History
The Flenser was founded in 2009 by former musician Jonathan Tuite in San Francisco, who originally intended to focus the label on the American black metal scene at the time. However, the scene changed as The Flenser slowly gained prominence, so Tuite expanded the reach of the label to other genres. [9] The label was named after the process of flensing – removing blubber from whales – which Tuite learned about from the novel Moby-Dick . [10]
Among The Flenser's more critically successful releases was its reissue of Have a Nice Life's album Deathconsciousness (2008; reissued 2014). Originally self-released in 2008, this lo-fi double album gradually developed a cult following; Pitchfork characterized its worldview as one in which “existence is bleak, gallows humor undergirds it, and sometimes wallowing in that sick paradox is the best revenge.” [11] Over time, its audience expanded beyond niche internet circles; Kerrang! described it as "a viral hit amongst internet communities like /mu/, Sputnikmusic and Rate Your Music," calling it "the stuff of internet myth." [12] The Flenser reissued the album in 2014, helping introduce it to a wider audience and later released the band’s follow-up albums, The Unnatural World (2014) and Sea of Worry (2019). [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]
In 2019, The Flenser began publishing literature, with their first full-length novel, To Sing of Damnation, being released in 2020. [18]
In the 2020s, the label saw success with Chat Pile's God’s Country (2022). The band’s debut full-length album was a critical success, [19] blending sludge metal, noise rock, and industrial influences. It was named Best New Music by Pitchfork and topped Stereogum's year-end metal list. [20] [21] [22] That same year, the label release the compilation Send the Pain Below, a six-song EP featuring multiple bands on the label covering nu metal songs. [23]
Its recent activities include Ragana's Desolation’s Flower (2023), which appeared on multiple year-end lists, including those from Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, [24] [25] as well as the compilation Your Voice Is Not Enough (2024), a tribute album to the band Low. The project was initiated before the death of drummer Mimi Parker and was later dedicated to her memory. The compilation features artists including Midwife, Planning for Burial, and Have a Nice Life. [26] [27]
Showcases and Events
Since 2019, The Flenser has organized and participated in several showcase events in New York and at festivals such as Oblivion Access and Roadburn Festival, featuring artists like Have a Nice Life, Midwife, and Chat Pile. [28] [29] [30] [31]
To mark its tenth anniversary, The Flenser was invited to curate a showcase at the 2020 edition of the Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands. The lineup was set to include performances by Have a Nice Life, Planning for Burial, and Giles Corey—whose set would have been the project’s live debut—but the event was ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [32]
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