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Deluxe version of Kassi Ashton's long-awaited, full-length debut album, Made From The Dirt, now featuring 5 additional tracks, including "Sounds Like Somethin' I'd Say (feat. Parker McCollum)." Made From The Dirt not only showcases Kassi's one-of-a-kind signature style front and center, but it also tells her story so far. She holds nothing back on these ten tracks - from the knockout title track "Made From The Dirt" to the exhale of the finale "Juanita." Spiking her brand of country with rock 'n' roll spirit and unabashed vulnerability, she proudly wears her heart on her sleeve.
Kassi Ashton - Made From The Dirt: The Blooms (Bonus Tracks)
OUT 2025-04-25
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Bryce Leatherwood's self-titled debut album includes the tracks "Where the Bar Is," "Shenandoah," and his current single at Country radio, "Hung Up on You." On the song's September 2024 release, Leatherwood shared, "Growing up, Country radio is what we listened to at home, so taking this one to the airwaves is a full circle moment for me. All I've ever wanted to do is make my family and everyone back home proud and having them hear my voice on the radio is a dream come true." He is the winner of season 22 of the American talent competition The Voice and has the distinction of being the first winner of the show to be a Wildcard artist during the live playoffs. He competed on the team coached by Blake Shelton, earning Shelton his ninth and final win as a coach on the show.
Bryce Leatherwood - Bryce Leatherwood
OUT 2025-05-16
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Sleep Token returns with Even In Arcadia, their fourth offering and first under RCA Records, set to release on May 9th. This new chapter follows Take Me Back To Eden and continues the unfolding journey where Sleep Token further intertwines the boundaries of sound and emotion, dissolving into something otherworldly. 

Sleep Token - Even In Arcadia
OUT 2025-05-09
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Ariana Grande - eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead - Vinyl 2 LP

eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead - with nine bonus tracks, including six new songs. 2 LP translucent marble vinyl, gatefold jacket, 24-page booklet featuring lyrics and new photos.

Ariana Grande - eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead [Translucent Marble 2 LP]
OUT 2025-03-28
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Six years after her critically acclaimed album forevherShura is back with her highly anticipated third studio album I Got Too Sad For My Friends. A pastoral blend of chamber pop, sixties folk and campfire Americana, it builds Shura’s introspective songwriting out into a vast landscape more tranquil than the soulful bounce of forevher, and more rustic than the brooding synth-pop of her 2016 debut Nothing’s Real. Though it’s an album rooted in themes of depression and loneliness, I Got Too Sad For My Friends is far from downcast. Instead, it stays fully present in its feelings and plunges its fingers into the earth – even when it can be painful to do so. Produced by Luke Smith (Foals, Shygirl, Depeche Mode) and featuring collaborations with Cassandra Jenkins, Becca Mancari and Helado Negro, it retains Shura’s usual crystalline sound and precision while introducing a different kind of warmth and earthiness.

