Support local music.
Melbourne is the music behemoth it is today not just because of the artists, live music venues, community radio stations, recording studios, record stores and more, that are obvious linchpins to the scene, there’s also an assiduous middle man that’s often overlooked – the independent record label.
Indie record labels are critical in getting music from the artist to the listener. And it’s not as easy as just uploading a single or album to Spotify. Aside from playing gigs, artists make their money from vinyl, cassette and CD sales, as well as merchandise.
With artists not currently playing gigs, the cut they make from music sales and merch is more important than ever. As such, the record label who makes this happen serves a crucial role. And we haven’t even mentioned the PR, social media and managerial responsibilities indies often shoulder on top of that.
To celebrate the Melbourne indie record labels who are now working harder than ever to keep the music industry turning, we’ve put together a list of the indies you should consider supporting as we ride this rollercoaster.
As there’s so many Melbourne indie labels to highlight, we’ve split it up into two parts. You can find the second instalment of the piece here.
Sunset Pig Records
Through Collingwood’s Sunset Pig Records you will be familiar with the likes of A. Swayze & The Ghosts, The Pretty Littles, Hobsons Bay Coast Guard, department., Full Flower Moon Band and more. The brainchild of Chris Wright and Kieran Daly, Sunset Pig made its start in 2016 and has been going from strength to strength, fostering a new wave of talent in rock music.
Check out Sunset Pig here.
Spoilsport Records
One of the hardest-working Melbourne indie record labels at the moment is Spoilsport, the brainchild of Sam Lyons (also a musician himself in the bands, House Deposit, Eggy, Candy, Jarrow, Me Channel and Tripswitch). The Spoilsport name has been popping up all over the place lately – the new Hooper Crescent album was put out by the label, as was Jarrow’s self-titled 2020 LP, the debut solo tape from M.W. titled Coruscant, as well as Plastic’s latest album, New Hands. And that’s just the start.
For more on Spoilsport, head to the label’s Bandcamp.
Flightless Records
Flightless Records has become a staple in the Melbourne music scene, becoming a bonafide tastemaker in the psych, garage and punk rock spheres, while also glancing into other territories such as folk, techno and other experimental domains. Through Flightless, you will be familiar with the likes of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Amyl & The Sniffers, Tropical Fuck Storm, Leah Senior, ORB, The Murlocs, The Babe Rainbow and more.
Give Flightless a run here.
Chapter Music
Seminal, lauded, acclaimed, revered, beloved, celebrated, renowned, distinguished, esteemed. There aren’t enough complimentary adjectives to encapsulate the immeasurable work of Chapter Music, and more specifically Ben O’Connor and Guy Blackman. Upward of 70 bands have been represented by Chapter over the years, of which Minimum Chips, Twerps, Dick Diver, Primitive Calculators, Use No Hooks and other Little Band Scene outfits come to mind. More recently, the work of names such as Sweet Whirl and Thibault have been their primary projects.
Find out more about Chapter here.
Roolette Records
Roolette Records has become a place for hosts of Melbourne bands to put out their records, with the likes of Pinch Points, Hannah Kate, Kosmetika, Junior Fiction, The Tropes, Jungle Breed and many more, represented by the label. The music on Roolette is characterised by its freneticism, fostering bands with buzzsaw riffs and explicit lyrics.
For more on Roolette Records, head here.
Music in Exile
Music in Exile is the stellar new project from Bedroom Suck founder Joe Alexander that seeks to promote Australian artists from culturally and linguistically-diverse backgrounds. In just a year or two, Music in Exile has ballooned from being the platform for South Sudanese revelation Gordon Koang, to a label that now also represents the likes of Ausecuma Beats, Elsy Wameyo, Ajak Kwai and more.
Check out Music in Exile here.
Milk! Records
Milk! Records’ reputation precedes itself, with the label now one of Melbourne’s premier music tastemakers. Established by Courtney Barnett and Jen Cloher in 2012, Milk! has since put out records from the likes of Sleater-Kinney, Chastity Belt, Jade Imagine, East Brunswick All Girls Choir, Loose Tooth, Dyson Stringer Cloher, Tiny Ruins and more.
Find out more about Milk! here.
Poison City Records
Connected with its eponymous record store, when you think of Poison City Records, the music names of Cable Ties, MOD CON, Camp Cope, Georgia Maq, Bench Press, HEXDEBT and more, are sure to come to mind. Proven chameleons of the local music space.
