weepop! news

The Just Smittens

2009-07-14T15:51:00.010+01:00

I just got a confirmation from the pressing plant that everything is on schedule, and am utterly excited to announce that our next release - The Smittens / The just joans SPLIT - is going to be available next week.

Both such quintessentially WeePOP! bands, The just joans and The Smittens represent two different sides of the atlantic and two aspects of the indiepop sound: The Smittens with their more uptempo handclaps, jangles and percussion, and the Just Joans showcasing a more uniquely british anarok styling and lineage.

Long time admirers of each others work, they finally got to meet and play together at last years Indietracks festival. Friendships were made, plans were hatched, and the result is a joined release with them covering each other's songs as well as a single of their own.

To hear the Smittens singing about the Buckfast tonic wine and wearing Kappa tracksuits is in their cover of "what do we do now" is just too good!! They round out their side with a new track called 'Summer Sunshine' full of that much loved percussion and jangle, with a big wiggly synth line for the summer!

The Just Joans went for 'Gin and Platonic' from The Smitten's 'Gentlefication Now!' album, and a re-recording of one of their own earliest and favorite tracks, 'I Hear You're The Man Now, John' from their album 'Last Tango In Motherwell'.

The split is going to be available on 7" vinyl next week (available to pre-order now) and on our traditional 3" cds later in the month.

The two bands are playing a show together on Monday, July 20th, at the Flying Duck in Glasgow, along with One Happy Island, The specific heats and the Maple Leaves. Advance tickets available on wegottickets.

Woot! Can't wait!

xx

Secret Charisma

2009-07-10T11:12:00.007+01:00

Secret Charisma: Original Cast Recording is up for pre-orders now.

The concept behind this release is pretty different: Secret Charisma is an indiepop musical, a lo-fi headphone opera about a about a guy who has been away from home for a long time and when suddenly comes back, is reintroduced to the people and situations from his past.

I have always been a fan of thematic albums, but this is more than that, it is in fact a musical, in the sense that it tells a story, and each character is played by a different musician.

Written, played and directed by Brad San Martin (of One happy Island), the project started in the summer of 2008 and took a life of its own during the past year. Brad played pretty much all the instruments (and there are a lot of them!), and when most of the tracks were done, he started asking friends if they would like to sing one of the characters' parts in it. He put together a pretty impressive cast there: Kristin Andreassen (Uncle Earl, Sometymes Why), Nichole Ferree (Orange Nichole), Desmond Reed, Mark Robinson (Cotton Candy, Unrest), and his own band, One Happy Island.

It'll be out next Wednesday, july 15th, coinciding with the date Brad lands in the UK to tour with One Happy Island and we're having a Release party at the Bufalo Bar to celebrate the occasion. Colin Clary is headlining the night and even though it's almost sold out now, we never managed to organize a release show for Colin's 'Every little thing counts', which came out last February, so I think we can call it a double weepop! release show. With support by The sunny street and Ich Bin Finn, it should be an ace night, please come along.

More exciting news from us soon! x

Summer's here!

2009-07-07T18:14:00.011+01:00

July is completely packed with shows, festivals and all around awesomeness. And we have two new releases on their way, which we are super excited about:

Secret Charisma: Original Cast Recording

A 14-minute indiepop musical written and produced by Brad San Martin of One Happy Island, featuring Kristin Andreassen (Uncle Earl, Sometymes Why), Nichole Ferree (Orange Nichole), One Happy Island, Desmond Reed, and Mark Robinson (Cotton Candy, Unrest). Somewhat based in personal experiences, Secret Charisma is a tale about time, coming home, and friendship.

The Smittens / The just Joans SPLIT

The title says it all for this one - we got The just joans and The smittens in the same record... covering each other's songs!!! It will be available in our usual 3'' cds as well as 7'' vinyl. More details very soon.

The timing for both these releases is perfect, since The Smittens and One Happy Island are coming over from the States next week to tour the UK and play a couple of festivals.

It all kicks off with Secret Charisma's release party at the Bufalo Bar next Wednesday, July 15th, with Colin Clary (yow!!), The Sunny Street and Ich bin finn. This promises to be a very special show, a unique chance to see Secret Charisma live and Colin's only solo show in the UK, so please come along.

