Happy Release Day to Swansea Sound – Live at the Rum Puncheon Is Out
The perks of running your own site, and your own label, is you can write about what you want and celebrate when you want. So, here we are at ATH, home of ATH Records, celebrating a release we’re super happy to be part of, Swansea Sound and their debut LP, Live at the Rum Puncheon. In case you needed a reminder, you’ve got some heavy-hitters in this band from acts such as Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Pooh Sticks and more. And what better way to celebrate than by letting you stream the whole thing in its fresh entirety below. It’s best listened to at high volumes with open hearts. Grab a tape HERE, or check out the band’s BANDCAMP as there are several other great folks like HHBTM handling various media.
Over the years we’ve spent a lot of time getting to know the musical work of Jake Ward, 1/2 of ATH Faves Eureka California; today he’s operating solo under the name Mild Mild Country, and he’s about to release Never Had a Touch to Lose. Our first listen from the new album is “Snake War,” thus is should make sense that the song’s predominantly based on the snake-like weaving of dense synth landscapes crafted by Ward in his home studio. The natural serpentine movement almost feels like Jake’s exploring the world through synths, feeling things out with his forked tongue before switching directions and coming back for more; it’s 13 minutes of great synth pop finding its way into the world. Perhaps it will find its way into your lap on October 22nd when the album drops via 
Surprise! We’re working with 
I remember sitting in my dorm room in the late 90s listening to an Elf Power record when “Loverboy’s Demise” came on; there was something about it that had this lo-fi pop sensibility that just felt like home; it felt like that’s where I belonged. Why does that matter some 20 years later? Well, few bands have matched that feeling…and still fewer songs…that is until I found this 
One thing we remembered – and re-lived – in 2020 was the spirit of indie DIY. We wrote songs, recorded them at home, took our own pictures, made our own videos. So we decided it was about time to start a label. The first physical releases on Skep Wax will come out next spring. We will be co-releasing the next Swansea Sound single with US label HHBTM and Japanese label Formosa Punk, and we will co-release the new Catenary Wires songs with US label Shelflife. Its great to be working alongside these other labels. We always loved the idea of the International Pop Underground, and in 2021 we hope to breathe new life into it. If we discover we are any good at running a label, we will start thinking about releasing other bands music on the label. Very excited about this!
There’s a long story behind the upcoming release of Danieled Auntlord: The Daniel Johnston Covers Tape. Back in 2007, Daniel Johnston played the legendary Athens Popfest, going down as one of the most unforgettable moments in the festival’s history. Jump into 2016, and the festival, curated by Mike Turner of 
Last year Athens rapper