A DIY INDIEPOP VINYL & CASSETTE LABEL

adults - things we achieve [Digital]

Artist: adults
Title: things we achieve
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika093SG2
Release date: 18th August 2022
Bandcamp | Spotify

South London DIY punk outfit adults today release their latest single “things we achieve” and announce their debut album “for everything, always”, coming out in October on Fika Recordings.

The new single things we achieve is about “how capitalism makes us  forget what matters, how to be kind to people and to enjoy living”, it’s two and a half minutes of delightfully scrappy, catchy DIY pop that’s sure to appeal to fans of Los Campesinos, Martha and Johnny Foreigner.

adults are a noisy pop band desperately clinging on to the ghosts of 2009. 

Their songs are a silly, joyful, and occasionally sad, look back at the tail end of their 20s, a way to grapple with breakups, parties, alcohol and loneliness, and looking hopefully into the future.

They’ve released singles with Art Is Hard and For The Sakes Of Tapes, and self released an EP (The Weekend Was Always Almost Over), which was subsequently released on vinyl by Caballito records. They’re based in south London.

adults are
carl (he/they) - bass
joe (he/him) - drums
joely (she/they) - guitar and singing
tom (he/him) - guitar, synth, singing

“Propelled by their trademark jangling melodies and buoyant scuzzy energy, ‘things we achieve‘ reflects on the pressures of living in a Capitalist society as honey-sweet vocals interweave between whirring hooks. Showcasing adults’ ability to juxtapose poignant subject matter with an irresistibly blissful, catchy musicality, this latest single offers a slice of gloriously fizzing indie-pop that’ll both uplift and inspire” Get In Her Ears

“Clocking in at barely two minutes, the track is a belt-along blast even by Adults’ high standards, yet like so many of the best seemingly chaotic bops, beneath the clatter, there’s plenty to say. Joely and Tom share vocal duties, yelping out their frustrations at both a lack of progress and having to exist in a world that constantly demands it” For The Rabbits

“A little roll in, a nice shouted sample, then the band rushes off, running full spring through this spirited burst of pop rock. You’ve settled into the joyous nature, then the 1:37 marker hits and the song turns, hitting even more furiously as it chases down that finish line, though still keeping that melody bobbing” Austin Town Hall

“Short, sharp and spiky, there’s a touch of Johnny Foreigner in the rapid-fire vocal delivery while the jangle-pop sound is reminiscent of the underground legends Bearsuit or the much-missed Spook School at their sweetest” Spectral Nights

“their jangle rock being punctuated by a sense of leftfield, that emanates from an incessant noise-pop energy and unrelenting vocal delivery, as they race through a world of issues” Jangle Pop Hub

Let's Whisper - Long Run [Digital]

Artist: Let’s Whisper
Title: Long Run
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika092SG3
Release date: 4th August 2022
Bandcamp | Spotify

Let’s Whisper return with their first new music since 2014, having grown from a three piece to enlist the talents of The Essex Green’s Jeff Baron and Mammoth Penguins’ Emma Kupa, today previewing another track from their forthcoming album.

Following on from recent singles The Thing That Defines You and The Year Of Getting High (the first new music from Let’s Whisper since 2014), Long Run showcases another angle to Let’s Whisper’s evolution.

Written by Emma Kupa, Long Run is the first Let’s Whisper track not penned by the founding duo of Colin Clary and Dana Kaplan, and leads us through her tender reflections on relationship regrets - a thread familiar to those who fell in love with her critically acclaimed solo album of 2020.

“This song is about finding peace and closure and seeing a more positive side to a situation that for a long time may have only seemed negative.”

Let’s Whisper started in the early 2000s in Burlington, Vermont, as a home recording project for Dana Kaplan and Colin Clary, both of The Smittens, for their softer, more intimate compositions. Brad Searles joined soon after on drums, as the sounded evolved from acoustic duets to embrace a wider dynamic. They released a pair of EPs and two full length record on the much missed London based microlabel WeePOP! from 2008 to 2014.

Since then, Let’s Whisper started playing more shows, in the US enlisting Jeff Baron (The Essex Green, Ladybug Transistor) on guitar or bass, and in the UK bringing in Emma Kupa (Mammoth Penguins, Standard Fare) on bass.

