Fishrider Records is based in Dunedin, New Zealand.
We're not music industry. We're music arts & crafts.
Discover Fishrider Records releases on our Bandcamp page.
Find the full catalogue of Fishrider Records & Occultation Recordings releases we stock at our Storenvy Online Shop.
We're not music industry. We're music arts & crafts.
Discover Fishrider Records releases on our Bandcamp page.
Find the full catalogue of Fishrider Records & Occultation Recordings releases we stock at our Storenvy Online Shop.
Latest News!
We have two new releases. One is the debut album "Shadow Self" by Èlan Vital (see below) which has a UK and Europe release on 12 May. It's available now as a pre-release via now via the Bandcamp link below (or via Occultation Recordings if you are in the UK/ Europe)
The other is the third and final album by former Manchester band The Distractions - now with NZ connections. The Distractions were signed to Factory in 1979, released their first album on Island in 1980, then waited over 30 years to release their second before signing off in style with "Kindly Leave the Stage". You can read more about the story of this album here.
We also have two new Occultation Recordings releases available in NZ/ Australia - "Across the Door Sill" by John Howard and "Mirror" by Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus. Find out more about these releases on the Occultation tab.
Remember to check out the specially-priced combo deals available via our Bandcamp 'Merch' page. Discover new music & save on postage.
We have two new releases. One is the debut album "Shadow Self" by Èlan Vital (see below) which has a UK and Europe release on 12 May. It's available now as a pre-release via now via the Bandcamp link below (or via Occultation Recordings if you are in the UK/ Europe)
The other is the third and final album by former Manchester band The Distractions - now with NZ connections. The Distractions were signed to Factory in 1979, released their first album on Island in 1980, then waited over 30 years to release their second before signing off in style with "Kindly Leave the Stage". You can read more about the story of this album here.
We also have two new Occultation Recordings releases available in NZ/ Australia - "Across the Door Sill" by John Howard and "Mirror" by Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus. Find out more about these releases on the Occultation tab.
Remember to check out the specially-priced combo deals available via our Bandcamp 'Merch' page. Discover new music & save on postage.
New Release
ÈLAN VITAL Shadow Self [FISH018 LP/CD/DL/ iTunes] UK release via Occultation Recordings
Èlan Vital formed in 2015 in Dunedin’s None Gallery, an artist-run creative community in a former pharmaceutical factory near the city centre. Their sound takes contemporary European cold-wave synth-pop dance music layered on analogue drum machines, then blends in the warm psychedelic organ sounds of 1960s garage rock. Distorted, overdriven bass guitar adds a further element of chaos into the mix.
The expression Èlan Vital describes the vital force or impulse of life. The music on “Shadow Self” represents that life impulse in an ambiguous zone between machine and human worlds. A dense claustrophobic swirl of dark dance-tempo synth-pop blooms from gloomy cold industrial dance music with vocoder vocals into uplifting melodic dream-pop catharsis about memory, longing, and obsession
ÈLAN VITAL Shadow Self [FISH018 LP/CD/DL/ iTunes] UK release via Occultation Recordings
Èlan Vital formed in 2015 in Dunedin’s None Gallery, an artist-run creative community in a former pharmaceutical factory near the city centre. Their sound takes contemporary European cold-wave synth-pop dance music layered on analogue drum machines, then blends in the warm psychedelic organ sounds of 1960s garage rock. Distorted, overdriven bass guitar adds a further element of chaos into the mix.
The expression Èlan Vital describes the vital force or impulse of life. The music on “Shadow Self” represents that life impulse in an ambiguous zone between machine and human worlds. A dense claustrophobic swirl of dark dance-tempo synth-pop blooms from gloomy cold industrial dance music with vocoder vocals into uplifting melodic dream-pop catharsis about memory, longing, and obsession
THE DISTRACTIONS Kindly leave the stage [FISH019 LP/CD/DL] UK release via Occultation Recordings
The third Distractions album, "Kindly Leave The Stage", will be released less than 5 years after the critically-acclaimed "The End of the Pier". That second album took over 30 years to appear following their 1980 Island Records debut "Nobody’s Perfect", which came out a year after their Factory Records single "Time Goes By So Slow" in 1979. Fishrider Records is co-releasing this album with our UK partners Occultation Recordings. Distractions songwriter Steve Perrin now lives in Auckland, New Zealand and the drummer on this album is Fishrider Records' & The Puddle's Ian Henderson, so it has a strong local NZ and Dunedin connection.
