History
The label's first two releases, Nosferatu D2's We're Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones on to Block Out the Noise and Benjamin Shaw's I Got the Pox, the Pox Is What I Got, brought the label attention and proved popular with alternative press like Drowned in Sound, [23] The Skinny [24] [25] and Pitchfork [26] and radio stations such as BBC 6 Music, Triple R, Resonance FM and NME Radio. They also gained notable supporters in Gareth of Los Campesinos! [27] and Nic Dalton of The Lemonheads. [28]
In 2011, the label released a series of EPs from Ex-Hefner member Jack Hayter, Broken Shoulder, Wartgore Hellsnicker, Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences and Fighting Kites. The label also put together a well received [29] [30] [31] [32] charity compilation album, to raise money for Japan entitled Bob Hope Would, which they followed up with a charity busk for Japan in Greenwich, London from Jack Hayter. [33]
2011 saw the label's profile slowly begin to rise. Label founder Jamie Halliday was interviewed by Tom Robinson on BBC 6 Music [34] and wrote a "Do and Don't" guide to running an independent label for the BBC site, [35] while the label was featured in a short list of recommended labels on the Johnny Foreigner blog, [36] and described as "possibly the greatest one man label in the world" [37] by the Another Form of Relief blog.
The label ended 2011 with the debut LP from Benjamin Shaw (There's Always Hope, There's Always Cabernet) which was well received in the music press [38] and by BBC 6 Music [39] before kicking off 2012 with a second charity compilation, Some.Alternate.Universe, this time for FSID to raise money for their efforts to prevent Infant Death Syndrome. The compilation featured more established artists like Jeffrey Lewis, Jonah Matranga, Art Goblins, Internet Forever, Johnny Foreigner and more. [40] They are now working on a year long series of singles from Jack Hayter entitled The Sisters of St. Anthony. [41]
On 29 August 2012, Audio Antihero and Nosferatu D2 were featured in a retrospective piece for the BBC World Service/PRI production "The World" – which featured interviews with label founder Jamie Halliday and Nosferatu D2 vocalist Ben Parker. The Nosferatu D2 song "We'll Play 'The Power of Love' by Frankie Goes to Hollywood a Thousand Times Tonight" closed the show. [4] [42]
In November 2012, Audio Antihero contributed the Hüsker Doo-wop EP [43] to the Hear It for New York pop-up shop. [44] The EP was released to raise money for the Independent Music Community in New York that was affected by Hurricane Sandy and featured rare/exclusive songs from Nosferatu D2, Benjamin Shaw, Jack Hayter, Superman Revenge Squad and Wartgore Hellsnicker. [45] [46] They followed up this charity EP with This Christmas (I Just Want to Be Left Alone), a Christmas single from Benjamin Shaw & Fighting Kites to raise money for Shelter. The single benefited from critical praise from online press/radio and support from Tom Robinson [47] and Jon Solomon at WPRB. [48] [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] When promoting the single, label founder Jamie Halliday co-hosted The Wrong Rock Show on the legendary Bush Radio, [63] the appearance was endorsed by Rolling Stone. [6]
Audio Antihero kicked off 2013 with a new single from Jack Hayter entitled "Charlotte Badger," [64] a live appearance on the local Croydon Radio station [65] and two guest articles for the GoldFlakePaint music site, a guest interview with Jeffrey Lewis in January [66] and a retrospective "Paint It Back" feature on Gary Numan's Pure album in February. [67] Following the finale of Jack Hayter's "Sisters of St. Anthony" series, Audio Antihero released a charity compilation entitled "REGAL VS STEAMBOAT" to raise money for Rape Crisis England & Wales and Rape Crisis Scotland. The compilation featured artists such as Darren Hayman, Ace Bushy Striptease, Jeffrey Lewis, Bored Nothing, David Cronenberg's Wife and more and was praised by The Quietus, The Skinny and more. [68] [69] [70] [71]