On the forthcoming record The In-Between Times, their first for Fika Recordings, they recorded with Gary Olson (The Ladybug Transistor) in Brooklyn, NY. It’s the first Let’s Whisper record with Dana Kaplan post-testosterone, and sees Emma Kupa fill in on the high harmonies vacated by Dana’s new vocal range. The addition of Jeff Baron and Emma Kupa has brought flourishes of both The Essex Green’s textural complexity and Standard Fare’s polyphony arrangements to the Let’s Whisper catalogue.

LET’S WHISPER started as a home-recording project between the Burlington, Vermont-based duo of Colin Clary and Dana Kaplan (The Smittens) in the mid-2000s. Their home-recording process, which they refer to as “Whispering,” conjures up intimate, heartfelt songs that build off the framework of tweepop and incorporate bits of psychedelia and Americana while staying openhearted and questioning. On their first release in eight years, The In-Between Times, Let’s Whisper—now a five-piece rounded out by drummer Brad Searles, bassist-vocalist Emma Kupa, and guitarist-keyboardist Jeff Baron—expand their sound while detailing the realities of their world in pointillistic lyrics. 

Let’s Whisper live:
15 Sep: O Brien’s, Boston MA - with Quivers and Yours Are The Only Ears

“It’s a mellow ballad, but this time Emma seems to be finding solace in letting things go, allowing yourself to find some closure. The instrumentation is really special, from little horn accents to an understated banjo working beneath Emma’s voice” Austin Town Hall

Let's Whisper - The Year Of Getting High [Digital]

Artist: Let’s Whisper
Title: The Year Of Getting High
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika092SG2
Release date: 12th July 2022
Bandcamp | Spotify

The name “Let’s Whisper” implies secrets—the sorts of things you’d tell friends in a night’s waning hours, as the sun is about to peek over the horizon. Colin Clary and Dana Kaplan have been friends and musical collaborators for years, and the openhearted, detail-rich indiepop they craft together reflects their rich creative relationship and trust in each other. On The In-Between Times, the second Let’s Whisper full-length—the band’s first release in eight years, and first as a five-piece—the Burlington-based band digs deeper into their day-to-day worlds while confronting their individual and collective futures.  

Following on from recent single The Thing That Defines You (the first new music from Let’s Whisper since 2014), The Year Of Getting High is the second track taken from the forthcoming album The In-Between Times (out August 2022), this time showcasing the songwriting nous of Dana Kaplan:

“As a kid (and actually into my early adult years) I was always really only able to cry when I was by myself, my head in my pillow, shielded from the world. How and with whom and where do we show our true selves? This one is about the safety measures and defense mechanisms we use to guard ourselves against being with ourselves and our truths.”

Let’s Whisper are:
Colin Clary - guitar, vocals
Dana Kaplan - guitar, vocals
Brad Searles - drums
Emma Kupa - bass, vocals
Jeff Baron - guitar, keys

LET’S WHISPER started as a home-recording project between the Burlington, Vermont-based duo of Colin Clary and Dana Kaplan (The Smittens) in the mid-2000s. Their home-recording process, which they refer to as “Whispering,” conjures up intimate, heartfelt songs that build off the framework of tweepop and incorporate bits of psychedelia and Americana while staying openhearted and questioning. On their first release in eight years, The In-Between Times, Let’s Whisper—now a five-piece rounded out by drummer Brad Searles, bassist-vocalist Emma Kupa, and guitarist-keyboardist Jeff Baron—expand their sound while detailing the realities of their world in pointillistic lyrics. 