Fabulous third and final album from the Distractions which surpasses even their classic 1980 debut ‘Nobody’s Perfect...‘Kindly Leave The Stage’ is their finest moment, but they’ve left a musical legacy that few bands will ever match." Pennyblack Music
The third Distractions album, "Kindly Leave The Stage", will be released less than 5 years after the critically-acclaimed "The End of the Pier". That second album took over 30 years to appear following their 1980 Island Records debut "Nobody’s Perfect", which came out a year after their Factory Records single "Time Goes By So Slow" in 1979. Fishrider Records is co-releasing this album with our UK partners Occultation Recordings. Distractions songwriter Steve Perrin now lives in Auckland, New Zealand and the drummer on this album is Fishrider Records' & The Puddle's Ian Henderson, so it has a strong local NZ and Dunedin connection.
Fabulous third and final album from the Distractions which surpasses even their classic 1980 debut ‘Nobody’s Perfect...‘Kindly Leave The Stage’ is their finest moment, but they’ve left a musical legacy that few bands will ever match." Pennyblack Music
Recent Releases
THE PROPHET HENS - The Wonderful Shapes of Back Door Keys [FISH016 LP/CD/DL/iTunes] UK release via Occultation Recordings
The Prophet Hens‘ 2nd album “The Wonderful Shapes of Back Door Keys” is out on 18 August 2016 on Fishrider Records and, in the UK/ Europe on Occultation Recordings. It's an album of melodic jangling guitars, swirling Casio keyboards & the voices of Penelope Esplin and Karl Bray singing uplifting melancholic songs about hope & despair, joy & regret, ambition & reality, coming together & drifting apart.
Also, “Popular People Do Popular People” – the 1st album - is being (re-)issued on LP at the same time as their new album comes out.
The 1st album made its mark all over the world, praised as “psychédélisme plaintif” by French music weekly Les Inrockuptibles, given 10/10 in reviews by UK mailorder specialists Norman Records’ staff and customers and featured on BBC 6Music shows by Marc Riley and Gideon Coe.
THE PROPHET HENS - The Wonderful Shapes of Back Door Keys [FISH016 LP/CD/DL/iTunes] UK release via Occultation Recordings
The Prophet Hens‘ 2nd album “The Wonderful Shapes of Back Door Keys” is out on 18 August 2016 on Fishrider Records and, in the UK/ Europe on Occultation Recordings. It's an album of melodic jangling guitars, swirling Casio keyboards & the voices of Penelope Esplin and Karl Bray singing uplifting melancholic songs about hope & despair, joy & regret, ambition & reality, coming together & drifting apart.
Also, “Popular People Do Popular People” – the 1st album - is being (re-)issued on LP at the same time as their new album comes out.
The 1st album made its mark all over the world, praised as “psychédélisme plaintif” by French music weekly Les Inrockuptibles, given 10/10 in reviews by UK mailorder specialists Norman Records’ staff and customers and featured on BBC 6Music shows by Marc Riley and Gideon Coe.
THE SHIFTING SANDS - Cosmic Radio Station [FISH015 LP/CD/ iTunes] UK release via Occultation Recordings
Beamed into the Pacific ether from a woolshed and a tumbledown house perched on the hills above Port Chalmers during a period of heightened solar flare and aurora activity, this is an album dripping sundazed melody through a shifting haze of fuzzy, chiming guitars, shimmering strings, and vocal harmonies. The cosmic radio station is on air. Tune in… turn on… pop out.