Shura - I Got Too Sad For My Friends
OUT 2025-05-30 Video
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It is with a certain sadness for his fans across mediums that Donald Glover has declared Bando Stone and the New World the last Childish Gambino album. The ostensible soundtrack to a feature-length movie of the same name, the hour-long project includes snippets of dialogue that hint at the film’s apocalyptic subject matter. The fact that the soundtrack is preceding the actual film is part of Glover’s strategy: He wants listeners to work to figure out what they’re listening to. “The soundtrack forces the audience to participate in a way that I don't feel like most things force you to participate,” he says. “It forces you to have an imagination. I already see people being like, 'This is very cinematic, this must be the part that... This feels like a credit sequence.' A lot of stuff feels flat because it's not asking you to participate. Art used to be you had to participate on some level and have some sort of thought process on it. You can't just be like, 'Oh, this is mid.'” Even without the benefit of the full visuals, these 17 tracks make for a satisfying swan song that synthesizes what came before with fresher ideas gleaned from the threshold of finality
Childish Gambino - Bando Stone and the New World [LP] [2 LP]
OUT 2025-04-18
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Djo, the musical project of Joe Keery, returns with his third studio album, 'The Crux' —a deeply reflective and sonically adventurous body of work. Following the massive success of his single “End of Beginning” which topped the Global Spotify chart and amassed over 1.5 billion streams worldwide, 'The Crux' was crafted at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in New York. Drawing inspiration from the turbulence and growth of navigating one’s 20s, the album explores themes of self-discovery and connection, all wrapped in a narrative that serves as a love letter to those who matter most to Djo. Aptly titled 'The Crux', this album captures a moment suspended between the past and an undefined future.
Djo - The Crux [LP]
OUT 2025-04-04
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“Sun was made for coming out, even though the night is long.” Aperture – The Head And The Heart’s sixth album and first since signing to Verve Forecast – is the affirming work of a band finding again its shared footing, reaching unimagined levels of camaraderie and mutual risk as one. With every song fortified by the sense of beginning again, Aperture is The Head And The Heart’s most vital and poignant album. Featuring tracks like the album’s beautifully arcing opener “After the Setting Sun” and the mighty anthem “Arrow,” Aperture is a stunning testament to the collaborative work of a band who decided to let in the light, return to their roots, and forge a new path, together as one.
The Head And The Heart - Aperture [Indie Exclusive Clear Lens LP]
OUT 2025-05-09 Video
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Lord Huron - "Strange Trails (10th Anniversary Edition)" 10th Anniversary Edition of Lord Huron's seminal, multiplatinum album Strange Trails. Includes re-illustrated artwork and brand-new 20-page comic book, The Yawning Grave. Virgin Music; IMPERIAL; Alternative; Catalog Limited Edition 2 LP set on 180g vinyl, gatefold jacket, printed inner sleeves. EXPLICIT
Lord Huron - Strange Trails (10th Anniversary Edition) -  [2 LP]
OUT 2025-04-11
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Pink Floyd - Pink Floyd At Pompeii - MCMLXXII - Vinyl 2 LP

Pink Floyd at Pompeii - MCMLXXII, the groundbreaking 1972 film directed by Adrian Maben, has been digitally remastered and remixed by Steven Wilson. Set in the hauntingly beautiful ruins of the ancient Roman Amphitheatre in Pompeii, Italy, this unique film captures Pink Floyd performing an intimate concert. This audio companion contains the live performances from the film as well as two additional tracks, including a previously unreleased extended version of "A Saucerful Of Secrets".

Pink Floyd - Pink Floyd At Pompeii - MCMLXXII [2 LP]
OUT 2025-05-02
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Maddie & Tae will be releasing their 3rd studio album with 16 brand new songs. Together as longtime friends and music collaborators, Maddie Font and Taylor Kerr previously drew praise for their 1-2 punch project Through The Madness Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, and their No. 1 debuting The Way It Feels album. The album’s 3X Platinum-certified No. 1 hit, “Die From A Broken Heart” topped the country airplay charts, making Maddie & Tae the first and only female twosome with multiple No. 1s. Maddie & Tae first broke out in 2013 with their brilliant counter to bro-country, the Platinum-selling smash, “Girl In A Country Song,” which took Country radio by storm, skyrocketing to the top of the charts and establishing them as only the third female duo in 70 years to top the Country Airplay charts. They took home Group/Duo Video of the Year (“Woman You Got”) at the 2022 CMT Music Awards and were recently nominated for Duo of the Year at the 59th ACM Awards.
Maddie & Tae - Love & Light [2 LP]
OUT 2025-05-02 Video
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Produced by Gene Walker and mixed by Andy Wallace and Dan Malsch, GHOST’s sixth psalm, Skeletá, is its most unflinchingly introspective work to date. Where previous albums dealt largely with chronicling and/or observing outward facing subject matter—such as IMPERA’s meditations on the rise and fall of empires and its predecessor Prequelle’s evocations of the ravages of era-defining plagues—Skeletá’s lyrics render the distinct individual emotional vistas of each of its 10 songs in one-on-one fashion, at times as if in a dialogue with oneself in a mirror. The end result is a singular collection of timeless, universal sentiments, all filtered through a prism of a uniquely personal point of view.