Let’s Whisper live:
15 Sep: O Brien’s, Boston MA - with Quivers and Yours Are The Only Ears

“On their latest single, the band churn out something that equally as grand, though its blossoming in a completely different fashion, more organic in a sense. The percussion works as the song’s backbone, with guitar lines bending about, stretching themselves out on the lawn and soaking up the little arrangement details that offer a sunny disposition to the listener” Austin Town Hall

Stanley Brinks & Freschard - Lion Heart [12"]

Artist: Freschard & Stanley Brinks
Title: Lion Heart
Format: 12" album on yellow vinyl
Cat#: Fika091LP
Release date: 8th July 2022
Bandcamp

Stanley Brinks is renowned for his unique anti-folk style: both playful and suggestive, insightful and entertaining. Brinks was born in Paris, France, in 1973. He studied a bit of biology and worked as a nurse for a while. Half Swedish, half Moroccan, strongly inclined to travel the world, he soon began spending most of his life on the road and developed a strong relationship with New York. By the late 90s he’d become a full time singer-songwriter – André Herman Düne – as part of three piece indie-rock band, Herman Düne. Several albums and Peel sessions  later and after a decade of touring Europe, mostly with American songwriters such as Jeffrey Lewis, Calvin Johnson and early Arcade Fire he settled in Berlin. The early carnival music of Trinidad became a passion, and in the early 21st century he became the unquestioned master of European calypso, changing his name to Stanley Brinks. Under this moniker he has recorded more than 100 albums, collaborated with the New York Antifolk scene on several occasions, recorded and toured with traditional Norwegian musicians, and played a lot with The Wave Pictures.  

Freschard grew up in a farm in French Burgundy. Aged 18 she moved to Paris, where she baked pies and cakes in a cafe. There, a local musician and regular customer called Stanley Brinks wrote a few songs for her to sing. Homeless in Paris, she saved up just enough money to get herself a ticket to New York. There she found an old electric guitar and started writing her own songs. In 2004 she moved to Berlin, where she recorded her first LP, "Alien Duck". Her second album, "Click Click", recorded in 2006, features electric guitar by Stanley Brinks. On her third album, she plays the drums herself. On her fourth “Shh...” she also plays the flute, and she breaks out the washboard on her fifth “Boom Biddy Boom”.

adults - all we've got // all we need [Digital]

Artist: adults
Title: all we’ve got // all we need
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika093SG1
Release date: 5th July 2022
Bandcamp | Spotify

“all we’ve got // all we need” is the first single from adults for Fika Recordings, taken from their soon to be announced debut album, due out in the autumn. Scrappy, catchy DIY pop that’s sure to appeal to fans of Los Campesinos, Martha and Johnny Foreigner.

“It’s a song about having a breakdown on the megabus to bristol. About mutual aid, building strong networks of community resistance to the hostile environment, to food insecurity, to the homophobia and transphobia by the state and about trying to look after one another.”

adults are a noisy pop band desperately clinging on to the ghosts of 2009. 

Their songs are a silly, joyful, and occasionally sad, look back at the tail end of their 20s, a way to grapple with breakups, parties, alcohol and loneliness, and looking hopefully into the future.

They’ve released singles with Art Is Hard and For The Sakes Of Tapes, and self released an EP (The Weekend Was Always Almost Over), which was subsequently released on vinyl by Caballito records. They’re based in south London.

adults are
carl (he/they) - bass
joe (he/him) - drums
joely (she/they) - guitar and singing
tom (he/him) - guitar, synth, singing

https://linktr.ee/sclubadults

adults dates:

July 8th - Sebright Arms, London UK - Charmpit album launch w adults and Bitch Hunt
July 21st - Port Mahon, Oxford UK - ME REX, adults, spank hair, jeff
July 22nd - The Victoria, London UK - adults, Spank Hair, DreamPhone
July 23rd - The Exchange, Bristol UK - adults, Spank Hair, Bad Brenda
July 27th - The Amersham Arms, London UK - Cheerbleederz album launch w adults and ME REX (solo)
September 28th - The Victoria, London, UK - Caleb Nichols, Schande, adults

“It’s a song that says yes, it can feel like we’re under a constant barrage from the powers-that-be, but we’ve got the tools to make it better, “let’s pick up all the pieces that they left us, atomised by work and rent and sleep, tell each other when we’re hurt or stressed or broken, protect all of our communities”. They set that message to a cacophony of clattering drums and belt-it-out choruses Los Campesinos! or Martha would be proud of evidence that Adults seem to have stumbled into something rather marvellous” For The Rabbits

