Hefty September

September 02, 2024 by David Norman

As our slow month concludes we enter the very front-heavy September schedule which is thus:

ZBR:

September 5th = BLOOM DREAM 'It Didn't Have To Be This Way' cd/cassette EP: Holy freakin' smokes is this one bad-ass release. Brooding, massive, sexy, and melodic stuff from Miami with beefy four-minute jams. Pressing on 100 cds and 50 cassettes. For fans of: Othiel, Hawak, and Crowning

September 17th = HALLAM FOE 'Funkapokalips' 12" lathe EP: This Indonesian four-piece have been making waves for years, so we are stoked to bring you their brand new 6-song EP 'Funkapokalips' on one-sided 12" lathe. Still screamy, sassy, and heavy, the band embraces some moshier and experimental moments on this one. Pressing on 25 clear and 25 black lathes. For fans of: SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Piri Reis, and Heavy Heavy Low Low

September 30th = FEBUARY 'February' cdLP: It doesn't get more screamo than this - become a sick screamo band, build hype with live shows, record a single batch of incredible songs, break up. Goddammit. Pressing on 100 cds with gatefold digipak. For fans of: The Lazurus Plot, Clay Birds, and Montcalm.

TOMB TREE:

September 10th = SPLIT SILK 'Bitter' cassette EP: Following two very promising EPs is this new, full-band (solo project no longer!) release shows heaps of progress. Featuring two new songs and an additional two live recording jams, the band's angular, noisy, rock is as refreshing as it is piercing. Ex-Under A Sky So Blue. Pressing on 80 cassettes: 35 red glitter swirl, 30 red, 15 white/red swirl, and 5 test dips w/matching swirl case. 4 songs. For fans of: Burial Etiquette, Against Me, and Unwound.

SOFTSEED MUSIC:

September 6th = LEAVS 'Natura Universal' 12"LP: This Spanish shoegaze/alternative band boasts ex-screamo alumni from Tropical Ice Land, and this album hits just as hard - but in a different way. It's gorgeous, heavy, melodic, and catchy. Plus the music video rules and it's embedded below. Pressing on 300 12" records but Softseed will only have 25 copies. 8 songs. For fans of: Slow Crush, Julie, and Smush.

A few VHS tapes of 2024 remain in the US store. Click this text to snag. New uploads to Youtube below and includes bonus footage!!!

Out Past the Rings is back with it’s 186th release and first wax mage ‘Cinq’ the five-way split between Jeanne, Potence, Tropical Ice Land, Les Deux Minutes De La Haine, and Yarostan. There’s a ton of juicy info in this one!!! A final copy remains on bandcamp!

Click here for the entire batch of reviews!

Crossed Letters gave some love to Fallingwithscissors and Llewelyn, the former of which we’ll have some cds from and the latter we still have tapes for. Jam below but access the full article by clicking on this text or the picture above!

The newest Mathcast dumps heaps of praise for Onewaymirror. Obtain a 7” below before we sell out.

Hillsboro got some attention from The Bad Copy with their newest EP release which has tapes on Softseed Music. CanaDave is in a new band with one of these dudes! Click on the text here to go to the full article. Jam/buy below!

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: HEAVEN THROUGH VIOLENCE = Incredible debut EP from members of And Its Name Was Epyon and Dysthymia!

2024 - 06 - 26 /// Eyelet then Zampler #23

June 26, 2024 by David Norman

Eyelet repress 12” on a new color (June 29th) followed by the digital 23rd Zampler compilation (July 1st) featuring new art from Seb Alvarez (Meth., Cadence Fox, Virgin Mother, etc.) and brand spankin’ new jams from Senza, Onewaymirror, Excrucis, Tenue, Tress Allude, and Hallam Foe! Holy sheeeeeeat!!!

Fallingwithscissors released on Monday and promptly sold out. There will be a few stragglers that’ll show up in the future but until we ensure all copies get to their homes these are unofficially “sold out”.

Wax Vessel is having their 5-Year Anniversary sale this Friday at 11am PST / 1pm CST / 2pm EST and they’ll have some ZBR-themed merch as near the beginning we were partnered up and sending out their orders, but with their incredible growth we just couldn’t keep up with the shipments. Our hats off to Nik and the gang as they have created something truly special. We appreciate you <3

Operation X-Ray played more Smush (get on the 12” pre-order!) and the almighty Animal Faces that seem to be getting some well-deserved extra love from some new fans.