https://fishriderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic-radio-station
“Multi-faceted guitar pop channelling New Zealand’s ‘80s Flying Nun sound… they drift seamlessly from the pulsing pop of “Waiting For The Sun”, with its distinct echoes of the Mary Chain, to the aching, Big Star-like “We All Fall Down”, while “Dreaming to Keep Awake” remodels Sonic Youth’s dissonant wall of guitars as pure pop.” 8/10 Uncut (UK)
"a psychedelic shoegaze trio whose promising second album suggests there may finally be an heir to those pioneering bands who first laid down the Dunedin Sound back 30 years ago..." Shindig! Magazine, UK (4/5 stars)
“beautifully crafted… At its heart this is indie pop – loud, proud and jubilant.” The Listener (NZ)
"gloriously under-fi drone-scuzz psyche-rock… a lovely astral psyche-dreamscape.” Elsewhere/ Time Out (NZ)
“Part past, part future, the Shifting Sands aim hits the right cosmic spot.” The Finest Kiss (USA)
“a ten-song tapestry of note perfect psychedelic pop, featuring intricately layered guitars, fuzz, feedback, melody, drone, and airy vocals.” When You Motor Away (USA)
Beamed into the Pacific ether from a woolshed and a tumbledown house perched on the hills above Port Chalmers during a period of heightened solar flare and aurora activity, this is an album dripping sundazed melody through a shifting haze of fuzzy, chiming guitars, shimmering strings, and vocal harmonies. The cosmic radio station is on air. Tune in… turn on… pop out.
https://fishriderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic-radio-station
“Multi-faceted guitar pop channelling New Zealand’s ‘80s Flying Nun sound… they drift seamlessly from the pulsing pop of “Waiting For The Sun”, with its distinct echoes of the Mary Chain, to the aching, Big Star-like “We All Fall Down”, while “Dreaming to Keep Awake” remodels Sonic Youth’s dissonant wall of guitars as pure pop.” 8/10 Uncut (UK)
"a psychedelic shoegaze trio whose promising second album suggests there may finally be an heir to those pioneering bands who first laid down the Dunedin Sound back 30 years ago..." Shindig! Magazine, UK (4/5 stars)
“beautifully crafted… At its heart this is indie pop – loud, proud and jubilant.” The Listener (NZ)
"gloriously under-fi drone-scuzz psyche-rock… a lovely astral psyche-dreamscape.” Elsewhere/ Time Out (NZ)
“Part past, part future, the Shifting Sands aim hits the right cosmic spot.” The Finest Kiss (USA)
“a ten-song tapestry of note perfect psychedelic pop, featuring intricately layered guitars, fuzz, feedback, melody, drone, and airy vocals.” When You Motor Away (USA)
DEATH AND THE MAIDEN - Death and The Maiden (FISH014 LP/CD/DL/iTunes) UK release via Occultation Recordings
On their debut album, Death And The Maiden craft a shadowy sound world, filled with melancholic synth arpeggios, reverb-drenched guitars, and sighing vocal melodies. The combination is both hypnotic and devastating, exploring themes of love, loss, and decay, wrapped in tactile electro-acoustic languor. A party record for heartbroken romantics.
