Suicide Squeeze Records Explained

Suicide Squeeze Records
Founder:David Dickenson
Distributor:Secretly Distribution[1]
Genre:Rock (punk, indie, grunge, alt, experimental), postrock, metal (drone, sludge), pop (experimental, indie), performance art, standup comedy
Country:United States
Location:Seattle, Washington

Suicide Squeeze Records is a Seattle, Washington-based independent record label that releases rock, pop, and metal music. Suicide Squeeze releases content on vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital. The label has also released comedy and performance art CD and DVDs.

Founded in 1996 by David Dickenson, it got its start releasing singles by artists such as Elliott Smith and Modest Mouse. Current artists include The Coathangers, L.A. Witch, Nü Sensae, This Will Destroy You, Audacity, Guantanamo Baywatch, White Woods, and Yamantaka // Sonic Titan.

In the spring of 2014, Oregon-based Fort George Brewery and Suicide Squeeze created the craft beer "Suicide Squeeze IPA."

In recent years, Suicide Squeeze has released music by L.A. Witch, Ty Segall, This Will Destroy You, cumgirl8, Minus the Bear, Michael Nau (of Cotton Jones), and The Coathangers.

History

Founding, early releases

Suicide Squeeze Records was started in August 1996 in Seattle, Washington by owner David Dickenson. After the initial release of a 7" single from Seattle band 764-Hero, the label quickly grew from Dickenson's full-time hobby to a cottage industry by the late-1990s. By 1997 the label had released singles by popular Northwest artists Modest Mouse and Elliott Smith. The label has also released comedy and performance art CD and DVDs, and continues to press a significant number of releases on vinyl.

In an interview with The Stranger, Dickenson said "A highlight of those early days for me was our first 746-HERO release under my belt. Getting to work with David Bazan. And Modest Mouse was a big one. Isaac [Brock, singer/guitarist of Modest Mouse] used to come into Hot Lips, a pizza place that I worked at on the Ave, and he’d be selling these dial-a-song cassettes. He basically was just going to the dumpsters behind the Muzak office, pulling the discarded tapes, making his own artwork, and selling them."[2]

2000–2009

In August 2003, Suicide Squeeze put out a limited-edition vinyl single for "Pretty (Ugly Before)", a song that Elliott Smith had been playing since his Figure 8 tour. Shortly afterwards in 2004, the label released a spoken CD by Eugene Mirman, a Russian-born American comedian and writer. The Absurd Nightclub Comedy of Eugene Mirman was also released on DVD, and was voted one of the Best Albums of 2004 by both The A.V. Club and Time Out New York.

Goon Moon, an American rock band composed of Jeordie White (also known as Twiggy Ramirez from Marilyn Manson) and Chris Goss, released a mini-LP on Suicide Squeeze called I Got a Brand New Egg Layin' Machine in 2005. Chin Up Chin Up was an American indie pop band from Chicago, who released This Harness Can't Ride Anything on October 10, 2006 on Suicide Squeeze. Also in 2006, Canadian rock band Black Mountain released their "Stormy High" single and EP on Suicide Squeeze.

In 2006, to celebrate their tenth anniversary, the label released the compilation album Suicide Squeeze Records: Slaying Since 1996.

Minus the Bear is an indie rock band from Seattle, whose sound has been described as "Pele-esque guitar-taps and electronics with sophisticated time signature composition." Interpretaciones del Oso, an album of remixed songs from their second full-length album Menos el Oso, was released on February 20, 2007 through Suicide Squeeze, who also released the band's third full-length album, titled Planet of Ice, on August 21, 2007. In 2017, Minus the Bear released their sixth-studio album VOIDS on Suicide Squeeze.

Page France was an American indie folk-pop music band that played melodic and emotional music. Their last record deal was with Suicide Squeeze, before the disbandment in 2008. Their second album, Hello, Dear Wind, was re-released by Suicide Squeeze. Page France's last album and third full-length, …and the Family Telephone, was released May 8, 2007 on Suicide Squeeze.