Crossed got a whopping 9/10 (for an EP, no less) on the recent Crossed Letters (coincidence?) so you should check that out and buy yourself the 12” for ‘Vida Quieta’ because it fucking rules and the members of the band are all such sweethearts. Click on this text for the review!

Hamilton’s Constrain got a nice writeup from Crossed Letters which I’ve linked below, and Not Just A Phase gave them additional love. Click on this text for Crossed Letters and the pic above for Not Just a Phase. Jam/buy below!

CanaDave interviewed Craig Woods from a buncha wicked bands like D’Amore, Fall On Deaf Years, Towers, The Feat, Pink Guys, etc. Full post linked to this text.

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: CNYNS = Our boy Bobby Johnson and his friends released a new cover album and it’s sick.

2024 - 06 - 10 /// Smush & Animal Faces are next

June 10, 2024 by David Norman

It is with unbridled enthusiasm and childish glee that we are announcing the SMUSH and SOFTSEED MUSIC partnership. After hearing the two singles, Vancouver Island's Softseed Music clamored to get on board with Vancouver-based shoegaze band Smush, at which point the two realized they were on the same wavelength. This BC alliance is showcasing its strength on Friday June 15th, 2024 when the debut full length 'if you were here i'd be home now' by Smush will release with a 12"LP pre-order!!! This Softseed Music release will be a minimum run of 100 copies on colored vinyl, with the final number being determined by the pre-orders that take place over this weekend. Softseed also runs Zegema Beach Records, which has a U.S.A. store for those south of the Canadian border, and will be fulfilling US orders at a fraction of the shipping cost! Oh happy day.

Speaking of happy days, this Saturday is the release show at Green Auto Body in Vancouver which Softseed Dave will be attending (perhaps with some goodies) so please come out and show your support for the band! 12" pre-orders open at 9am PST / 11am CST / 12pm EST with orders shipping early-mid August. If you haven't heard Smush yet, check out the two music video singles that have been released (in our bio) and submerge yourself in the beautiful-yet-heavy shoegaze that swirls around influences Slow Pulp, Low, and Helmet. See you on Friday <3 <3 <3

Oh shit would you look at that? That’s the new Animal Faces 12” art that releases next on ZBR. As you can plainly see, it houses both early EPs by Toronto’s ultimate screamo band. We made 100 12”s on eco-mix that release June 17th at 9am PST / 11am CST / 12pm EST! Check out the music video for “Forward Through” below!

A week after Animal Faces sees the release of the new Fallingwithscissors EP ‘the birth and death of an angel’ on cassette. The glitchy, chaotic metalcore is phenomenal and sounds like a clusterfuck of early Meth., Deftones, Sectioned, and .gif from god.

Demersal’s new album is down to less than 5 copies over our 3 stores so don’t sleep for much longer! No Clean Singing gave their self-titled some much deserved props in their latest ‘Thing You May Have Missed’ segment. Click on this text for the review, jam/buy it below.

Gil Cerrone from Australia have something new coming next month and this Friday is their first single so keep an eye out! We are down to our last copies of their previous EP cassette.

Vibora also got some love over the weekend from Crossed Letters. Anyone who was at ZBR Fest 2024 knows how incredible this band comes off live, and not having a copy of this phenomenal record is damn well near screamo blasphemy. Second press out now. Click on this text for the full 9/10 review!

Operation X-Ray played some serious jams on Friday including a brand new Serling song from their upcoming split with Charger Port! That releases next Wednesday June 19th on 50 12” lathes and it’s fuckin’ awesome. There’s also some Smush, fallingwithscissors, and Terry Green on the episode!

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: MALIŠA BAHAT = Croatia’s best band is finally ready with their debut full length and holy shit it does not disappoint!!!

2024 - 03 - 11 /// Pettersson released + Solvalou podcast

March 11, 2024 by David Norman

Pettersson’s ‘Ashen Plain’ is out and better than we could have hoped. 8 incredible songs that go from screamo to post-rock to black metal in a single jam. 12”s should arrive at our store and ship late March.