“an arty synth statement with emotional depth, romantic ennui and a pop sensibility. Recommended.” Elsewhere (NZ)
“the group hijack electro-pop for their own evil ends, with its murky moods and dance macabre.“ Les Inrockuptibles (France)
“This Dunedin trio’s impressive debut album recalls some sort of decelerated disco meditation music for incurable melancholics” Sunday Star Times (NZ)
“The words dreamy, drowsy, and hypnotizing come to mind… A concatenation of echoing lullabies, the album itself is an escape into a dreamworld not only marked by beauty, but also plagued by an eerie sense of decay. Smooth and rhythmic, it’s easy to lose yourself in lead singer Lucinda King’s soothing croon.” Origami Vinyl (USA)
V/A - T E M P O R A R Y – Selections from Dunedin’s Pop Underground 2011-2014 (FISH013 LP/CD/DL)
A compilation of young Dunedin bands, including new songs from Trick Mammoth, Opposite Sex, Males and The Shifting Sands and a vinyl debut for a song from The Prophet Hens' album. Listen at http://fishriderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/t-e-m-p-o-r-a-r-y
The compilation includes a ‘zine with information on each band, art, writing, posters etc. and comes as LP+zine version, a CD+ ‘zine version & a LP+CD+zine combo option. We have combined with Ba Da Bing! Records to present this compilation in the US as a local release
http://www.badabingrecords.com/store/products/pre-order-temporary-selections-from-dunedins-pop-underground-2011-2014-lp/
TEMPORARY is also available in the UK/ Europe from Occultation Recordings: http://www.occultation.co.uk
“Dunedin’s fleeting music scenes have been well documented in compilation [The Dunedin Double EP, Xpressway Pile=Up etc.]. TEMPORARY, an overview of Dunedin’s lo-fi and melodic post-punk roster, sits comfortably in this canon…Get hold of a copy and keep it safe…” The Listener (NZ)
A compilation of young Dunedin bands, including new songs from Trick Mammoth, Opposite Sex, Males and The Shifting Sands and a vinyl debut for a song from The Prophet Hens' album. Listen at http://fishriderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/t-e-m-p-o-r-a-r-y
The compilation includes a ‘zine with information on each band, art, writing, posters etc. and comes as LP+zine version, a CD+ ‘zine version & a LP+CD+zine combo option. We have combined with Ba Da Bing! Records to present this compilation in the US as a local release
http://www.badabingrecords.com/store/products/pre-order-temporary-selections-from-dunedins-pop-underground-2011-2014-lp/
TEMPORARY is also available in the UK/ Europe from Occultation Recordings: http://www.occultation.co.uk
“Dunedin’s fleeting music scenes have been well documented in compilation [The Dunedin Double EP, Xpressway Pile=Up etc.]. TEMPORARY, an overview of Dunedin’s lo-fi and melodic post-punk roster, sits comfortably in this canon…Get hold of a copy and keep it safe…” The Listener (NZ)
Other Releases
Trick Mammoth - Floristry (FISH012 LP/CD/DL)
Trick Mammoth - Floristry (FISH012 LP/CD/DL)
Males - Run Run Run/MalesMalesMales (FISH011 LP/CD/DL)
The Prophet Hens - Popular People Do Popular People (FISH010 CD/DL)
Factory Star - New Sacral (FISH009 10" LP/CD)
The Shifting Sands - Feel (FISH008 CD/DL)
The Puddle - Secret Holiday/ Victory Blues (FISH007 LP/CD/DL)
Opposite Sex - Opposite Sex (FISH006 LP/CD/DL)
More releases
Discover more Fishrider Records releases on our Bandcamp page.
Our Storenvy Online Shop has all the Fishrider Records releases & Occultation Recordings releases we stock.
FINDING FISHRIDER RECORDS RELEASES WORLDWIDE
Easiest way to find a release is the online shop or https://fishriderrecords.bandcamp.com/
Or e-mail us via the contacts form and we will give you the best local options for your country.
If your local record store doesn't stock the Fishrider release you are looking for tell them about us please!
UK or Europe - Fishrider releases are available directly from Occultation Recordings http://www.occultation.co.uk & distributed by Cargo Records
North America - Fishrider releases are available from RevolverUSA/Midheaven https://midheaven.com/
Our releases can also be obtained by mail-order from Jigsaw Records in Seattle.
Our Storenvy Online Shop has all the Fishrider Records releases & Occultation Recordings releases we stock.
FINDING FISHRIDER RECORDS RELEASES WORLDWIDE
Easiest way to find a release is the online shop or https://fishriderrecords.bandcamp.com/
Or e-mail us via the contacts form and we will give you the best local options for your country.
If your local record store doesn't stock the Fishrider release you are looking for tell them about us please!
UK or Europe - Fishrider releases are available directly from Occultation Recordings http://www.occultation.co.uk & distributed by Cargo Records
North America - Fishrider releases are available from RevolverUSA/Midheaven https://midheaven.com/
Our releases can also be obtained by mail-order from Jigsaw Records in Seattle.