For the Just Joans/ Smittens single release, we're heading off to Glasgow for HMHB at the Flying Duck, with One happy Island, the Specific heats and the Maple leaves. ''Half my heart beats'' is an ace pop night in Glasgow which I have always wanted to go to, and it's named after a smittens song, so I can't think of a more perfect time to do so.

Here's a list of The Smittens and One happy Island's tour dates and a couple of other ace shows coming up:

08/07 - Allo, Darlin' at the Scala - London UK
15/07 - Secret Charisma and Colin Clary - Bufalo Bar - London UK (EP RELEASE PARTY!!!)
17/07 - Let's Whisper and Allo Darlin' at the Betsey Trotwood - London UK
18/07 - One happy island at the Norfolk Inn - Stoke on Trent UK
19/07 -The Smittens and One happy island at Head of Steam - Newcastle - UK
20/07 - The Smittens, One happy Island and the Just Joans at The Flying Duck - Glasgow UK (SINGLE RELEASE PARTY!!!)
21/07 - The Smittens and One happy island at the Victoria - Birmingham UK
22/07 - The Smittens and One happy island at The Wilmington arms -London UK
23/07 - The Smittens and One happy island at The Packhorese - Leeds UK
23/07 - Moustache of Insanity at Brixton Jamm - London UK
24 to 26/07 - Little my, One happy island, The smittens, Let's whisper and Moustache of Insanity at Indietracks festival - Derby UK
28 /07 - The Smittens in Gothenburg, Sweden
20/07 - The Smittens at Insikten - Jonkopings Kulturhus - Sweden
30/07 - Let's Whisper at the Cozy Den fest - Stockholm - Sweden
31/ 07 - The Smittens at the Cozy Den fest - Stockholm - Sweden
01/08 - Allo, Darlin' at the Cozy Den fest - Stockholm - Sweden

For more details, please check our gig listings and/ or the bands' myspace page.

On other news, Summer Cats have finished their debut LP, Songs For Tuesdays and it sounds brilliant! It will be out on Slumberland Records on July 14th and later in the year on Knock yr. socks off records. Go order yourself a copy now!

Live action!

2009-06-20T16:38:00.014+01:00

Allo, Darlin's release party last thursday was a lot of fun. Thank you to everyone who were there for making it so special.

There are lots of shows happening this week:

Amida is having a Manchester launch show for "If the wave loves two suns" this Friday, June 26th is at Fuel Cafe, presented by the lovely folks of Pull Yourself Together.

Mexican kids at home will be playing with Moofish Catfish this Monday at Vines in Derby, then head to Belper for the Belper Summer Festival on the weekend, and a couple of shows in London on the following Monday and Tuesday.

Allo, Darlin' is playing two shows this week! On Wednesday, 24th, They'll be playing with Stuart Flynn's Dear Britch, Xylitol and Monster Bobby at Special Sounds, a new night at Oliver's Bar in Greenwich (London).

On Friday, they'll be one of the many bands playing Bruce Springsteen songs at the launch party for a tribute compilation WIAIWYA has put togehter. It's all happening at the Bufallo Bar (London) from 8:00 onwards. Tickets and details here.

Let's whisper and Transmittens will be playing next Sunday, June 28th at the Monkey Bar in Vermont(US). It's an early one (for the American standards), open from 7:30/8 with the music starting at 8:30.

And this is just the beginning! x

'Henry Rollins don't dance' available to pre-order now

2009-06-11T17:21:00.013+01:00

Allo Darlin's new single - Henry Rollins don't dance - is now available to pre-order!

Allo Darlin' was one of the first bands we contacted when we started the label, back when they were still called 'The Darlings, and now, almost two years after releasing the Photo EP, they're back on weepop! with three new songs on a 7" vinyl release.

It is a bit unfair calling this record a "single". The whole thing is just so damn good, each track should deserved a big front cover of their own. Those of you who were lucky to see Allo darlin' play live in the past months are probably familiar with these songs, and know just what I'm talking about.

We're having a single release party/ show at the Wilmington Arms (London) next Thursday, June 18th, when we will also be celebrating our 2nd Anniversary. We promise everything a good party should have - cake, great music and lots of fun. Come along!! Advance tickets are available on wegottickets.

x

June already!

