 'by artist' dropdown or the filters to show posts that're more specific to what you're looking for, or just scroll down to peruse things chronologically. Thanks for reading!
 
 
an illustration by Madeline Dowd, showing whimsical people enjoying music in various ways i illustration by Madeline Dowd of Crisman.

Topshelf Digest // May Updates

"There's beautiful personal wreckage in the post-truth and existential meltdown worlds of Gulfer and Charmer on the emo punk bands' new split." read more →

 

Olivia Kaplan // Five Inspirations

Olivia Kaplan

Skip stones with Olivia Kaplan as she connects dots of inspiration around her debut record "Tonight Turns to Nothing" -- out June 25. read more →

 

Olivia Kaplan // Third Single "Still Strangers"

Olivia Kaplan

"Still Strangers" is a poised ballad about feigned intimacy performed completely solo, with a distinct composure and gravity. read more →

 

Ten Years of Ratboys // A Timeline

"Happy Birthday, Ratboy" celebrates 10 years of Ratboys - use this timeline to get familiar with the band's full history, accompanied by some adorable archival photos! read more →

 

Olivia Kaplan // Curated Playlist

Olivia Kaplan

"I love the way she owns her shit while leveling her lovers so eloquently..." read more →

 

In Photos // Ten days touring Japan with Ratboys

Back in 2018, Ratboys embarked on a short tour of Japan's Honshu island and Kevin tagged along. We gave everyone cameras to document the trip, and now present this gallery with some rousing anecdotes. read more →

 

"Take Your Pick" w/ Loraine James

"I remember just always listening to it on repeat when I was on the bus as a teenager." read more →

 

Olivia Kaplan Shares Lyric Video for Single "Wrong"

Olivia Kaplan

"Good news for fans of homespun pop that cuts deep." read more →

 

Really From S/T album out now!

Really From

"The album is dizzyingly complex and is always doing so many things at once, but it remains accessible throughout. You don't need a jazz degree to be interested in what they're doing; for all the intricate, twisted patterns on this album, these are just great, tuneful rock songs." - Brooklyn Vegan read more →

 

toe // DOKU-EN-KAI

toe

toe have announced a new feature-length live release, DOKU-EN-KAI, to be livestreamed in full via Bandcamp on March 5. read more →

 

Tancred // Self-Titled Album Livestream

Tancred

"I’m very excited to play these songs now, some of which will be for the first time, and solo acoustic, the way each was originally written. These songs are raw and I can’t wait to present them that way." read more →

 

"Take Your Pick" w/ Jer from Skatune Network

"That show lives rent-free in my head for the rest of my life." ~ hit a skank down memory lane with Jer from Skatune Network, as they pick 5 of their favorite Topshelf releases read more →

 

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standards

An interview with Marcos Mena, guitarist of standards. We chat cancelled tours, favorite fruits, and stuffed animal companions. read more →

 

Really From Announce new Self-Titled LP

Really From

The innovative, new self-titled LP from Really From is out March 12, 2021 -- equal parts jazz improvisation, minimalist composition, and punk rock ethos. read more →

 

Introducing: Olivia Kaplan

Olivia Kaplan

2021 finds her embarking on a new chapter with single “Wrong”, a warm and bouncing groove dedicated to everyone trying their best to find balance in devastation and absurdity. read more →

 

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Crisman

"Creating is a way to get out of my head, so I like to keep an open mind and try not to hold myself to any specific plan or boundaries." read more →

 

addy // Home Studio Tour

addy

"I love when an album feels like you could live inside it." A home studio tour with addy ~ read more →

 

2020 Music Videos in Review

I thought it would be fun to look back on this year in music videos, thinking we must have had a hand in releasing 9 or 10..... little did I realize that my fragile grasp on time has erased large swathes of the last year selectively (is this relatable?) read more →

 

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Harry the Nightgown

"In 5th grade my friends and I started our first band My Noisy Neighbors. It was nine girls and we all played guitar and covered The Jonas Brothers." Learn more about the playful origins behind this avant pop duo read more →

 

Bellows // Quarantine Bookclub with Oliver

My favorite story in this collection, “Real Women Have Bodies”, revolves around a mysterious plague that makes women become incorporeal — certain women wake up to find they’ve become slightly translucent and then gradually lose their physical bodies before just disappearing into thin air... Animation by Sarah Alvarez read more →

 

Record Setter // Curated Playlist

"Nick Harmer is my favorite bassist of all time. Everything I write is basically a failure to write a Nick Harmer line." read more →

 

Introducing: Record Setter

Record Setter

We are thrilled to announce that we've added Record Setter to our roster, and will be releasing their new album '​I Owe You Nothing'​ digitally on November 6. read more →

 

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Gulfer

"This might be a bit cheesy but I think the local DIY band to have the biggest influence on me wanting to write music is Gulfer (long before I joined)." read more →

 

Introducing: Lunarette

Lunarette

Let Lunarette take you on a journey through the pop sensuality of their polished, electronic world * read more →

 

Thanya Iyer // A Virtual Home/Studio Tour

Thanya Iyer hosts a virtual home/studio tour, showing off the spaces where her latest record KIND came together read more →

 

Ultimate Centering Practice // Get to Know: Alexia Avina→

Alexia Avina “I am always losing and finding myself again, but I've learned that the point is the process of the return, or the art of coming back to oneself.”      

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Thanya Iyer

"Thinking of KIND, I think of the amazing music/artistic community of friends that came together to make this possible. I love that “DIT” doing-it-together vibe and how such beautiful things come about from creating a space that people feel free to express their artistic vision." read more →

 

No Vacation // "Days" Music Video

No Vacation

"Last year's Phasing EP was easily their best yet, eschewing the promising but semi-ironic beach-punk of their early days in favor of smart, beguiling dream pop" - The Fader read more →

 

Gulfer // "Nature Kids" Music Video

Gulfer

Gulfer are back at it again with a video for their new single "Nature Kids" off their upcoming self-titled album out October 16. Check out the 90's VHS goodness now! read more →

 

addy // Film Photography Gallery

"Golden hour, taking photographs on the lawn...red stained heels, from stepping on strawberries, we laid down until our backs turned green" read more →