“There’s an ample buoyancy from the vocal work, and the guitars are crunchy, though I like how they’re a bit tempered here; think of Martha having to play at your local library…hooks, but just a little more subdued” Austin Town Hall

“Simultaneously oozing a sense of joyous unity whilst shades of despair at the state of the world remain evident, ‘all we’ve got // all we need’ glistens with all the dreamy, indie-pop feels and honey-sweet heartfelt emotion I could ever desire.” Get In Her Ears

Polaroid [Italian]

Crake - Humans’ Worst Habits [12"/CD]

Artist: Crake
Title: Humans’ Worst Habits
Format: 12” black vinyl | Digifile CD | Digital
Cat#: Fika090
Release date: 17th June 2022
Bandcamp

“A pensive, dejected moment of magic, but magic nonetheless” Gold Flake Paint
"Charming and intimate alt-folk” Dork
"The guitars sizzle like lightning bolts striking against an otherwise clear sky, while Sandle’s distinct, hoarse vocal plays like another instrument” Secret Meeting
"In a world of cynics, [Crake] make you believe anything might still be possible” For The Rabbits

Led by enigmatic songwriter Rowan Sandle, Crake is driven by her endless curiosity. Armed with her gently cracking vocal, and inspiration from writers like Shirley Jackson and Nan Shepherd, she sings of crinoids, slime mould and pussy willow. When they supported Buck Meek at Brudenell Social Club, Buck found himself so beguiled by Sandle and her band that he invited them to support Big Thief on their UK and EU tour in 2019. Crake duly obliged and have been building towards their debut full-length ever since. 

Much of the forthcoming album revolves around the death of Sandle’s friend Anna, who died in Syria after being hit by a Turkish air strike. Anna was working for a woman’s liberation group in the war-stricken country when the tragedy took place. ‘Humans’ Worst Habits’ explores the grief that followed and the lessons learnt from dealing with such a significant loss. 

Sandle does, however, find space to explore more themes alongside this grief, such as cruelty and queer nature. On lead single ‘Winter’s Song’ she acknowledges the cruelty and coldness that exists within us all, and questions how we can continue to grow and love whilst remaining true to that. 

Speaking about the track, she said: “Winter’s Song is about the absolute mundane beauty of being fallible. It's a true story, I saw the moon rise but swore it was the sun setting. I think about this line a lot: “keep a little coldness in you, just wear it soft and gentle” Be soft, be kind, be honest. Being unremarkable has its own beauty.” 

Sandle’s love for queer nature is so fervent that it makes the experience of listening to Crake akin to that of stumbling on an entirely new world. Sandle believes that life isn’t as black and white as we’ve been taught, and thinks nature holds the key to revealing the true nature of human experience. The appearances of things like slime mould - single-celled organisms that form a single body when in search of food  - brittle starfish - a type of starfish whose awareness isn’t concentrated in one place - and other such oddities furnish ‘Humans’ Worst Habits’ with a folklore all of its own. 

‘Humans’ Worst Habits’ will send you down multiple rabbit holes and you’ll emerge from each with a newfound appreciation for the complexities of the world. Perhaps even more important than this though is the humanity that lies at the very heart of this debut full-length. Whether it’s in the sensitivity in how she portrays the loss of her friend, the depiction of our most base instincts - namely cruelty, passion and love - or the sincere, pure quality of the songwriting itself, it’s this that makes ‘Humans’ Worst Habits’ essential, and invaluable listening.

“A remarkable record, Human’s Worst Habits is the sound of a band who don’t sound quite like anyone else, an album both brittle and bold, beautiful and yes, deeply human.” For The Rabbits [review and interview]

“Imagine that Slowdive had melted down their reverb pedals as part of an occult ritual in order to reanimate Karen Dalton as the front woman. Lo and behold, you get an amazingly accurate picture of the Leeds quartet's enigmatic sound” Neølyd

Interview - Yorkshire Evening Post

“Whether it’s the sensitivity in which she sings about grief, the intricacy of human nature, queer ecology and our most base instincts – namely cruelty, passion and love – or the sincere, pure quality of the songwriting itself, this mesmerising debut is essential and invaluable listening” English Folk Expo