Side A

1. Peacefield

2. Lachryma

3. Satanized

4. Guiding Lights

5. De Profundis Borealis

 

Side B

1. Cenotaph

2. Missilia Amori

3. Marks Of The Evil One

4. Umbra

5. Excelsis

Ghost - Skeleta [Indie Exclusive Vinyl LP]
OUT 2025-04-25
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You settle into the worn seat of a subway car barely holding together, graffiti scrawled across its walls beneath flickering ads for bionic enhancements and synthetic upgrades. A mechanical voice crackles through the loudspeaker: “The next stop is… your tiny, stupid little worthless life.” This is Metro—a dark, gritty ride through rebellion, duality, and self-discovery… and The Blue Stones’ boldest album yet. The Blue Stones—vocalist and guitarist Tarek Jafar and drummer Justin Tessier—formed during their university days and inspired by the freedom of creating without boundaries, grew from playing small-town bars to headlining iconic venues like The Troubadour in Los Angeles, Electric Ballroom in London, and The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto. Along the way, they’ve racked up over 300 million streams, three JUNO nominations, and radio hits like Shakin’ Off the Rust, which topped Rock charts in Canada and hit #5 on U.S. Mainstream Rock. METRO – the band’s fourth full-length LP – takes that ethos even further. The album follows a protagonist navigating a dystopian subway, confronting a personified version of their darker side—a manifestation of their buried need for authenticity. “The subway is a metaphor for the conflict we all face,” says Tarek. “It’s about balancing societal expectations with your own self-serving desires.” The loudspeaker’s voice, eerie and detached, becomes the protagonist’s inner critic, a manifestation of societal pressure that feels alien yet inescapable. Tracks like “Your Master” and “Kill Box” burn with snarling defiance, fusing raw distorted guitar grooves with a devil-may-care energy. The baritone guitar, a new instrument for Jafar, lends to the album’s swaggy, groovy heaviness. This is evident on songs like “Come Apart,” where a heavy riff with beautiful simplicity meets brash, punchy drums with a swing groove feel—a combination signature to The Blue Stones. The opening lines of the chorus, “Woke up with a headache // Don’t know how I’m gonna work today”, offer a poignant take on today’s hyperconnected, chronically online world. Then there’s “Happy Cry,” a moment of catharsis and raw emotion. With its live-off-the-floor energy and soaring vocals, it bursts with triumphant release, capturing the thrill of starting over and embracing growth. The Blue Stones’ sound—a melting pot of rock, blues, hip-hop, and pop—has always set them apart. They thrive on contrasts and a controlled sense of chaos, both on record and during their awe-inspiring live shows. “We’ve always wanted our music to empower people,” says Justin. “This record is about reconnecting with your authentic self—the part of you buried under everyone else’s expectations.” With METRO, The Blue Stones deliver their most unfiltered, unapologetic work yet. Step aboard. The next stop is whatever you make it.
The Blue Stones - Metro [LP indie exclusive Ink & Paint]
OUT 2025-03-28 Video
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Selena Gomez and benny blanco team up to release their first project as a couple, I Said I Love You Firstvia SMG Music LLC & Friends Keep Secrets under exclusive license to Interscope Records. The album celebrates the pair's love story, giving fans a unique window into their relationship. This album came together organically as a direct result of the comfort that they both felt when working together creatively, allowing them to produce art that authentically reflects their experiences. It chronicles their entire story before they met, falling in love, and looking to what the future holds. Available at Indie Retailers on candy cane red vinyl with signed insert. Limited Edition.

Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco - I Said I Love You First [Indie Exclusive Candy Cane Red LP w/ Signed Insert]
OUT 2025-03-21 Video
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Bon Iver’s three-song collection SABLE, was a prologue mired in darkness, a controlled burn clearing the way for new possibilities. fABLE is the book that follows. Where SABLE, was a work of solitude, fABLE is an outstretched hand. Radiant, ornate pop music gleams around Vernon’s voice as he focuses on a new and beautiful era.

 
On every song, his eyes are locked with one specific person. It’s love, which means there’s an intense clarity, focus, and honesty within fABLE. It’s a portrait of a man flooded and over whelmed by that first meeting (“Everything Is Peaceful Love”). There’s a tableau defined by sex and irrepressible desire (“Walk Home”). This is someone filled with light and purpose seeing an entire future right in front of him: a partner, new memories, maybe a family. 
There’s something undeniably healing about infatuation. Cleaving to someone else can feel like light pouring in from a door that’s suddenly swung wide. But there’s a reason SABLE, is of a piece with fABLE; the shadow still rears its head in lighter times. Even when you’ve reached a new chapter, you’ll still find yourself back in your own foundational muck. A fable isn’t a fairy tale. There’s good stuff: unbridled joy and trips to Spain. But fables aren’t hinged on happy endings; they’re here to instill a lesson. 
As the album winds to a close, he acknowledges the need for patience and a commitment to put in the work. There’s a selfless rhythm required when you’re enmeshing yourself with another person. The song—and by extension the entire album—is a pledge. He’s ready to find that pace.
Bon Iver - SABLE, fABLE [Indie Exclusive Black & Salmon 2LP]
OUT 2025-04-11
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Sierra Ferrell’s 4x GRAMMY award-winning album, Trail Of Flowers, now on Limited Edition “GRAMMY GOLD” color vinyl. One of the brightest young luminaries in roots music today, Sierra Ferrell brings a dose of beautifully strange magic to everything she touches. Trail Of Flowers is brought to life with producer Eddie Spear (Zach Bryan, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton) and additional production by Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss, Dwight Yoakam, Gillian Welch).
Sierra Ferrell - Trail Of Flowers [Grammy Gold]
OUT 2025-03-28
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With their debut album, Afterglow, Sleep Theory is carving out space at the forefront of modern hard rock, stacking stadium-sized hooks with genuine emotional weight. If their meteoric rise is any indication, this is only the beginning. The album, which offers astunning display of diverse rock flavors, was produced by David Cowell andmixed by Zakk Cervini (Bring Me The Horizon, Bad Omens, Architects). 

 

Revolver put it best: “The band’s mix of metalcore, pop, and R&B is clearly connecting in a big way—and has positioned Sleep Theory as one of heavy music’s biggest breakouts.”

 

Sleep Theory isn’t just another rock band climbing the ranks—they’re an unstoppable force rewriting the genre’s rules in real time. Frontman Cullen Moore doesn’t just sing; he commands, delivering lung-busting hooks that sit comfortably between modern rock’s heaviest hitters and the emotional pull of early-2000s alt-metal. Sleep Theory’s sound blends anthemic rock, metalcore energy, and smooth R&B-inspired melodies, drawing comparisons to Linkin Park’s more dynamic moments. Moore’s vocal range allows for a mix of soaring melodies and intense screams, adding depth and versatility to their music.

 

In under two years, the Memphis-based quartet—Moore, bassist Paolo Vergara, guitarist Daniel Pruitt, and drummer Benjamin Pruitt—had rocketed from internet obscurity to festival mainstages and the momentum hasn’t slowed. With over 220 million streams on their first eight songs, Sleep Theory is proving that viral moments can have serious staying power.

 

The industry is watching. Sleep Theory closed out 2024 as the fifth most-played artist on Active Rock radio, with multiple singles cracking year-end rock and metal charts. Heavyweights like Jelly Roll and Disturbed’s David Draiman are openly singing their praises, while Shinedown, Beartooth, Wage War, Daughtry, and Falling in Reverse have already taken them on tour across the U.S. and Europe. 

