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Not just news posts anymore


We see this space as an opportunity to give a platform for our roster—but moreso, the individual people that comprise our roster—to speak on anything that's important to them, or to simply share anecdotes about their music. Our hope is that this will expand into a curated, open-ended hub for not just news and updates, but also recommendations, behind-the-scenes, "premieres" & exclusives, random musings, calls to action, and as a means for us to riff on what we think is important. Our logo is a speech bubble, after all.

Every post we've ever made going back to 2006 has been meticulously tagged and archived here for you. Use the 'by artist' dropdown or the filters to show posts that're more specific to what you're looking for, or just scroll down to peruse things chronologically. Thanks for reading!
 
 
an illustration by Madeline Dowd, showing whimsical people enjoying music in various ways i illustration by Madeline Dowd of Crisman.

Lunarette // “Low Sky” - New Single + Music Video

Lunarette

At the center of “Low Sky” is a gorgeous Queens sunset in which songwriter Brian Alvarez found the song’s initial inspiration. read more →

 

get

to

know

Zenizen

"I hate locking in a recording that is gonna be how people hear the songs permanently, because we do it different all the time, there’s so many things that it could be." read more →

 

Bandcamp Friday // we share our recommendations!

Will, Sarah, Kevin, and Mack share what we've been picking up on Bandcamp recently <3 read more →

 

supernowhere // artist selections playlist

supernowhere

"...we wanted to look back at our time in the small yet vibrant Burlington, Vermont independent music scene..." read more →

 

Gulfer // Behind the "Neighbours" video

"Big shouts to the OJ for letting us do our thing." read more →

 

Record Setter // The Best Little Disc Golf in Texas

Please enjoy this recap on what Record Setter has been up to, accompanied by 22 minutes of joyous video content wherein they play disc golf and make me laugh out loud a lot. read more →

 

fall internship

Record Setter

We're looking for a fall intern to assist with our fall release schedule. We're accepting applications through September 10, check out the post for more details! read more →

 

Lunarette drop sparkling one-off "Tangerine Spritz"

Lunarette

Songwriter Kevin Doxsey explains feeling completely uninhibited during the writing process for Lunarette’s newest single “Tangerine Spritz” read more →

 

Introducing: supernowhere

supernowhere

"supernowhere grabbed the attention of every person behind this label, and we are thrilled to get to partner with them in re-introducing their debut album Gestalt to the wider world, now available to stream on all platforms for the first time." read more →

 

Gregory Uhlmann // New live video + curated playlist

Gregory Uhlmann

drank a little too much last night / forgot my keys / didn’t turn off the lights read more →

 

Gregory Uhlmann // Goosebumps

Gregory Uhlmann

"Recorded in a nook between my kitchen and living room, 'Goosebumps' is a song about the stretchiness of time." read more →

 

"Talking to the Dead" // New live video from Olivia Kaplan

Olivia Kaplan

"she’s alone / but she’d never tell / she feels her lover ought to know her well / enough to call, enough to ask / enough to try though he don’t understand." read more →

 

A Great Big Pile of Leaves // New Album 'Pono' out August 13

A Great Big Pile of Leaves

"This is meticulous, sophisticated music about living as casually as possible." -Stereogum read more →

 

Olivia Kaplan // Behind the Album Art

"Maybe someone will stumble upon this record and find it rewarding in some way, like finding a mermaid tail where they thought they’d find a wet sock." read more →

 

Olivia Kaplan // "Ghosts" - New Single + Music Video

Olivia Kaplan

On "Ghosts" Kaplan light-heartedly confronts the nuanced fear and apathy towards commitment between two people. read more →

 

Lunarette // Artist Curated Playlist

Lunarette

"Here are some songs that we got into from this past year, a year we obviously did not expect. Each of us got into sounds that have informed our evolving musical perspectives, and while varying, I find that they all feed off each other." read more →

 

Ratboys Announce Fall Tour w/ Wild Pink!

Ratboys

Ratboys have announced Fall dates co-headlining with Wild Pink & tickets go on sale this Friday! These shows will precede their Spring tour supporting Julien Baker in Europe. read more →

 

Gulfer & Charmer Do a Split

Gulfer

"The whole idea of finding a band because another band you like has some kind of connection with them is a cool way to get your hands on new music. When I first got familiar with labels like Topshelf and Count Your Lucky Stars, I would always make sure to check the splits they would put out. It was a cool insight into what was happening in the scene in the States at the time - what bands were interacting with each other and who was supporting who." read more →

 

Topshelf Digest // May Updates

Gulfer

"There's beautiful personal wreckage in the post-truth and existential meltdown worlds of Gulfer and Charmer on the emo punk bands' new split." read more →

 

Olivia Kaplan // Five Inspirations

Olivia Kaplan

Skip stones with Olivia Kaplan as she connects dots of inspiration around her debut record "Tonight Turns to Nothing" -- out June 25. read more →

 

Olivia Kaplan // Third Single "Still Strangers"

Olivia Kaplan

"Still Strangers" is a poised ballad about feigned intimacy performed completely solo, with a distinct composure and gravity. read more →

 

Ten Years of Ratboys // A Timeline

"Happy Birthday, Ratboy" celebrates 10 years of Ratboys - use this timeline to get familiar with the band's full history, accompanied by some adorable archival photos! read more →

 

Olivia Kaplan // Curated Playlist

Olivia Kaplan

"I love the way she owns her shit while leveling her lovers so eloquently..." read more →

 

In Photos // Ten days touring Japan with Ratboys

Back in 2018, Ratboys embarked on a short tour of Japan's Honshu island and Kevin tagged along. We gave everyone cameras to document the trip, and now present this gallery with some rousing anecdotes. read more →

 

"Take Your Pick" w/ Loraine James

"I remember just always listening to it on repeat when I was on the bus as a teenager." read more →

 

Olivia Kaplan Shares Lyric Video for Single "Wrong"

Olivia Kaplan

"Good news for fans of homespun pop that cuts deep." read more →

 

Really From S/T album out now!

Really From

"The album is dizzyingly complex and is always doing so many things at once, but it remains accessible throughout. You don't need a jazz degree to be interested in what they're doing; for all the intricate, twisted patterns on this album, these are just great, tuneful rock songs." - Brooklyn Vegan read more →

 

toe // DOKU-EN-KAI

toe

toe have announced a new feature-length live release, DOKU-EN-KAI, to be livestreamed in full via Bandcamp on March 5. read more →

 

Tancred // Self-Titled Album Livestream

Tancred

"I’m very excited to play these songs now, some of which will be for the first time, and solo acoustic, the way each was originally written. These songs are raw and I can’t wait to present them that way." read more →

 

"Take Your Pick" w/ Jer from Skatune Network

"That show lives rent-free in my head for the rest of my life." ~ hit a skank down memory lane with Jer from Skatune Network, as they pick 5 of their favorite Topshelf releases read more →