Three Labels You Need To Pay Attention To

Up until pretty recently I was beginning to feel like constantly great record labels were getting harder and harder to find. However, that just isn't true. The amount of great labels I've discovered lately that are putting out endless great records is overwhelming. A lot of DIY labels have emerged recently that predominantly put bands out on cassette, which is really heartwarming. It seems like a bunch of newer labels have a stronger identity than most have had in recent years. Rough Trade have lost their knack of signing genuinely innovative bands and have gone over into the landfill indie abyss (with the exception of maybe Girl Band) but here are three labels that you might not have known about that are putting out some of 2015's most important music:


Fortuna POP!

Fortuna POP! are putting out some of the UK's most exciting new music right now. Spearheaded by fuzz-pop darlings Joanna Gruesome, one thing that really makes Fortuna POP! stand out is their tendency to avoid signing dull male rock bands. They're home to some of our favourite bands including the likes of Martha, The Proper Ornaments, September Girls and Flowers. Strangely, they also put out jangly icons The Primitives first record since 1992 in 'Never Kill a Secret'.

I Hate My Records

DIY label I Hate My Records have pretty much single-handedly restored my faith in Manchester music. They came to my attention when I discovered their signing Werk, a blistering, unforgiving three piece. Werk are definitely one of the most exciting new bands in the North, but you'd struggle to find a band on IHMR that aren't. Cop Graveyard, How To Be Saved And Know It and News from Korea are some of the labels most noteworthy signings. They tend to put the majority of their releases out on tape, and on Werk's 'Wk.1' the inside cover of the cassette was populated with every instrument used, IHMR are a label with true character.

Sacred Bones

Maybe the only label on its size in the world that have never put out a bad LP. Just this year Sacred Bones have released records from drony-psych revellers Moon Duo, Neo-Krautrock experimentalists Follakzoid and the menacing Marching Church. As well as that, SB is home of some of the most underrated bands from the last thirty years with the likes of Trop Tard and Part 1. Oh, and David Lynch puts out his music through the label now too.


By Marty Hill