Sleep Theory - Afterglow [Translucent Clear With Orange Swirl]
OUT 2025-05-16 Video
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Written and recorded over 20 days, ‘Who Believes In Angels?' is a collaborative studio album between Elton John and Brandi Carlile. It mixes Elton-led songs and Brandi-led songs, with long term collaborator Bernie Taupin and Brandi both contributing lyrics, and producer and co-writer Andrew Watt acting as the producer, mediator and creative conduit. They are backed by a world class band of musicians comprising of Chad Smith, Pino Palladino and Josh Klinghoffer.
Elton John & Brandi Carlile - Who Believes in Angels? [Indie Exclusive Pink Spiral Vinyl]
OUT 2025-04-04 Video
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d4vd’s debut album, WITHERED, is one of the most hotly anticipated albums of the year. It completes the story laid out in his 2023 EPs, Petals to Thorns and The Lost Petals, as he continues to articulate a relationship’s ricocheting emotions: the coruscating highs and bleak lows, all set to music that’s intimate, hook-heavy, and refreshingly direct. Created primarily on Bandlab, WITHERED brought d4vd back to the place his music journey began: his sister’s closet, alone with his iPhone. To finish the record, d4vd journeyed to London with a trusted crew of collaborators to create a cohesive, intimate record that’s meant to be listened to sequentially — the songs consumed like chapters — that spotlights his evolution as a deft and dynamic vocalist.
d4vd - WITHERED [Indie Exclusive Signed Pure Cloudy White Vinyl]
OUT 2025-04-25 Video
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Forever Howlong is Black Country, New Road’s first studio release since 2022's UK #3 album Ants From Up There, which gave the band their second Top 5 UK album in 12 months alongside their Mercury Prize shortlisted debut For the first time, and follows 2023's Live at Bush Hall, an album The Guardian claimed was a “magical resurgence” in a triumphant five-star review. Now, on studio album three, the band are once again building from the ground up in yet another miraculous musical transformation.

The long-awaited new record was produced by James Ford (Fontaines D.C., Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, Blur) and sees Black Country, New Road settled into a new shape in which vocal duties – and most of the song writing – is split between Tyler Hyde, Georgia Ellery, and May Kershaw. “It created a real through line for the album, having three girls singing," says Ellery. "It's definitely very different to Ants From Up There, because of the female perspective - and the music we've made also compliments that."

Forever Howlong is an ambitious, meticulously detailed record that includes everything from folk to prog via baroque pop and touches of alt-rock – with nods to everything from Joanna Newsom to Randy Newman via Fiona Apple and Janis Ian – yet all the while retaining that unmistakably unique sound that only this combination of musicians can come up with. Although hugely varied and expansive, the album also feels deeply cohesive and focused, as it takes three distinct voices and styles and seamlessly intersperses them into a new collective sound.

Black Country, New Road - Forever Howlong [Indie Exclusive Blue 2LP w/ Alt Cover]
OUT 2025-04-04 Video
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To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Venus and Mars, this special vinyl edition was cut at half speed using a high-resolution transfer of the original master tapes from 1975 by Miles Showell at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, London. This meticulous reproduction of the original UK pressing includes recreations of the original "Venus and Mars are alright tonight" circular sticker and "comparative sizes of sun and planets" bookmark sticker as well as two posters with photography by Aubrey Powell and Sylvia de Swaan.
Paul McCartney & Wings - Venus & Mars (50th Anniversary) -  [Half Speed LP]
OUT 2025-03-21
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Celebrate 50 years of RUSH with their first-ever complete career anthology. 50 tracks on 4 CDs and 7 180g LPs featuring selections from every studio, live, and deluxe reissue album. Igniting the experience are the very first two singles, “Not Fade Away” and “You Can’t Fight It,” remastered & reissued for the first time ever. The collection showcases 7 unreleased tracks, including five 1974 live selections with the non-album songs “Bad Boy” and “Garden Road,” a Vault Edition of “The Trees” with an alternate guitar solo, and the very last performance with Neil Peart in Los Angeles on August 1, 2015, of “What You’re Doing / Working Man / Garden Road.” The 104-page hardcover book features new Hugh Syme 50th anniversary artwork along with stunning new song illustrations, photos, and liner notes by renowned rock journalists David Fricke and Philip Wilding. Exclusive to this Super Deluxe are 20 lithos illustrating one song from each studio album and a second 100-page hardcover book The Fullness Of Time, a brand-new graphic novel by Fantoons storytelling a conversation by Geddy & Alex reminiscing on the trials, tribulations, and successes recording each studio album and how the band’s sound evolved with contributions from the producers and engineers the band worked with on their studio albums.