Explore Poison City Records here.
Mistletone
Another independent record label that wears a number of different coats, Mistletone certainly needs no introduction having been a home for seminal acts both home and abroad since it was established in 2006. Mistletone can also call itself a tour promoter, booking agency and publicity company.
Check out Mistletone here.
Osborne Again
Osborne Again is run by local music aficionados Nick Kearton and Lachlan Denton and has helped put out records from Pop Filter, Snowy Band, Cool Sounds and Emma Russack, among others. Kearton and Denton themselves have played in more bands than I could count on two hands – through Osborne Again, their generosity and undivided commitment to Melbourne music is at the fore.
Check out Osborne Again here.
Cousin Will Records
Cousin Will Records was created to help put out records from The Grogans, but label-head Will Stoeckel intends to do much more than just prop up the beloved Melbourne surf rockers. With the label’s debut release coming in October 2019 through The Grogans’ debut LP, Just What You Want, Cousin Will has put out a compilation records, alongside releases from Beatnik Collective and Quin Grunden since then.
Keep up to date with Cousin Will at their Facebook page. Check out their Bandcamp here.
Pieater
Pieater are legends of the game. Think of Melbourne luminaries and Tom Fraser, Joanna Syme and Tom Iansek come to mind straight away. The three have cultivated a section of the Melbourne music scene that’s uniquely theirs, yet is universally inclusive too. What started as a platform for Big Scary to put out their records soon grew into something much more, and now Pieater boasts a huge roster featuring the likes of #1 Dads, No Mono, Christopher Port, Slow Dancer and more.
Find out more about Pieater here.
Soothsayer
Through Mushroom electronic music subsidiary Soothsayer, you will be aware of the talents, ALTA, Willaris. K, Dro Carey, CC:DISCO! and Love Deluxe, to name a few. Soothsayer is also known for putting on their fair share of parties and events so this label has the full thing going on.
Check out Soothsayer here.
Tiny Town Records
Tiny Town are another burgeoning label rising from Melbourne’s music underground. Another passion project eager to help mates get their music out there, Tiny Town put out the killer 2019 garage record from Gamjee, Legacy Project, and have followed that with Dragoons’ Horrorscope and Ecosystem’s forthcoming record, There and Back Again, set to be released on Friday October 9.
Keep up to date with Tiny Town via their Facebook page.
Good Manners
Another of Melbourne’s incredibly generous and hard-working music companies, Good Manners specialise in both putting out records and artist management. The music of Kllo, Lucianblomkamp, Baths, Lonelyspeck and more, is with us today because of the work of Huw Nolan and Hugh McClure, a duo who’ve carved their own unique niche in the electronic music scene.
Find out more about Good Manners here.
Hotel Motel Records
I previously mentioned Jo Syme, who not only plays the tubs for Big Scary and is part of the Pieater team, she’s also got her own record label, Hotel Motel. Hotel Motel has been huge in the rise of beloved Melbourne guitar-pop band, Cool Sounds, and also helped put out Nat Vazer’s 2020 album, Is This Offensive And Loud? Syme just doesn’t stop!
Get around Hotel Motel here.
Spirit Level
Spirit Level is the project of musician and broadcaster Tim Shiel and Goyte mastermind Wally de Backer. The label release music from a diverse range of artists from across the globe, with an emphasis on local talent. Many of the releases are produced and mixed at the label’s North Melbourne residence – through Spirit Level, you’ll be across releases from the likes of multi-instrumentalist Happy Axe, experimental electronic figure Kcin and electro-pop duo Hemm.
Check out Spirit Level here.
Houses in Motion
Houses in Motion is a burgeoning electronic music label we can thank for introducing us to the likes of Ten Brains, Nice Girl, Subjoi, Ryan Berkeley and more. Melbourne’s underground electronic music scene has never been stronger and that’s largely thanks to Houses in Motion and their label counterparts we’ll be looking to feature in the second part of this series. Perch up in the backyard and chuck on Ten Brains’ transcendent 2020 EP, Pipe, or really get the party started with Nice Girl’s killer 2019 record, Him006. The world’s your oyster.
Explore Houses in Motion here and check out their Facey here.
Keen on another fun read? Check out a list of the Melbourne record stores you can support this lockdown.
