A DIY INDIEPOP VINYL & CASSETTE LABEL

Cassette

Carla J Easton - Really, Really, Really, Really Sad [Cassette]

Artist: Carla J Easton
Title: Really, Really, Really, Really Sad
Format: Limited edition cassingle
Cat#: Fika119CS1
Release date: 18th March 2026
Exclusive b-side: Romance Is Dead

Following her 2023 album SUGAR HONEY, Scottish songwriter, producer and now filmmaker Carla J Easton (Teen Canteen, Poster Paints, The Vaselines) made an award-winning documentary called Since Yesterday, about the history of pioneering Scottish girl groups. Their stories inspired Easton to take a new approach to her fifth album I Think That I Might Love You. She picked up the guitar and learned it for the first time, pushing her keyboard sound to the fringes on an album that's a celebration of guitar-led music - pop, indie and power.

First single "Oh Yeah" was released last month and Carla is following that up with "Really, Really, Really, Really Sad" - a song co-written with indie legend Darren Hayman (Hefner). It's out 18 March.

"This one sounds far happier than the title suggests," explains Carla. "I love songs that sound happier than they actually are."

"Really, Really, Really, Really Sad" is built like a power-pop sugar rush of big hooks, bouncing rhythms, and blistering guitars, but the lyric is basically the emotional equivalent of shrugging your shoulders after someone lets you down.

"I wrote it with Darren Hayman [of Hefner], who I first met years ago when I supported him. We reconnected later and started swapping voice notes with melodies and half-formed ideas. Darren is one of those writers who makes songwriting feel easy, playful, quick, and instinctive. This one arrived fast; it’s not melodrama. It’s not devastation. It’s just really, really, really, really sad."

"Really, Really, Really, Really Sad" and I Think That I Might Love You are both produced by Howard Bilerman (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Wolf Parade,U.S. Girls, The Weather Station). The album was made with support from Creative Scotland. 

About Carla J Easton

Carla J. Easton is an award nominated singer-songwriter, releasing 4 critically acclaimed solo albums. She is also a member of TeenCanteen and Poster Paints, and has written songs/music for Belle & Sebastian, BMX Bandits, Hen Hoose & National Theatre Scotland. Championed by BBC6 Music, she has performed at festivals across the UK and internationally (SXSW, Pop Montreal, The Great Escape, Celtic Connections, Indiefjord and Pop Cologne) touring the UK with Camera Obscura, The Vaselines and Kim Richey.

In 2018, she released the SAY Award Shortlisted 'Impossible Stuff’, produced by Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire/British Sea Power/Leonard Cohen) which featured singles that achieved Record of the Day, Guardian Track of the Week and BBC Scotland Single of the Week.

Her third album 'WEIRDO' was released in 2020 via Olive Grove Records - a record that Bandcamp Daily described as “all volume needles buried in the red, glitter bursting from every chorus.” The Line of Best Fit praised its “maximalist” tendencies while hinting that Scotland has found its own answer to the pop titans Carly Rae Jepsen and Taylor Swift and Pitchfork called it “bubblegum pop [with] the scrappy glamour of a homemade theatrical production”.

Her latest project Poster Paints was formed with Simon Liddell (Frightened Rabbit) during 2020. Their critically acclaimed self titled debut album was released by Ernest Jennings October 2022. 

Her fourth studio album ‘SUGAR HONEY’ was released in 2023 via Olive Grove Records and featured the singles ‘One Week’, ‘Blooming 4U’ and the album title track ‘Sugar Honey’.

She is currently completing her 5th solo studio album, reuniting with Howard Bilerman to produce at Chem19, which has been supported by Creative Scotland.

Carla is a member of the Hen Hoose Collective and Co-Director of the feature-length documentary ‘Since Yesterday: The Unsung Pioneers of Scot

Bill Botting & The Two Drink Minimums - It's Not Christmas Anymore [Cass]

Artist: Bill Botting & The Two Drink Minimums
Title: It’s Not Christmas Anymore
Format: Cassette (handmade numbered sleeve)
Cat#: Fika050
Release date: 11th Dec 2015
Bandcamp | Spotify

It's Not Christmas Anymore - the new release from Allo Darlin's Bill Botting, ably joined by an all star line up featuring Darren Hayman, Dave and Jonny from The Wave Pictures, Paul from Allo Darlin'/Tigercats and Owl & Mouse's Hannah, is out now! We've a very limited, and very lovely, handmade cassette with download available from the Fika Recordings shop, or you can line it up on the stereo via Spotify, iTunes etc to soundtrack your Christmas this year. We're a little bit in love with these 4 songs, and can't wait to hear more from Bill backed up by this line up...

Buy It's Not Christmas Anymore

... and if you're in London, you'll be able to do just that at the Duke of Uke Christmas party on Wednesday 16th Dec, at the Bethnal Green Working Mens Club, with live sets from Bill Botting & The Two Drink Minimums, and from Owl & Mouse. And it's free! More details available via Facebook.

Bill Botting & The Two Drink Minimums

We've got a last minute addition to our Christmas release schedule! We're dead excited to be bringing you a 4 song EP on cassette and download from Bill Botting & The Two Drink Minimums. You'll know Bill Botting as one half of Moustache Of Insanity, a quarter of Allo Darlin' and a whole lot of awesomeness. He's brought together a right old supergroup of chums to join him on It's Not Christmas Anymore, joined by little sister Hannah Botting of Owl & Mouse, Paul Rains of Allo Darlin' and Tigercats, Darren Hayman and two thirds of The Wave Pictures (Jonny Helm and Dave Tattersall).