2009-06-05T13:18:00.011+01:00

June already!! We'll be two years old very soon, Summer (and the festivals that come with it) is just 'round the corner, and we have two new releases on their way:

We start the month with another ace addition to the weepop! catalogue by Manchester's popsters Amida (who also appeared on our Starting Anew compilation earlier this year), with the five track ep "If the wave loves two suns".

Brought together via the usual channels of musician wanted ads, Amida combines the members' different backgrounds to create infectiously jangly indiepop packed with lots of c86 and 90s indierock influences.

They will be playing a couple of shows in Manchester later this month - at at Chorlton Irish Club on the 12th, at Fuel on the 26th and hopefully a date in London soon. We'll keep you posted.

The EP is available to pre-order now on our release page.

And after a long time in the making, we're ecstatic to say that in couple of weeks we'll present to you an awesome single by Allo, Darlin' - three songs, all of which deserved the A-side, pressed on bright orange vinyl.

We're having a single release party on June 18th at the Wilmington Arms, where you'll be able to see the band in their full excellence playing a 45 minute set, with support by Moustache of Insanity and Sweden's incredible Moofish Catfish. Advance tickets are available now on wegottickets.

x

T-shirts!!!

2009-05-29T23:58:00.005+01:00

Woot! The awesome Vermont-based illustrator David Zacharis designed a t-shirt for us, and we just got a big box full of them back from the printers.

Have a look at our (brand-new) merch page for more details and/or to get one.
x

Back and busy

2009-05-22T04:09:00.013+01:00

I'll be back in London this Sunday and there will be lots happening at the weepop! headquarters straight away, starting with a brand-new release next weekend.

Following an appearance on our new year's compilation, Moustache of Insanity has a whole EP ready for us now. This London-based duo are Niklas Vestberg and Will Harrison. Using an electric guitar, drum backing tracks, a variety of vintage Casio keyboards and whatever else they can find lying around, they make fun, super catchy songs.

The ep features artwork by James Paterson (including a fun twelve-page comic book full of references to the band's lyrics) and every copy comes with its own unique badge made by Nik himself.

You can get an idea of what MOI is all about and pre-order a copy of the ep on our release page. If you're in the UK, maybe you can go see them play too - They're doing a three-day tour, starting in London this Thursday, May 29th, Manchester on the 30th and Edinburgh on the 31st. More details here.
xx

Indiepop in Brazil

2009-05-12T20:52:00.006+01:00

Woaah! This thursday I'll be playing some records at Splashdown, an indiepop night in Sao Paulo (Brazil) that started about a month ago.

It seems that new bands, new nights, new festivals and new labels have been popping up all over the place in the past couple of years. It feels great to be a little part of this, and it's even nicer to travel and get to meet people who share the same ideas and are doing similar things, miles and miles away.

Ah, and once on the "like-minded people" subject, I'd like to point out a couple of ace new little labels based in Brazil that are well worth checking out:

Bolinhas records is a brand new pop label, releasing music they love in beatiful, handmade packging. Their first release, out now, is by the Swedish band Stars in coma and they already have three more lined up.

Si no puedo bailar (no es mi revolucion) is a collective focused on new, independent music in Latin america. Their first two releases are compiles bands from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela that range from indie-rock to folktronic tunes.
xx

Away!

2009-04-30T16:22:00.004+01:00

I'm going to be away for the next couple of weeks, so orders placed from now on will have a wait a wee bit. But rest assured they'll be on their way as soon as I get back.

There will be lots happening this summer: loads of new music, coloured records, gigs and parties, popfests all around and friends travelling to come and play over here. And we also have plenty of weepopness planned to make up for these quiet weeks in May. It'll be great!!

More from us soon. x

April happenings

2009-04-19T13:55:00.003+01:00

There's lots of live action happening in the next couple of weeks:

The Motifs are touring Europe!!! They'll hit the UK on thursday for shows in Glasgow, Nottingham, Cardiff and London and then Stockholm, Turku, Tallinn and Riga before they head back home to Australia. Can't wait to see them here in London on the 29th!

