drive

DZ15 is on its way down I-95 courtesy of Baltimore duo Romantic States, who continue their minimalist approach to writing and recording, while integrating dynamic shifts not explored in earlier work. The result is a collection of raw, sparse, and skeletal lo-fi rock songs that are sincere, vulnerable, and haunting. Jim and Ilenia's newest works have been compiled for release on a self-titled album out February 6 and the band will be touring the East Coast throughout the month.

Special thanks to Spanish magazine Shook Down for their kind words about the album and for premiering "Back Pain" on their site. Look out for an interview with the band in the next physical copy of their magazine, and check out the track below for your first sneak peak at DZ15:

"9 canciones honestas, cristalinas y eso, minimalistas, una propuesta de corazón lo-fi que desprende honestidad, la misma que habían desfilado en algunos de sus trabajos anteriores" - Shook Down

"Romantic States are a minimalist experimental rock band from Baltimore, emphasizing rhythm and melody over instrumental complexity. Their sound is spectral, with live drums and drum machines combined to provide a back beat for reverby guitars and washed out, dream-like vocals in their own version of deconstructed pop/rock songs." - The Modern Folk Music Of America

Tapes are available for pre-order in the merch store, along with a limited number of older cassettes unearthed during my move, including releases by Wavepool Abortion, Ghostandthesong / Chris Rehm, Terror Bird, Adam Torres, Pool Holograph, and Birkwin Jersey, plus one last copy of DYVNZMBR2.

Additionally, Tape School in Tokyo is now stocking some more recent releases - Big Hush, Hazey Jane, Easily Suede, The Sweets, and Seabright all safely made the trip across the globe.

Stay tuned for more updates on DZ15, including new tracks and event info, coming very soon...

ballooning

From where you are things may seem quiet here at DZ, but the post-In It Together Fest hiatus is over and there are quite a few fun things in the works. Another batch of releases has been confirmed with the hopes of getting most of them out before the end of the year, but there will be more on that in the near future. The Sister Polygon Jamboree has come and gone, Fields Festival flew by in the blink of an eye, and now the next live event on the docket that's sure to be a sweat-soaked good time is coming up September 4 at The Dougout. Boston rockers Krill will be joined by Baltimore's Et Al. in addition to local favorites The Effects and Two Inch Astronaut. Click the flyer below for more details:

DZ alum have been hard at work lately creating a wide variety of new sounds for your listening pleasure. Find a comfy groove in your seat and take a look + listen at some of the cool things that've been coming out recently:

"Old Ways" single by Pool Holograph


"Bread & Silver Water" EP by It Is Rain In My Face.


"Forest Moon" EP by Seabright

Wondering Sound interviews Adam Torres on music sharing and the drudgery of self-promotion in independent music.

"The Wrong Way" music video by Terror Bird

frnds nd fmly

The finishing touches are being put on DZ13 in preparation for its release on June 21, but this month has already seen some great work being released from a few friends of the label.

Pregnant has composed personalized songs for over 65 people at this point, and the choice cuts are finally being released on cassette by staring at the ceiling. Check out the complete 'Your Song' compilation below, featuring songs written especially for some nice folks including the gang from Decoder Magazine, FMLY and yours truly (which just so happens to be track #1):



It Is Rain In My Face. has just released another brilliant folktronic set of songs on the 'Stolen Days' EP:



Adam Torres continues to add a new track to his 'Golden Children' demos each Monday. Check out the entire set on his bandcamp, and while you circle the bases on your home run trot take a listen to this week's little number "Moonshot":



Terror Bird is kicking off her European tour this week in support of her new release 'Clubs' on SVN SNS RECORDS:



The seasonal solstice is almost upon us, and very soon the next DZ release will see the light of day, albeit shrouded in haze, but until then I hope you enjoy the new music above as you soak up the summer sun, wade in the warm ocean water and work up your base tan. ☼

waiting for nothing

I promise you, more info on DZ13 will be released shortly. Production is well under way and the tapes look beautiful. This one's definitely to help you keep calm, cool and collected this summer, and I'm very excited to share these serene sensations with you all in the near future.

