"I love the sound of 2000s pop coming out of completely blown-out van speakers"
An Insult to the Sport is a split offering from the genre-defiant groups They are Gutting a Body of Water and A Country Western. Elements of breakcore, shoegaze, and obtuse slacker rock find home on An Insult, at times with no bridge at all between the disparate styles. On paper, the combination of styles may read as cacophonous or incompatible, but the end result is instead a measured contrast of sounds, a reflection of the inescapable influence of our chaotic time and the groups’ environments. more info→
seven albums,
an EP,
eight singles,
a live album,
and a split.
The 12 songs that constitute Dreams, the third full-length from the Taiwanese trio Elephant Gym, explore the deep spacetime continuum that consciousness cannot capture. Beyond the trio’s staple instrumentation of guitar, bass, and drumset, Dreams blends in wind instruments, traditional drums, and Taiwanese narrative. more info →
When writing about a song or album, the convention is to use the present tense. A piece of music, although representative of and influenced by the era in which it was created, is ultimately always experienced in ~the present~. We built this website while pondering ways that we could, at every turn, focus on discovery by bringing music we released years ago relevantly back into the present, challenging how we collectively talk and think about “new” music. Discovering new music is exciting, but so is discovering music that’s simply
new to you.
It’s our hope that you'll enjoy digitally crate digging through this online home of ours, finding and connecting with the 250+ albums we’ve released with 140+ artists from all around the world over the last 16 years. Directly below are a few of our favorites to get you started.
However you’ve found yourself here presently, thanks so much for stopping by! We couldn’t do this without your support and enthusiasm.
-All of us at Topshelf
There is an immediate and palpable sense of joy that jumps out from Next of Kin, the fifth full-length album from bedroom recording project Bellows. But the record is steeped equally in loss: loss of family, beloved dogs, friendships, romantic love, and most of all loss of selfhood. Backwardly inspired by the wealth of loss, Next of Kin sees songwriter Oliver Kalb discovering a renewed sense of appreciation for life in the face of hardship, freshly emboldened to move through the world with a loosened grip on life. more info →
Although sung almost entirely in Korean, Crumbling exhibits a distinct universality, merging disparate sounds and styles into a cohesive, electronic-infused folk amalgam that tactfully blurs the lines between organic and synthetic. more info →
Already a fan of Record Setter and heading in a heavier direction, it was an easy choice for Home Is Where to decide on doing a split release with the Denton, TX-based hardcore band. “[We] wanted to make something unabashedly trans. Two trans bands. Songs about trans issues. Cover by a trans artist. We wanted to make something for the girls to pop off to,” explains Home Is Where’s Brandon MacDonald of dissection lesson’s genesis. more info →
The end of summer is also marking the end of cool original’s outtakes from “bad summer” series. Today we’re expanding the universe one last time with another second, a whole lifetime. read more →
Please welcome Knifeplay to our roster! We’re thrilled to announce that their new album ‘Animal Drowning’ is out October 19, and you can hear the first single “Promise” now. read more →
We’re simply thrilled to share that we're partnering JYOCHO to release their album 'Let’s Promise to Be Happy' on cassette and vinyl! JYOCHO’s music exudes pure emotion. It’s chaotic, non-linear, poetic, and gorgeous. read more →
The Montreal music scene is AMAZING! There are so many incredible artists making innovative and creative music that sounds like no other! I’m really grateful to be a part of such a nourishing and nurturing community. read more →
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