Little my will be down in London for a show this Thursday, April 23rd. They're playing at the Buffalo Bar with Je suis Animal and Cats on fire. More info and tickets here.

I'll be DJing at the Cats on fire show on friday, April 24th at the Wilmington Arms (London). It should be a very fun night - it's a lovely intimate venue and Cats on fire are absolutely brilliant live. Please come along if you can. Advance tickets are available on wegottickets.

And our latest release, "Our dreams" is out now! Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered, your copies are on their way now and should turn up in the next couple of days.

x

Balloons in the sky

2009-04-12T12:58:00.009+01:00

Wooah, Springtime is here, it's a bank holiday weekend, and we have a new release almost ready to go!

This time, with another brand new band to the label, we present to you a 10 song mini album by Transmittens, a lovely duo from Kansas (USA).

The band started when Jen and Danny started playing around with a synthesizer, a guitar, and a drum machine a couple of years ago, and have since then evolved into a lovely mind-melting band.

Apart from a few compilation appearances, Our dreams is their first release. With 10 songs in just over 20 minutes, the mini-album delivers the most upbeat, delightful melodies that are sure to put a smile on your face and a wiggle in your step.

Our dreams will be out on Friday, April 17th, and is available to pre-order now.

One Happy Island on Chic-A-Go-Go

2009-04-02T22:37:00.004+01:00

Awww, do I have to explain why i love these guys?

New ep on its way

2009-03-24T17:58:00.006Z

We have a new ep in the making, and are thrilled to announce this new addition to the weepop catalogue: The Adventure EP, by Dexter Poindexter.

Hailing from Illinois, Dexter Poindexter is Tommy Komorowski (and sometimes friends). He started making music because the winters there are far too cold and the summers too hot to skateboard. In the past year and a half he released several eps and a full length on the collective Brown Bear Records.

The adventure ep will be out this friday, and is available to pre-order now. As usual, it's limited to 160 handcrafted copies.

On other news:

After 12 days on the road and a few thousand miles across the country, One happy island is back home from their tour. I have been reading their tour blog and it sounds like it was a fun and very busy week. They're now booking a tour 'round the UK for the summer. I really can't wait!

Allo, Darlin' is playing a HDIF show this thursday. It's going to be another full band show, I hear there will be a couple of brand new songs and it's FREE to get in.

x

Outta town

2009-03-06T15:44:00.003Z

I'm going away on a little holiday and that means weePOP! is having a one week break starting tomorrow. I'm sorry that some of you will have to wait a bit longer to receive your orders.

But there's quite a few nice things planned for when i get back, starting with a fresh out of box ep coming all the way from Illinois. You can get the idea of what to expect here.

There are lots of gigs coming up everywhere: One happy island is going on tour this week (US), The felt tips are coming down to London on friday and Allo Darlin' is going up to Cardiff on Saturday. Have a look at the upcoming gigs list for more dates and details.

xx

Post Popfest

2009-03-03T16:56:00.005Z

Woot! The London popfest was pure awesomeness! So many good bands, lots of friends, dancing and smiling! I hope there are already plans for next year's.

There are a lot of pictures of the weekend on flickr and some videos on youtube, vimeo and myspace.

Our thirtieth release - Every little thing counts by Colin Clary - is officially out now, and ready to go. You can grab a copy on our release page.

Have a great week! x

Pop fun!

2009-02-22T13:13:00.004Z

Uff, hasn't this been a busy month?! The eps by the Just joans and Mexican kids at home are out now, and Colin Clary's "Every little thing counts" has just been made available to pre-order!

Colin will be landing in London this Thursday, and will be playing two gigs at the popfest: with Dana on thursday as Let's whisper and again on the saturday all-dayer with the Smittens. And hopefully we'll be able to see some of his solo stuff at some point as well.

Tickets for the festival are available on wegottickets.

Yow!!!

Two new releases and two shows

2009-02-02T22:52:00.006Z

We are very pleased to announce that the eps by The Mexican kids at home and The just joans are now available to pre-order. It's great to be working with both of them again and we're so proud to be putting these out.

The releases will be marked with a show each:

The Mexican kids are coming down to London for a pre-release show this Friday, Feb 06th. And the just joans will be playing an alternative valentines gig in Glasgow next Saturday, Feb14th. They should be great, so if you're around, drop by to see them play and grab a copy of the ep.