For their third studio album, These Arms Are Snakes signed to Suicide Squeeze. Tail Swallower and Dove was released in October 2008. The album was seen as a departure from their more hardcore-sounding songs and took a more experimental approach, and also more traditional song structures.

On January 27, 2009, The Cotton Jones Basket Ride released their second LP, and their debut for Suicide Squeeze Records, Paranoid Cocoon. It was described as a "weepy, reverb-drenched blend of Pacific Northwest, 1960s folk-pop, and heartland rock." On August 24, 2010, the band released their third LP, Tall Hours in the Glowstream. It was described as "classic country music filtered through a dream-pop haze."

2009–present

This Will Destroy You released the albums Tunnel Blanket on Suicide Squeeze, as well as the "Black Dunes" 7" single. Tunnel Blanket was released in May 2011, and it entered the Billboard Heatseekers Album Chart at number 25.

The Coathangers are a punk group from Atlanta, Georgia. After putting out a 7" on Suicide Squeeze in 2011, they released their third album, Larceny and Old Lace for Suicide Squeeze, to generally positive reviews. In 2012, Julia Kugel of The Coathangers released a 7" record on Suicide Squeeze, under the name "White Woods.". Other releases by The Coathangers on Suicide Squeeze include Suck My Shirt (2014), Nosebleed Weekend (2016), Perfume/Watch Your Back 7" (2016), Parasite EP (2017).

Nü Sensae is a Vancouver, British Columbia, punk and grunge trio. Their second album, "Sundowning", was released on August 7, 2012 via Suicide Squeeze and was given an 8.0 rating by Pitchfork Media.

UZU by performing art collective Yamantaka // Sonic Titan was released on Suicide Squeeze in 2013.

In 2015, Suicide Squeeze released Portland-based punk trio Guantanamo Baywatch's third studio album Darling...It's Too Late.

In 2016, Suicide Squeeze celebrated its 20th anniversary by releasing a digital compilation Suicide Squeeze: 20 Years including Elliott Smith, Minus the Bear, La Luz, King Tuff and more.

In 2017, Suicide Squeeze released music by Ty Segall, This Will Destroy You, Minus the Bear, Michael Nau (of Cotton Jones), and The Coathangers. The label also signed Los Angeles-based trio L.A. Witch for the release of their debut album out September 8, 2017.

Partnerships

In the spring of 2014, the label worked with Oregon-based Fort George Brewery to create the craft beer "Suicide Squeeze IPA."

Artists

Current

Past

Discography

See main article: Suicide Squeeze Records discography.