Rush - Rush 50 [Super Deluxe Boxset 7LP + 4CD]
OUT 2025-03-21
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For nearly four decades, Alison Krauss & Union Station have upheld their legacy as one of the most influential and widely celebrated acts in bluegrass and roots music. Krauss is a 27-time Grammy winner and was inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2021. Known for an immaculately crafted but endlessly surprising sound that transcends the boundaries of roots, country, rock & roll, and pop, Alison Krauss & Union Station are making their long-awaited return with Arcadia – their first LP since the 2011 masterpiece Paper Airplane—a critically lauded, multiple Grammy Award winning LP that debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country, Bluegrass, and Folk Album charts. This spring, they will embark on a 73-date tour of North America, their first since 2015. Arcadia was produced by Alison Krauss & Union Station with additional production by 10-time Grammy winning producer Gary Paczosa, who has worked extensively with the band. The players – Alison Krauss (fiddle, lead vocal), Jerry Douglas (Dobro, lap steel, vocals), Ron Block (banjo, guitar, vocals), Barry Bales (bass, vocals), and welcoming highly acclaimed and celebrated tenor vocalist Russell Moore (guitar, mandolin, lead vocal) as the newest member – are five distinct personalities, each of whom also enjoys a flourishing solo career. But when they come together, they transform into a peerless group of musicians who share a singular focus.
Alison Krauss & Union Station - Arcadia [Indie Exclusive w/ Signed Wallet]
OUT 2025-03-28 ON SALE
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2004 Album Reimagined as Originally Intended on Black Vinyl 2LP! Features Resequenced Audio, 3 Additional Tracks, 4 Remixes & Updated Vocals! In 2004 the Drive-By Truckers released what would become the best selling album in their illustrious catalog. The Dirty South is a concept album that examines the state of the South, and unveils the hypocrisy, irony, and tragedy that continues to exist. - The Complete Dirty South is a band-led rework of the original album. Principal member Patterson Hood took the reins and reimagined this record as it was originally intended. The complete version features resequenced audio, three additional tracks, four remixes along with updated vocals.
Drive-By Truckers - Complete Dirty South
OUT 2025-04-04
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Heartbreaker” that “kicks down the door of this next musical chapter” (American Songwriter) and the title track, “Honkytonk Hollywood.” 2 LP set on forest green color vinyl. Limited Edition. Available at Indie Retailers.

Jon Pardi - Honkytonk Hollywood [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Forest Green 2LP]
OUT 2025-04-11 Video
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Mumford & Sons are back with their 5th studio album Rushmere, produced by Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson). The 10 track album is a triumphant return to form, with upbeat foot-stompers Rushmere, Truth, & Caroline alongside tender ballads such as Monochrome & Where It Belongs. Available on 12" vinyl, CD & cassette via Glassnote Music.
Mumford & Sons - RUSHMERE [LP indie exclusive Bloodshot Red]
OUT 2025-03-28
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For more than 25 years, My Morning Jacket have achieved an incredibly rare feat in rock & roll, upholding a long established cultural legacy while sustaining the curiosity and creative hunger of their earliest days. For their 10th studio album, the band teamed up with GRAMMY Award-winning producer Brendan O’Brien (Springsteen, Pearl Jam) for what may be their most masterfully realized work yet, once again expanding the limits of their sound while elevating their artistry to unprecedented heights. Available on "Blue Iceberg" color vinyl with custom inner sleeve and 4-page insert. Limited Edition. Indie Exclusive.