<a href="http://shop.fikarecordings.com/album/its-not-christmas-anymore">It's Not Christmas Anymore by Bill Botting & The Two Drink Minimums</a>

We're frantically getting everything together - if all goes to plan we'll have copies to sell at this weekend's Independent Label Market in Spitalfields ahead of the 11th of December release date. We're only making 100 copies of this cassette, so don't wait too long if you're after a copy!

Acting-Wack
Acting-Wack

Bill's no stranger to getting in to the festive spirit for us at Fika either - back in 2011 he contributed two tracks to our advent calendar. Both "Mulled Wine" and "Acting Without Acting" are still free to download if you missed out...

Tullycraft - Lost In Light Rotation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrlk82j4NB4 2013 has been a bit quiet on the release front so far for Fika Recordings, but don't panic, we're kicking into gear to bring you loads of exciting new releases over the next few months. First up will be the brand new album from Tullycraft, their first in absolutely ages! We'll be putting out a very limited (100 copies only) handmade cassette version of the album, towards the end of March. Fortuna Pop and Magik Marker Records are handling CD/LP duties in Europe and North America respectively. It's a stunner of an album; just the job to get this year off to a flying start.

So here's the brand new video for the single, Lost In Light Rotation. Enjoy!

Lost In Light Rotation available to pre-order from shop.fikarecordings.com

Allo Darlin' - Europe [Cassette]

This is one of the most exciting things Fika Recordings have gotten involved in so far. We've been asked to put out a super limited edition (100 only) cassette version of Allo Darlin's second album, Europe. I'm busy making them at the moment, and it'll be quite some package. Every cassette will be handmade and hand numbered, and will come with a digital download code, a bag of Allo Darjeelin' tea, a recipe for Elizabeth's mum's Sacher Torte, and a very small 16 page artwork and lyric booklet.

You can pre-order the album on cassette from us now - we'll be shipping when the album is released in Europe at the start of May.

The ever reliable Fortuna Pop will be releasing Europe in Europe on CD, LP and digital; while the lovely Slumberland Records will be putting the album out on the other side of the Atlantic. Thanks to them both for asking us to get involved - it is a delight to be involved in releasing what is a mighty fine record.

Ed Greene - A Place To Call Home

Blimey, these releases are coming thick and fast. Our eighth cassette release will be from Ed Greene, a 5 piece alt-country band from Sweden. I stumbled upon them through the wilds of the internet and fell in love with the second track on this Fika EP, Love (She Tells Me There's A God Above). These four tracks are all beautiful: from the delicious country drawl on the melodies of the title track and all that optimistic bitterness that I love about "country", to the lush sound of What We Never Were We Will Never Be. And have listened to these tracks extensively over the past few months, Simon Edgreene's voice still has the power to send shivers down my spine. This may not be our most "indiepop" release, but I'm sure you're going to enjoy it...

Pre-order and listen here.

Petter Seander - Destroyer

DESTROYER

DESTROYER

If you haven't heard of Petter Seander, you are 1. not interested in swedish pop music or 2. not very observant. While touring with swedish pop stars, DJing at cool clubs, fronting countryish popbands (I haven't stopped listening to this song for three years! It's also my favourite video ever) and writing for hipster magazines, he also managed to produce a solo album last year. It involved recording vocals in someone elses wardrobes and dressing up like a bird in a museum. You should listen to it, it's brilliant.

Anyway. This post is not about the past. It's about the future!

Petter moved from Gothenburg to Stockholm and picked up a drum machine somewhere on the way. While (most presumably) eating hazelnut cookies in his countryside cottage in his new hometown, he created this lovely little EP for us (and for you!). It doesn't involve dressing up like a bird unfortunately, but it involves elderflower tea and dancing with a destroyed heart. Dressed up like anything you'd like.

Pre-order and listen here. You get the cassette when I've folded the sleeves properly.

Slottet - Servants

Slottet Servants

Slottet Servants

Our releases are coming thick and fast now, with the 6th cassette from Fika Recordings released shortly... which will be a new EP from Sweden's Slottet, called Servants.

Swedesplease have been exceptionally quick off the mark in spotting this release... here's what they had to say

If everybody could pull off the sound made famous by The Postal Service we would have a lot more pretenders like Owl City. But I guess it’s more difficult than it seems to combine easy beats with soft synths and chilled out vocals. So when I say that Slottet recreates that sound I mean it as at least a back handed compliment. “I Know” and “Agnostics Nightmare” are the closest things to Postal Service outtakes as you’re likely to find. As a fan of that band and that sound I really like these two.

You can pre-order and listen to Servants here. Pre-orders will be shipped in May when the EP is released, and you'll get the a digital download of the tracks straightaway. Go!

Fika005: Amida

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Our next cassette release, Fika005, more about will be from Manchester's indiepop gems Amida. The Spite House Plot is due sometime in May. We'll be previewing tracks from the EP on the website shortly, where you'll be able to pre-order the cassette and get the download immediately for your listening pleasure.

Side A Mid Week Debauchery A Month Of Sundays Black Balloons

Side B Oleander Box Office Poison Victor Spoils