In honor of Topshelf's 20th anniversary, we’ve revisited our entire catalog to put a spotlight back on some important titles we’ve released over the years, bundling long unavailable releases into a 10-LP boxset. We absolutely couldn’t undertake an endeavor like this without including Pretend. A cult-classic and a staple among the staff here, Tapestry’d Life remains one of the most important albums we’ve had a hand in releasing. Pre-order now, as part of the 20-year anniversary bundle, or individually. more info→
five albums,
a re-issue,
two singles,
an EP,
and a split.
We’ve revisited our entire catalog to put a spotlight back on some important titles we’ve released over the years, bundling long unavailable releases into a 10-LP boxset. 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
Although unbound by genre, Peel Dream Magazine still inhabit the sonic milieu of warm woodland tones and droning repetition. In the entrancing standout “Believer,” they evoke Rose Main Reading Room’s atmosphere through vocalist Olivia Babuka Black’s mantric melodies and Philip Glass-like woodwinds and mallets, bringing Taurus into focus as a welcoming companion piece to its predecessor. more info →
Their fifth album, Singapore Dreaming, centers their hometown through a more focused lens. Where previous album All Around You comprised a space to sit with the complex feelings inspired by the intense world we inhabit, Singapore Dreaming is that intense world itself — Subsonic Eye’s interpretation of their high energy urban context refracted through straight-to-the-point, poppy, ergonomic songs tinged with tension that could explode at a moment’s notice. Despite the newly honed vision, Singapore Dreaming still has all of Subsonic Eye’s signature elements: spellbinding walls of tone, hooky riffs, zippy rhythms, and punches in the perfect place — all led by singer Nur Wahidah’s dreamlike voice, whose vaporous and velvety character always makes the layers whole. more info →
NOW I SEE THE LIGHT (2024), toe’s fourth full-length album, is a bridge between the experimental restraint of their later work and the explosive abandon of their earlier output. From the opening tracks, toe balance serpentine passages against meditative repetition. On “LONELINESS WILL SHINE,” “サニーボーイ・ラプソディ,” and “NOW I SEE THE LIGHT,” guitarist Yamazaki Hirokazu reprises his role as part-time vocalist, breaking the band yet further from the instrumental work that formerly defined them. As a whole, NOW I SEE THE LIGHT closes the loop between early and late toe, giving them a clean slate for their new outlook. more info →
We’ve revisited our entire catalog to put a spotlight back on some important titles we’ve released over the years, bundling long unavailable releases into a 10-LP boxset. read more →
Los Angeles' resident mantric melodicists Peel Dream Magazine will be playing some west coast shows this summer with Deep Sea Diver and Nation of Language—dates and info: read more →
Declarative and stylistically focused, Maneka's Devin McKnight allows his strengths to guide his songwriting on bathes and listens, resulting in his strongest work to date. read more →
“I like when whole songs are just capturing the emotions of one moment in life without much other context. I think these types of tunes allow the listener to really connect since emotions are in larger part universal to the human experience.” read more →
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