“Enigmatic and brooding, Crake are at their most atmospheric in Sargasso Sea and Sisters, with its slowly shuffling beat and weary vocal, while Bobbie lifts the mood with its chiming electric guitar riff. Yorkshire Post

“Delicately beautiful and deeply odd, it’s an album that deserves much more attention than it’s received.” Undrcurrents

“a magnificent example of dreamy, shimmering indie, and there are some soft, easy melodies to be found drifting through this understated set of songs… and the melancholy washes over and hangs, mist-like before it slowly lifts.” Whisperin & Hollerin

“Human’s Worst Habits, is stunning. With Sandle’s unique yet embracing voice, her fabulous songwriting, and a spellbinding indie-folk approach, the Leeds-based quartet delivered a record as poignant and beautiful as anything that Big Thief has done. One day soon, they will be celebrated and adored like the Brooklyn titans.” The Revue

“It’s a subtle album, a grower, so takes a few listens before the pleasures of its meditative indie-folk really start to sink in. You’ll be really glad you gave it your attention. Packed full of great songs, but the hushed, almost slowcore ’Lamb’s Tail’ is a good a place to start as any.” Colour The Cortex

“Crake are a band that possess that rare quality - a singer in the shape of Rowan Sandle who has the ability to write gorgeous, fragile melodies that will break your heart in two. Couple this with the band’s restrained playing and lead guitar lines worthy of Neil Young’s most tender electric moments and you have the beautiful ‘Human’s Worst Habits’. They supported Big Thief in 2019, and it would be remiss of me not to point out that if you love Big Thief, you will also love Crake.” Norman Records

“This is one of the most remarkable releases of the year” Guteshoerenistwichtig

Coast Is Clear [German]

Music Won’t Save You [Italian]

Let's Whisper - The Thing That Defines You [Digital]

Artist: Let’s Whisper
Title: The Thing That Defines You
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika092SG1
Release date: 14th June 2022
Bandcamp | Spotify

The name “Let’s Whisper” implies secrets—the sorts of things you’d tell friends in a night’s waning hours, as the sun is about to peek over the horizon. Colin Clary and Dana Kaplan have been friends and musical collaborators for years, and the openhearted, detail-rich indiepop they craft together reflects their rich creative relationship and trust in each other. On The In-Between Times, the second Let’s Whisper full-length—the band’s first release in eight years, and first as a five-piece—the Burlington-based band digs deeper into their day-to-day worlds while confronting their individual and collective futures.  

On the first single, The Thing That Defines You, Let’s Whisper say: “We were thinking about the ways in which people get defined, and we were curious about the ways we don’t always get to control our own narrative. Someone can become defined by one thing they did—positive or negative—but how does that get set? How do you imagine you are seen by others? How do you see yourself? What will your obituary say?”

Let’s Whisper are:
Colin Clary - guitar, vocals
Dana Kaplan - guitar, vocals
Brad Searles - drums
Emma Kupa - bass, vocals
Jeff Baron - guitar, keys

LET’S WHISPER started as a home-recording project between the Burlington, Vermont-based duo of Colin Clary and Dana Kaplan (The Smittens) in the mid-2000s. Their home-recording process, which they refer to as “Whispering,” conjures up intimate, heartfelt songs that build off the framework of tweepop and incorporate bits of psychedelia and Americana while staying openhearted and questioning. On their first release in eight years, The In-Between Times, Let’s Whisper—now a five-piece rounded out by drummer Brad Searles, bassist-vocalist Emma Kupa, and guitarist-keyboardist Jeff Baron—expand their sound while detailing the realities of their world in pointillistic lyrics. 

