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Polyvinyl Record Co. | |
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Founded | 1995 |
Founder | Matt Lunsford Darcie Knight Lunsford |
Distributor(s) | ADA (digital) AMPED (physical) |
Genre | Indie rock, indie pop, alternative rock |
Country of origin | U.S. |
Location | Champaign-Urbana, Illinois |
Official website | www |
Polyvinyl Record Co. is an American independent record label headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. The label also has satellite offices in New York, Austin, and the Bay Area. Polyvinyl has put out over 400 releases to date.
The Polyvinyl roster currently consists of 30+ active artists, including Alvvays, Xiu Xiu, Jeff Rosenstock, Kero Kero Bonito, and Julia Jacklin as well as longtime label signees like of Montreal, American Football, STRFKR, and Rainer Maria. Recent additions to the Polyvinyl family include Jeff Rosenstock, Laura Jane Grace, Anamanaguchi, IAN SWEET, Oceanator, Chris Farren, Squirrel Flower, and Yumi Zouma.
In 1994, high school students Matt Lunsford and Darcie Knight from Danville, Illinois founded Polyvinyl Press, a fanzine created to celebrate the Midwestern D.I.Y. scene. As part of Polyvinyl Press’ third issue in July 1995, Lunsford and Knight released a split 7” featuring Back of Dave and Walker. With the fifth and final issue of Polyvinyl Press in May 1996, Lunsford and Knight put out an accompanying 20-track compilation, Direction, chronicling the current state of mid-‘90s Midwestern D.I.Y and marking the official transition of the fanzine to Polyvinyl Record Co. [1] Lunsford and Knight established a 50/50 profit sharing model for the label. [2] [3] [4]
Early releases, like the debut album from the Direction-featured band Rainer Maria, Past Worn Searching , and Braid’s 1998 album Frame and Canvas , set a national eye on Polyvinyl. The following year, Polyvinyl released American Football’s self-titled debut. This record has grown to be one of the best-selling releases on the label and established a working relationship with Mike Kinsella, who would later go on to release albums as Owen, Joan of Arc, and Their / They're / There on Polyvinyl.
In 2001, Knight and Lunsford moved the label from Danville, IL to Urbana-Champaign, IL to give Polyvinyl a better infrastructure to grow. Such growth led to the Polyvinyl 2003 Winter Tour, which commenced right after the January release of Rainer Maria’s Long Knives Drawn . Rainer Maria and Mates of State went out on the road with fellow labelmates Owen and Saturday Looks Good to Me. [5] Later that year, Polyvinyl released the video of Rainer Maria’s Winter Tour set at Chapel Hill’s Cat’s Cradle and Mates of State’s third record, Team Boo .
In 2004, Polyvinyl began to be distributed by Alternative Distribution Alliance and added Athens’ of Montreal to the label family. of Montreal released their first album with Polyvinyl, Satanic Panic in the Attic , the same year.
Polyvinyl celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2006 with a concert featuring Headlights, of Montreal, Owen, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin in Urbana, IL. The following year, Polyvinyl released Architecture in Helsinki’s Places Like This and of Montreal’s critically acclaimed Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? , the best-selling album in Polyvinyl history. [6]
Polyvinyl closed out the decade in 2009 with the release of Japandroids’ debut full-length, Post-Nothing .
Polyvinyl’s 2011 15th anniversary bash expanded on its previous anniversary show with a nine-band bill including Asobi Seksu, Braid, Deerhoof, Japandroids, Joan of Arc, Owen, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, STRFKR, and Xiu Xiu. Polyvinyl moved into their 16th year with the release of Japandroids’ Celebration Rock .
In 2014, Polyvinyl released another best-seller, Alvvays’ self-titled debut, and leading up to the label’s 20th anniversary, Polyvinyl expanded to a bigger location in Champaign in Spring 2015. [7] After the label’s move, Beach Slang released their debut full-length that autumn.
In 2016, the label celebrated its 20th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, Polyvinyl released a compilation titled Polyvinyl Plays Polyvinyl, on which twenty Polyvinyl artists covered songs by their labelmates. [8] With the help of Girl Skateboards and artist Jesse LeDoux, Polyvinyl also created a skateboard deck as a symbol of skate culture’s influence on Matt Lunsford’s musical discovery and the label’s early identity development. [9]
2017 brought the release of sophomore records from White Reaper and Alvvays, The World's Best American Band and Antisocialites , respectively, as well as Jay Som’s first proper record for Polyvinyl, Everybody Works . All three albums closed out the year with spots on several year-end publication lists, including Pitchfork, NPR, Stereogum, and Paste.
At the start of 2018, Polyvinyl committed to donate 10% of mailorder revenue one Friday per month to deserving causes, especially organizations that strive to make progress in music communities. Donation recipients have included the Tegan and Sara Foundation, [10] OurMusicMyBody, and Girls Rock! Champaign-Urbana.