My Morning Jacket - is [Indie Exclusive Blue Iceberg LP]
OUT 2025-03-21
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If You Asked For A Picture, the 2nd album from Sabrina Teitelbaum, aka Blondshell, is a collection of songs from an artist at the peak of her powers. The album is alive with vital nuance both sonically and thematically, gesturing towards a deeper autobiographical story that taps into something painfully universal without being too overt. It’s a no-skips, triumphant record that captures the unresolved process of figuring out who you are, too wise to suggest that it has a definitive answer. Model Rocket Red LP. Limited Edition. Indie Exclusive.
Blondshell - If You Asked For A Picture [Indie Exclusive Model Rocket Red LP]
OUT 2025-05-02
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Widely regarded as “one of the best songwriters of her generation” (Rolling Stone), Lucy Dacus returns with Forever Is A Feeling on 3/28. Following a career defining run with boygenius that earned her three GRAMMY® Awards, her fourth solo studio album explores falling in and out of love, the tumult of desire, and larger than life romance. Across 13 tracks that range from lush arrangements to simple declarations, Dacus makes a serious inquiry into what it looks like to dedicate one’s life to true love, and a valiant attempt to capture the elusive, fleeting feeling of forever.
Lucy Dacus - Forever Is A Feeling [Indie Exclusive Liquid Gold LP] [Signed Insert]
OUT 2025-03-28 Video
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After a decade making the most of improvised recording spaces set in warehouses, trailers and lofts, Japanese Breakfast's fourth album, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women), marks the band's first proper studio release. Produced by Grammy Award winner Blake Mills, the record sees front-woman and songwriter Michelle Zauner pull back from the bright extroversion that defined it's predecessor Jubilee to examine the darker waves that roil within, the moody, fecund field of melancholy, long held to be the psychic state of poets on the verge of inspiration. The result is an artistic statement of purpose: a mature, intricate, contemplative work that conjures the romantic thrill of a gothic novel.For Melancholy Brunettes follows a transformative period in Zauner's life during which her 2x GRAMMY nominated breakthrough album Jubilee and her bestselling memoir Crying In H Mart catapulted her into the cultural mainstream, delivering on her deepest artistic ambitions. Reflecting on that success, Zauner came to appreciate the irony of desire, which so often commingles bliss and doom. "I felt seduced by getting what I always wanted," she says. "I was flying too close to the sun, and I realized if I kept going I was going to die."The plight of Icarus and other such condemned ones lends For Melancholy Brunettes it's most persistent theme, the perils of desire. Like light dispersed, it's spectral parts take the album's characters through cycles of temptation, transgression and retribution. On "Orlando in Love" - a riff on John Cheever's riff on Orlando Innamorato, an unfinished epic made up of 68 ½ cantos by the Renaissance poet Matteo Maria Boiardo - the hero is a well meaning poet who parks his Winnebago by the sea and falls victim to a siren's call, his 69th canto (even in the lofty realm of classical myth Zauner has a soft spot for innuendo). "Honey Water" plumbs the quiet rage of a woman married to an unfaithful man, watching him cede again and again to lust like a base insect perpetuating it's own demise.Sadness is indeed the dominant emotional key of this record, but it is sadness of a rarified form: the pensive, prescient sadness of melancholy, in which the recognition of life's essentially tragic character occurs with sensitivity to it's fleeting beauty. Zauner finds space enough inside it for glimmers of hope. They are the consolations of mortals that poets before her have called out to and that poets after will continue to rediscover: love and labor, and though they run like tonic resolutions through the record's many episodes, they sound most saliently on it's final song, "Magic Mountain," an engagement with Thomas Mann's famous novel of the same name. For her, making any work feels like scaling a mountain, but from the perch of For Melancholy Brunettes, she surveys the future.
Japanese Breakfast - For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) [Colored Vinyl]
OUT 2025-03-21

        
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