Release title! scope="col"
Primary artist(s)Format
1996 S-001Now You’re Swimming7"
1996 S-002 The Epilogue Fits B/W l.g.aThe Scenic Vermont 7" single
1996 S-003 A Life of Arctic Sounds 7" single
1997 S-004 Worse Further South The Scenic Vermont 12" EP
1997 S-005 Division Day 7"/CD single
1998 S-007 Removable PartsTrack Star 7"
1998 S-008 Whenever You See Fit Modest Mouse/ 764-HERO 7"
2000 S-011 Progress CDEP /7"
2000 S-012 NaimaRed Stars Theory7"
2000 S-015 Attraction Action Reaction7"
2001 S-016 Between the Machines7"
2001 S-017 This Is What I Know About Being GiganticCDEP
2002 S-018Things Shaped in Passing CD
2002 S-019 Bird's FlyCDEP
2002 S-020 The Modern Sinner Nervous Man EP CDEP
2002 S-021 Highly Refined Pirates CD
2002 S-023 Bands Like It When You Yell "Yar!" at Them CD/EP
2003 S-026 Bitches Ain't Shit but Good People CDEP
2003 S-027 S/T CD
2003 S-028 Pretty (Ugly Before) 7" single
2003 S-029 The Six Parts Seven/The Black Keys EP CDEP
2004 S-031 The Devil Isn't Red LP
2003 S-032 Revolve7"
2004 S-037 CDEP
2004 S-039 Puking and Crying CD
2004 S-040 Everywhere, and Right Here CD
2004 S-041 Masculine Drugs Zach Hill and Holy Smokes CD/Book
2004 S-042 The Absurd Nightclub Comedy of… CD/DVD
2005 S-043 Blocked Numbers CD
2005 S-044 Church Gone Wild/Chirpin Hard CD
2005 S-045 Headphones CD/LP
2005 S-046 I Got a Brand New Egg Layin' Machine CD/LP
2005 S-047 Menos El Oso CD/LP
2006 S-050 Slaying Since 1996 Various CD
2006 S-052 Casually Smashed to Pieces CD/LP
2006 S-053 Voltaic Crusher/Undrum to Muted Da7" single
2006 S-055 Stormy High7" single
2006 S-056 Answers and Questions7" single
2006 S-057 This Harness Can't Ride Anything CD
2006 S-058 Upper Ninety single
2006 S-059 Hello, Dear Wind CD
2007 S-062 Interpretaciones del Oso CD
2007 S-063 …and the Family Telephone CD/LP
2007 S-064 Tomato MorningCD/EP
2007 S-065 Planet of Ice CD
2008 S-068 Perfect Skin7" single
2008 S-070 Station CD
2008 S-071 Strange Symmetry CD/LP
2008 S-072 Zodiac Girls Black Moth Super Rainbow7"
2008 S-073 Silent Grips School of Seven Bells7"
2008 S-075 sBACH CD
2008 S-076 Moody Motorcycle CD/LP
2008 S-078 Tail Swallower and Dove CD/LP
2009 S-079 Paranoid Cocoon Cotton JonesCD/LP
2009 S-082 Geneva CD
2010 S-085 Tapestry of Webs CD/LP
2010 S-086 Tall Hours in the Glowstream CD/LP
2010 S-088 Mellow Out b/w Heavy Days7" single
2010 S-090 Caregiver b/w Heirloom7"
2011 S-093 Tunnel Blanket CD/2xLP
2011 S-094 La La La La Love You7"
2014 S-100 Suicide Squeeze Records Presents: Forever Singles Various Artists LP
2012 S-101 Wild Desire 7"
2012 S-102 Where Did You Go White Woods 7"
2012 S-105 One More Try 7" single
2012 S-107 Sundowning CD/LP
2013 S-111 Pacing 7" single
2013 S-117 Dying in the Pussy Antwon 7"
2013 S-124 UZU LP/digital
2013 S-127 Burn Eating Out 7" single
2014 S-128 Suck My Shirt CD/LP/Digital
2014 S-129 Mama b/w Love Kin Shannon and the Clams
/ Guantanamo Baywatch
7" single
2014 S-130 Fort George EP Various Artists 7"
2015 S-137 Darling...It's Too Late Guantanamo Baywatch CD/LP/Digital
2015 S-138 Oh Man, Cover the Ground CD/LP/Digital
2015 S-139 Freedom Fries 7"/Digital
2015 S-140 Women's Rights Childbirth LP/CD/Digital
2016 S-078 Tail, Swallower and Dove LP/Digital (Reissue)
2016 S-150 Wild Desire 7"/Digital
2016 S-150 Nosebleed Weekend LP/CD/Digital
2016 S-011 Progress 7"/Digital (Reissue)
2016 S-141 Mowing Michael Nau CD/LP/Digital
2016 S-142 Hyper Vessels Audacity CD/LP/Digital
2016 S-144 Shytown 7"/Digital
2016 S-145 Gift of Life VHS CD/LP/Digital
2017 S-146 - 7" The Puritan (Julianna Barwick Remix) EP/Digital
2017 S-148 - 7" Sentimental Goblin EP/Digital
2016 S-149 Dark Sacred Night LP/Digital
2016 S-150 Christmas Bonus LP/Digital
2017 S-152 CD/LP/Digital
2017 S-153 Some Twist Michael Nau CD/LP/Digital
2017 S-156 Parasite EP/Digital

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Label Focus: Suicide Squeeze Records. TIDAL Magazine.
  2. Web site: Suicide Squeeze Records at 20: An Oral History.