In February 2018, Polyvinyl announced a partnership with Brooklyn-based independent label Double Double Whammy. Double Double Whammy, which started in 2011 as a project to release the founders’ project, LVL UP, has a catalog that includes Mitski, Frankie Cosmos, Yowler, Ó, Hatchie, and Florist, among others. Through this partnership, Polyvinyl provides distribution, accounting, webstore fulfillment, and other shared services, while Double Double Whammy maintains creative autonomy. [11]
In May 2023, Polyvinyl announced that they would be purchasing Urbana's American Football house in collaboration with American Football, photographers Chris Strong and Atiba Jefferson, and Chicago's Open House Contemporary, with the goal of "preserving both the space and its unique legacy within the community that shaped its existence." [12]
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Braid is an American emo band from Champaign, Illinois, formed in 1993.
Frame & Canvas is the third studio album by American rock band Braid. It was released on April 7, 1998, through Polyvinyl Record Co. After the release of the band's second studio album, The Age of Octeen (1996), drummer Damon Atkinson replaced Roy Ewing due to him being unable to commit to touring. Recording sessions took place at Inner Ear Studios in December 1997, with J. Robbins helping with production during the sessions. The album is an emo and post-hardcore release, for which the lyrics were co-written by vocalist/guitarists Chris Broach and Bob Nanna, or solely wrote by Nanna.
No Good for No One Now is the second studio album by Owen released on November 19, 2002. The album was recorded in Mike Kinsella's old bedroom at his mom's house. The cover art is a painting by Charlot Byj. "The Ghost of What Should've Been" was posted on the label's website on November 15, ahead of the album's release. On November 20, the album was made available for streaming via an e-card. In January and February 2003, Owen appeared on the Polyvinyl Winter Tour alongside Rainer Maria and Mates of State. In October and November, Owen toured across the US with Maritime, the Weakerthans and Mico.
Look Now Look Again is the second studio album by American indie rock band Rainer Maria. It is now regarded as an influential classic of second-wave emo.
Strfkr, stylized in all caps, is an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. It began in 2007 as a solo project of Joshua Hodges.
Japandroids are a Canadian rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, consisting of Brian King and David Prowse.
Post-Nothing is the debut studio album by Canadian rock duo Japandroids.
Matt Lunsford is the founder and co-owner of Polyvinyl Record Co., an American independent record label headquartered in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.
American Football, also known retrospectively as LP1, is the debut studio album by the American emo band of the same name, released on September 14, 1999 on the record label Polyvinyl. It was recorded shortly after the band released their debut self-titled EP through Polyvinyl in October 1998. The group, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Mike Kinsella, guitarist Steve Holmes, and drummer Steve Lamos, recorded their debut album at Private Studios in Urbana, Illinois, with production from Brendan Gamble.
The discography of Canadian rock band Japandroids consists of three studio albums, one compilation album, two extended plays, ten singles, and two music videos.
"The House That Heaven Built" is the fourth 7" single by Canadian rock duo Japandroids. It was released by Polyvinyl Record Co. on May 15, 2012. The initial pressing is limited to 2000 copies on clear vinyl. The song is the first single from Japandroids' second album Celebration Rock.
Alvvays is a Canadian indie pop band formed in 2011, originating from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and subsequently based in Toronto, Ontario. It consists of Molly Rankin, Kerri MacLellan (keyboards), Alec O'Hanley (guitars), Lukas Cheung (bass), and Sheridan Riley (drums). Their self-titled debut studio album, released in 2014, topped the US college charts. Their second studio album, Antisocialites, was released on September 8, 2017. Their third studio album, Blue Rev, was released on October 7, 2022.
Ben Aqua is an American multimedia artist, musician, and photographer based in Austin, Texas.
Bonito Generation is the debut studio album by British indie pop band Kero Kero Bonito. A follow-up to the 2013 mixtape, Intro Bonito, this album was released via Double Denim Records on 21 October 2016. Bonito Generation produced six singles: "Picture This", "Lipslap", "Break", "Graduation", "Trampoline", and "Fish Bowl". Music videos were created for "Lipslap", "Break", and "Trampoline".
Harriette Pilbeam, known professionally as Hatchie, is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. She has released an EP, Sugar & Spice (2018) and two studio albums: Keepsake (2019) and Giving the World Away (2022).
The following is a list of releases by Polyvinyl Record Co. Polyvinyl Record Co. was established in 1995 and has since put out more than 350 records.
"Adult Diversion" is a song by Canadian indie pop band Alvvays. The song was released on October 28, 2013 as the second single from their eponymous debut album. Written by vocalist and guitarist Molly Rankin, guitarist Alec O'Hanley, and bassist Brian Murphy, it is sung from the perspective a lover who develops an "unhealthy fixation" on their partner.
Double Double Whammy is an independent record label founded by Dave Benton and Mike Caridi in October 2011 whilst studying at SUNY Purchase, a liberal arts college in New York state.
Intro Bonito is the debut mixtape by British indie pop band Kero Kero Bonito. It was self-released by the band on 30 September 2013, followed by a reissue on 25 August 2014 by Double Denim Records. It was promoted by the singles "Homework" and "Sick Beat" and the title track received a music video. A remix EP called Bonito Recycling was released on 29 September 2014.