For now, it's that time again to invite everybody in the Washington DC area out to the Dougout for a night of visceral post-punk, gloomy puke pop, and emocore at the next DZ live event. Click the flyer below for more details.

✔ BIG UPS (NY)
✔✔ TEEN SUICIDE (MD)
✔✔✔ TWO INCH ASTRONAUT (DC)
✔✔✔✔ ATLAS AT LAST (DC)



Vancouver's Terror Bird has announced her next release. On June 7, 'Clubs' will be available on cassette from SVN SNS RECORDS. Get back on the darkwave groove by peeking Nikki's new video "Waiting For Nothing":



Lastly, for those of you lucky enough to be in the Austin area this weekend, Adam Torres and Caitlin Krauss-Torres will be teaming up to give you a free live show this Saturday at Cenote, and remember to check back on Adam's bandcamp each week for more gentle serenades on his Golden Children demo compilation.

lost forever

All my copies of "Lost Forever In Silence" have SOLD OUT and sadly the package containing a large majority of the Terror Bird cassettes was held by French customs in Paris while awaiting pickup on the band's tour, so they have not yet been received. If you were unable to get your hands on a copy of the tape, stay tuned for more ordering information once the band returns from Europe.

All current orders have been shipped, so keep a watchful eye on your mailbox!

cutting loose

Terror Bird tapes are going fast, so pick up your copy before they're all gone...

Terror Bird

Synth-glam divas Terror Bird are currently in the Europe, spreading their enigmatic lunar darkwave and DZ TAPES has produced a cassette release to support the band on their tour. Drenched in 80's goth pop, withering melodies and gloomy minimalism, Lost Forever In Silence includes 10 new tracks from the band Pitchfork dubbed "suitably moody" and No Fear In Pop calls "lush and opulent, dramatic chamber pop". 

Stream/Download the full release for free, and if you can't catch the group on one of the following stops, grab your copy of the limited edition, individually-numbered, hand-painted and pro-dubbed cassettes in the Shop before they're all gone.



MAY


7 Frankfurt, Germany at Waggon
8 Haarlem, Netherlands at Geertruida
9 Lille, France at Le Rouge
11  Paris, France at L’Espace B
12  Bruxelles, Belgium at DNA
13  Ghent, Belgium at Kinky Star
14  Toulouse, France at a house party
15  Bordeaux, France at El Chicho
16  Caen, France at Ecuyes
17  Tilburg, Netherlands at TBA

19 Groningen, Netherlands at Wishfulmusic
20 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium at Les Bulles
23 Strassbourg, France at Le Mudd Club
25 Bielefeld, Germany at AJZ
26 Braunschweig, Germany at KAWA
27 Wismar, Germany at Galerie auf Zeit 
28 Wroclaw, Poland at Falanster w/ Molly Nilsson
30 Munich, Germany at Herr Hotter
31 Vienna, Austria at Celeste


JUNE


2 Kollin, Czech Republic at Divo Institute
3 Prague, Czech Republic at 007 Strahnov
5 Lucern, Switzerland at Sedel Club
6 Karlsruhe, Germany at Halle 14
7 Berlin, Germany at 33 RPM with Allie
8 Berlin, Germany at Death Disco
9 Leipzig, Germany at Schubladenkonsortium
11 Hamburg, Germany at Rote Flora
12 Halle, Germany at Goldene Rose.
13 Bochum, Germany at Bastion
15 Paris, France at Gals Rock
17 Angers, France at Un Brin Folk 

Lost Forever In Silence

In preparation for their third European tour in May and June, Canadian darkwave goth pop act Terror Bird has prepared a new cassette release entitled 'Lost Forever In Silence'. DZ TAPES is proud to present this pro-dubbed C26, hand numbered to 100, featuring 10 new tracks from Nikki Nevver and the band.

Pre-Order in THE SHOP

Download Free on BANDCAMP

This Organism / I'm Still Young / So Blue Around You Now / The Art Of Forgetting / Boredom (Followed By Misery) / Anything Real / It's Only Forever / In Silence / Ghosts In My Heart / Criminal