BUY:
U.S.A. store = www.zbrusa.com/products/pettersson

Canada/International = www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/pettersson

Following the Wisconsin’s Solvalou releasing their debut EP, all four members came on the good ole OMSB podcast and spoke with our Canadian Dave about tons of stuff, including: Frail Body > midwest emo, public deaths, the only influence, recording strategies, bootlegged Snag swag, lyrical content, being trans in Alabama, sad dudes not doing well, folk music and screamo, why their new songs might be influenced by Gxllium!, their next split, etc. Bands played in this podcast: Gxllium!, In Reverent Fear, Justin Townes Earle, Signals Midwest, Stranger By Day, and Taking Back Sunday. Click on the pic above or this text to go to the podcast or jam the EP below.

New Forms’s debut 12”LP ‘as dust collects’ is very close to selling out. If they’re not all gone by the time we have ZBR Fest 2024 (May) then I reckon that’ll be the last anyone sees of press #1. Crossed Letters gave them hella love which you can read about via the pic above or clicking on this text. Jam/buy it below!

Edhochuli recently did a live set on Studio E in San Antonio which is available via Youtube (linked via this text, the embed isn’t working for some reason) and their ‘Higherlander’ 12” is still in stock whilst they are currently kicking ass across America, linked below.

Equalizing Distort played Basque, Gxllium!, and No Heirloom, all of which we had a hand in releasing! Click on the pic above or this text to listen to the show, or jam/buy the 7” lathe below!

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: 9 LAGOONS OF DEATH = Jesus two albums in 2024 already!!!

2023 - 05 - 11 /// The Aftermath

May 11, 2023 by David Norman

ZBR Fest 2023 exceeded our wildest dreams. Truly a next level weekend bursting with incredible bands, beautiful/compassionate humans, and even a few life affirmations. There is so much to say but I’ll save it for my eventual blog post on (((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain))))) as right now I’ve got to push our new stuff coming out…like ZMAR which came out yesterday! And Yuki (foreverwewillmissyou) which comes out tomorrow!

So Zmar from Prague have created a truly wonderful, powerful, and beautiful album by way of seven excellent screamo/black-metal/post-rock jams. Part Tropical Ice Land, part Vi Som Alskade Varandra Sa Mycket, and part Nulajednanulanula (no North American comparisons for you!), the band explores the issues of war, racism, hate, anger, and a myriad of other concepts plaguing our planet. We’ve only got 70 copies between our stores, all with gatefold jackets and screen-printed outer sleeves.

Our friends at Stereogum picked up on it immediately and posted a nice little review reminding you to, at the very least, jam those first two songs. If that doesn’t catch your attention you probably stumbled onto this post by accident. Click on this text or the pic above to go to the review.

Perfumed Saturnine Angels releases on May 22nd so it’s probably about time to show you the variants of this beast. 75 copies exist, 50 with full-body UV screen-printing and 25 swirls which go on sale at 9am PST / 11am CST / 12pm EST via Zegema Beach Records and Santapogue Media. This album features members of Cara Neir, Gonemage, Apostles Of Eris, Our Future Is An Absolute Shadow, etc. and deals with addiction as the original vocalist passed away prior to recording. Kinda PG.99, kinda Envy, kinda Cara Neir.

Yuki (foreverwewillmissyou)’s ‘Time doesn’t heal all wounds pt.2’ cassette releases tomorrow via Tomb Tree alongside a decent distro update in the Canada/International store (aka this one). This project brings to mind screamo not unlike People’s Temple Project, Eyes Of Verotika, Pique, and A Paramount A Love Supreme. 9am PST / 11am CST / 12pm EST on Friday May 12th! You can stream the single below.

Crossed Letters reviewed two sick Tomb Tree releases that we still have a few left of, there’s the Amber Daybreak cassette as well as the Mis Sueños Son De Tu Adiós + Burial Etiquette split. Definitely read the review and check out all three bands! You can go to the review by clicking the pic below or this text.

This Noise Is Ours did another review for us, this time removed from the Roster Review series, as it focuses on newly released and almost sold out Life ‘demo three’ 12”LP. Click on the pic above or this text to go there, and you can jam that sucka below.

Softseed Music released the Amid The Old Wounds and No Action split 7” a few days back. If you like Duct Hearts and softer emo stuff this 7” is for you! I’ve only got 10 copies spread across the SSM store and this Softseed Distro (in the store tab). Hard recommend!

Johnny’s Reco-mmendations: Jota = Holy shit what the fuck is this? Incredible!!!