The label followed this with Cloud's "Comfort Songs" LP which was supported with airplay from Tom Ravenscroft, Gideon Coe and Tom Robinson at BBC Radio 6 Music, [72] [73] [74] [75] [76] [77] John Kennedy at XFM, [78] Simon Raymonde (Bella Union/Cocteau Twins) at Amazing Radio, Eric Lawrence at KCRW [79] and an on-air interview with Robert Rotifer for FM4, [80] the album was also greeted with a very positive response from press, including an 8/10 from Drowned In Sound, a 10/10 from Contact Music, while Pitchfork called it "astoundingly accomplished." [81] [82] [83] [84] [85] Retail were also supportive of the release, "Mother Sea" was included by Rough Trade and The Guardian in their Tracks of the Week subscription, [86] "Cars & It's Autumn" was Google Play's Free Song of the Week while tracks were also featured by Napster [87] and Rdio [88] – Cloud was also featured as "New Band of the Week" by Fairsharemusic. [89]
Audio Antihero's final release of 2013 was The Superman Revenge Squad Band's "There Is Nothing More Frightening Than the Passing of Time" which reunited the label with Ben and Adam Parker of Nosferatu D2. The album saw a lot of support from BBC 6 Music with plays from Steve Lamacq, Gideon Coe and Tom Robinson [90] [91] [92] and very positive press response. [93] [94] [95] [96] [97] [98]
In 2015, the label began working with NYC-based duo Frog, releasing their 'Kind of Blah' LP [99] [100] and reissuing their self-titled debut. [101] That same year, Audio Antihero also issued 'Last,' the final album [102] by Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love as co-release with Other Electricities, [103] [104] and its "Burrow" single was featured in season 2 of the Kingdom. [105] Following their debut that year, Frog returned to the label in 2018 and 2019 for the 'Whatever We Probably Already Had It' and 'Count Bateman' (a co-release with Tapewormies) albums. [106] [107] [108]
In 2016, the label debuted two new artists by releasing the 'My Band Is a Computer' compilation from CHUCK and the 'Golden Tongue' EP by Magana (the solo project of Mitski and Lady Lamb bassist Jeni Magaña). [109] [110] [111]
In 2018, Audio Antihero issued the final albums from both Benjamin Shaw ('Megadead') [112] [113] and Cloud ('Plays with Fire'). [12] [114] Both LPs were followed by a live album from the artist, with 'Live at Donaufestival' from Shaw [115] [116] and 'Live at Kulak's Woodshed' from Cloud. [117] [118]
The label went on a hiatus in 2020, with the exception of the 'From the River to the Sea: The Horrible Truth About Palestine - a Fundraiser for the United Palestinian Appeal' benefit compilation in 2021. The release featured contributions from Melissa Lozada-Oliva, SuperKnova, bedbug, Frog, Cloud, Magana, and numerous others. [119] [120] [121]
The label returned from hiatus in late 2023 for the release of Frog's 'Grog' album. Support for the album included Pitchfork, [7] [122] [123] Stereogum, [8] [124] Bandcamp Daily, [125] KEXP, [126] KCRW, [127] BBC Radio Scotland, [128] [129] as well as numerous other sites and stations. [130] [131] [132]
In 2024, Audio Antihero issued the "Nothing Matters to Me Now" single by CHUCK [133] [134] and the 'Teeth' LP Magana. [135] [14] [136] Ben and Adam Parker of Nosferatu D2 also returned to the label as My Best Unbeaten Brother with the 'Pessimistic Pizza' mini-album. [137] [138] [139] The label finished the year by releasing the 'Safe Then Sorry' EP from new signing CIAO MALZ, [140] [141] [142] and by also issuing the "DID SANTA COME" single by Frog. [143] [144]
Audio Antihero began 2025 with the 'Bad News' EP from Magana, a sequel to her 'Teeth' album from 2024. [145] [146] [147] The EP's opener, "Half to Death," was added to KEXP rotation [148] [149] and reached No.1 in Hype Machine "Most Posted Artists" and "Popular Now" charts. [150] [151] On February 14, the label co-released Frog's '1000 Variations on the Same Song,' [152] [153] which received a 7.2 from Pitchfork [154] and was named Stereogum's "Album of the Week." [155] To support the album, Frog also recorded sessions for KEXP and WFMU. [156] [157]
Audio Antihero also added a new artist to the roster with Avery Friedman, and her debut album 'New Thing' was released on April 18, and was praised by Under the Radar, [158] No Depression, [159] The Line of Best Fit, [160] New Noise Magazine, [161] KLOF Magazine, [162] and others. [163] [164]
In June of 2025, The Noisy debuted for Audio Antihero with the "Twos" single, [165] [166] and an announcement for "The Secret Ingredient Is Even More Meat," a deluxe edition of their debut album. [167] Tiberius followed in July with "Sag," [168] [169] the lead single from their 'Troubadour' album. [170] [171]