“Let's Whisper make sweet, twee indiepop of the jangliest variety. Check out winsome earworm "The Thing That Defines You.” Brooklyn Vegan

“The group’s first single from The In-Between Times churns and jangles, like a song that dips its toes in the pools of paisley vibes while pressing play on the warmth of classic pop records from Athens. It’s a short gallop with huge backing harmonies that are the best things you can offer your ears this week.” Austin Town Hall

“With the precious, Scottish indie-pop laconic of the U.S. Highball sound, juxtaposed against the sort of chiming, folk-laden jangle that is currently embraced by the likes of The Telephone Numbers and The Umbrellas, this single is one of the best of the year so far.” Janglepop

Crake - Rabbit [Digital]

Artist: Crake
Title: Rabbit
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika090SG4
Release date: 28th April 2022
Bandcamp | Spotify

““The best band in Leeds” James Smith of Yard Act"
“A pensive, dejected moment of magic, but magic nonetheless” Gold Flake Paint
"Charming and intimate alt-folk” Dork
"The guitars sizzle like lightning bolts striking against an otherwise clear sky, while Sandle’s distinct, hoarse vocal plays like another instrument” Secret Meeting
"In a world of cynics, [Crake] make you believe anything might still be possible” For The Rabbits

Leeds quartet Crake have shared a compelling new single, ‘Rabbit’. It’s the latest track to come from their upcoming debut album, ‘Humans’ Worst Habits’, which arrives via Fika Recordings on May 27th.

The band’s curious combination of gentle alt-folk and folkloric lyrics have received increasing attention of late. James Smith of Yard Act declared them “the best band in Leeds” after he played out their most recent single ‘Winter’s Song’ on Steve Lamacq’s BBC Radio 6 Music show. They’ve also been receiving plenty of acclaim from tastemaker sites like GoldFlakePaint, Dork, For The Rabbits, Beats Per Minute, Secret Meeting and more.

Today, they follow up ‘Bobbie’ with new single ‘Rabbit. The band’s chief songwriter, Rowan Sandle, expands on the track:

"There are some repeating themes in Rabbit such as coming to terms with cruelty and acting unkindly. But the end is an attempt to understand where this comes - the freezing with anxiety, the defense of it all. It reminds me of a story my mum told me as a child that has stuck with me. We used to go on holiday to these ready made camping sites in the north of Spain. There was a fire and a woman’s husband died. As my mum comforted her, she replied with a simple fret over losing her husband's personal tobacco allowance and how she now had too much duty free tobacco to bring back home on her own. I was really young, probably too young to be told the story, but I never felt anger or surprise over the women's displaced anxiety. I got it completely.

I guess I do have a fundamental belief that most humans are doing their best within the circumstances they find themselves in. It's not that we are not trying hard enough, but that doesn't mean we have to accept that this best couldn't be better wither. Often I think it's about trying differently."

Sandle’s curious worldview is at the heart of much of their forthcoming record. She believes that life isn’t as black and white as we’ve been taught, and that queer nature may hold the key to revealing the true nature of human experience. That’s why things like slime mould - single-celled organisms that form a single body when in search of food - and brittle starfish - a type of starfish whose awareness isn’t concentrated in one place - emerge over and over on ‘Humans’ Worst Habits’ and furnish it with a folklore all of its own.

Alongside the more obscure nature references, there’s also a very human and tragic undercurrent that runs through ‘Humans’ Worst Habits’. Sandle’s friend Anna was working for a women's liberation group in Syria when she was hit by a Turkish airstrike and lost her life. The album directly explores the grief that followed and the lessons Sandle learnt in dealing with such a significant loss.

Both mythical and pragmatic, ‘Humans’ Worst Habits’ is a sumptuous introduction to a world that has plenty to offer to all who pass through.

“Crake will be very high on our list of Favorite Discoveries of this year. Heck, they’re probably one of our favorite bands at the moment after making us go silent with “Winter’s Song” and “Bobbie”. If they lived in Brooklyn, Austin, or LA, they likely would be celebrated and adored in the same manner as Big Thief. Their day will come, where a song like “Rabbit” will become an indie classic.” The Revue

“the track is a classic slice of Crake, Rowan’s prominent vocal meandering through a forest of steady drums, propulsive chords and wiry country-licked guitars, as the lyrics prod and poke at social conventions and the thrill of going against them, “my neighbour’s vines are growing all the time I said that I would water them last weekend, I stayed inside, hoped that they would die I guess it’s me taking the easy way out”. As intriguingly unique as ever, with their own vision of the world Crake are a band to fall in love with, bad habits and all.” For The Rabbits