On other news - I was really excited to find out that a radio show called La Merienda on Canal Extremadura radio in Spain played a whole show dedicated to weepop, it's almost an hour of weepopness! It was aired a couple of weeks ago, but it's still available as a podcast here.

xx

Poptimes

2009-01-20T13:33:00.010Z

Oh wow! poptimes indeed!

The Felt tips' exquisitely lovely uptempo homage to London, "Bought and Sold", is now officially out - thanks to everyone who pre-ordered - your copies were posted off on monday and should be popping up in your mailbox anytime now. (ouch - bad pun!!)

February promises to be a very month for weepop, with 3 new releases, and a show for each one of them:

The mexican kids at home showcase their new EP "Recycled songs for a happy enviroment" in London on the 6th february, sharing the stage with Je suis animal, Esiotrot and The Lodger , for an ace night put on by goonite. More details on the show and tickets available on wegottickets.

The Just joans will rebelling against traditional Valetines Night with an alternative event marking the release of their latest EP "Love and Other Hideous Accidents"! Keep an eye on their myspace for more details on the show.

And finally ... drumroll please.. yes! the one and only London Popfest will soon be upon us, and in celebration and excitement we present to you Colin Clary's "Every little thing counts"! Colin and I have been planning this release for months, and the timing has worked out perfect, coinciding as it does with the festival and him being over to play for a few shows!

A new start

2009-01-12T01:35:00.005Z

The year has barely started, but there are loads of reasons to be excited already!

It begun with lots of cutting, folding and the release of Starting Anew, a compilation I'm utterly proud of, and it's been great. It's selling really quick, so if you'd like a copy and haven't got it yet, don't wait too long.

The first ever London popfest has been announced last week. I've always felt a bit jealous of all the american popfests, so having the fun started here is certainly a treat!

Our second release of the year is just up for pre-ordering now, a lovely 3 track ep by The felt tips, who we are very pleased to welcome to the weepop! roster.

The Felt Tips are Miguel, Andrew, Neil and Kev, and make the most exquisite uptempo winsome pop, led by Andrew's crooner style voice, confident and quirky, full of subtle nuance, and recalling stories of trips to London, romantic interludes and missed opportunities. This is their third release, following two wonderful singles on Cloudberry records.

They are playing a pre-release gig in Glasgow this Friday (16/01), at a new indiepop night called "silence can break your heart" (gotta love hefner!) at The Captains rest in Glasgow. If you have the chance to go see them, don't miss it.

And then there's lots planned for the coming months, including new eps by The mexican kids at home, The just joans and Colin clary (yow!).

Have a great start of the year! xx

'Till next year!

2008-12-21T21:30:00.006Z

This has been a very wonderful year for weePOP! Thank you so much to all of you who made it this way - bands, friends, and everyone who supports the label.

There's lots more planned for the coming months!!

I think there's nothing better to start a brand new year well than a good new set of songs in my headphones, so the first release in 2009 will be our second weepop-up compilation: Starting Anew - all themed around new beginnings, featuring songs by 7 amazing bands, packed in a pop-up sleeve, and out before you can even catch your breath after the new year's celebrations.

All the bands in the compilation are new to the label: Amida, Horowitz, Stars of aviation, Moustache of insanity, Electrophonvintage, The diskettes and Very truly yours.

"Starting Anew" will be finished and ready to be shipped first thing in the new year, and is available to pre-order on the release page.

But for now, I'm having a little break and going away for christmas, so any new orders placed this week won't be posted straight away, but rest assured your weepop parcels will be on their way to you as soon as I return.

Once again, thanks for all your support throught out this year,

Happy holidays, everyone!
xx

December already!

2008-12-03T23:43:00.007Z

Wooah, It's December already!

The endless bummer ep is out now, all the pre-orders have been sent out on monday (thank you to everyone who ordered it), and I have a nice pile of them all finished and ready to go. If can get a copy on the release page.

The ep will also be available on cassette from Lost Sound Tapes over in the US. In a world where not even mixtapes come in tapes anymore, this trully is a little treasure. Check their website for this and some other great stuff they've released.

There are all sorts of end-of-the-year festivities going around:

Allo, Darlin' goes on a mini tour starting with Edinburgh on Friday, and then Newcastle, Manchester and ending with London on Tuesday. They'll also have a lovely christmas ep out this friday, it has five brand new songs, and from what i heard already, it's going to be awesome. You can it directly from the band on their myspace.

The Mexican kids at home have a special treat up their sleeves too, I don't want to spoil any surprises, but think lots of really good bands and lots of cowbells!

All orders during December will come with candy canes and little special treats! If you'd like to order something as a gift, we can write a personal message from you, and gift wrap everything! Just drop us a note with your order.

Keep warm! xx

November news!

2008-11-20T15:02:00.015Z

Little My played the last gig of their week long tour last night in London, and i must say they've become so tight and confident in their playing, a sheer delight to behold the 8 smiling faces inside their animal masks and suits, joyously thumping and playing everything in sight!

They have some super cute merch (tshirts, handmade tote bags, and even some "little my people") left from the tour, so if you're looking for end-of-the-year-gift ideas, have a look at little my.org.

The end of the year is fast approaching, but we still have a couple of exciting things planned for you:

Out next weekend and available to pre-order now is Donald Fagen mix tape, by The Endless Bummer.

They produce brilliant freeform pop, surreal and dreamy songs combining elements of 50s doo-wop, lo-fi wheezy organs, percussive skiffle, and three person vocal harmonies with bubblegum lyrics thrown together with fragments of pop-cultural reference, first person narratives and tales of lost love. The band are a Kip, Natalie and David, based out of San Diego, and the sun shines through in these four songs of laid back Californian daydreams!

And coming very soon after, a lovely three tracker from Glasgow's awesome crooning The Felt Tips!

Allo, Darling goes on the road for a mini tour of four dates round the UK. Elisabeth has just returned from a long trip in Australia where she had been working away on lots of new songs, including a 4 track christmas ep, which she'll take on tour with her, and will also be available on allo darlin's myspace.

From the plans we hear being made, these shows will be a whole lot of fun, don't miss them if you can:

05/12 - At the bowery in Edinburgh (with Meursault) Roxburgh Place, EH8 8EB
07/12 - At tyne bar, Newcastle. Quayside, Newcastle, ne6
08/12 - At Fuel, Manchester (with Nat Johnson from MSTU)
09/12 - At the Wilmington Arms, London (with moustache of insanity)

Thanks, take care!
x

Seven!

2008-11-07T17:32:00.005Z

Big news!!! Little My is back for another weePOP! ep, and this time it's available in lovely heavy-weight coloured vinyl as well as our usual 3" cdrs.

Entittled "Little my's seventh", the ep features four songs full of glockenspiels, melodicas, violin and stylophone sounds, boy and girl harmonies, handclaps, and lots of fun.

It comes out on November 15th, coinciding with the date Little my embarks on a tour around the UK, but both the 7" and cdr versions are already available to pre-order now.

Woot!!!

Saturday news!

2008-10-25T18:42:00.012+01:00

"Hello, my name is kuma" is officially out today! For those who pre-ordered it, thank you loads! And watch your mail boxes, because there's a little kuma ep on its way to you right now.

Megamoog has made a tour blog documenting their adventures in Germany and the UK last month. It's a nice diary of the tour, some videos and photos. Check it out at megamoog.wordpress.com.

Little my is going on tour in November, they'll be driving a bus all over the uk, dressing up in animal costumes and (hopefully) playing somewhere close to you. Go see them! They are one of the most fun bands to watch live. Ever!

The dates are:
10 Nov - Newport meze lounge w/ Silence at sea + Pagan Wanderer Lu
15 Nov - Cardiff swn festival w/ Boy least likely to, The pippettes and lots more
17 Nov - Bristol junction w/ Freeze puppy + Bones at the botton of the barrel
19 Nov - Manchester star & garter w/ Napoleon IIIrd
20 Nov - Bath - w/ Zissou
21 Nov - London
09 Dec - Birmingham - w/ Lime chalks

Which brings us to a very exciting announcement: Our second release in 7" vinyl is in the making right now, it'll be "Little my's seventh", and it will ready just in time for their tour! Woot!

Have a fun weekend! x