twosyllable records

OK Clawsheads, or shall I say Pangea Girls? You asked for CDs and we made 'em! Pick up your copy of the deluxe tri-fold wallet while supplies last!

This month, Candy Claws celebrate the 10 year anniversary of their timeless album, 'Ceres & Calypso In The Deep Time' and PRE-ORDERS ARE OPEN NOW!  

Presented on a gorgeous double gatefold pressing alongside a dual-mono instrumental edition, previously only available on cassette from cult heroes Flannelgraph Records, this reissue is accompanied by a bonus CD containing “Distortion Spear,” a brand new song from the original lineup of the band which marks Candy Claws’ first new music in a decade!!!

Ft Worth’s own, 21yr old rapper, ULTRAVIOLETENVY’s debut EP, SUEDE, is OUT TODAY! 

Directed by Lauren Strom-Berg, featuring original lyrics by Ross Simonini, and with text excerpted from a poem by Inseki, the “Japanese Death Poem (feat. Sound of Ceres)” video continues to explore a series of clips that feature Ross Simonini’s performance art and tracks from his Standards series. 

"Japanese Death Poem”, the second single from Ross Simonini’s Standards, Vol. 2 is out today and features Twosyllable alum Sound Of Ceres! 

Written by Simonini during the songwriting process for his duo, and also TSR alum, NewVillager’s album, NewVillager, the song depicts the final moments of a person’s life and takes its title from the poems written by Buddhist monk's before they die. 

PEARLS, the first single from ULTRAVIOLETENVY's debut EP, SUEDE (out Jan 2022), is a bullet from the pen of a budding new talent. Listen as your new favorite rapper paints a mural of young love, aspiration, and class struggle in America in 2021. A crushing but familiar boom-bap is punctuated by choppy syllables from a voice that's already earned your trust as if you already knew him. The pitched-shifted hook and ad-lib one-two punch already feel buried in your brain because this track has already made its way to your Best of the Year list.

  PEARLS was the first track written and recorded for SUEDE. The idea was borne out of UVE's vision of an open oyster, classically yonic imagery, with a pearl in its center. The main character focuses on the pearl as a symbol of wealth and luxury while his partner is fixated on its representation of lust and sex, "I see a K / she see a KY".

We’re over the moon to announce that new music is coming from the inimitable multi-hyphenate, Twosyllable veteran, extremely talented, Ross Simonini! 

You may notice that his back catalog has migrated from the name ROOS to his birth name. This is where you’ll find him moving forward. 

In what must have been some of his last--and potentially best--demos in 2014, Mikey Hodges (1986-2015) aka Pop Zeus switched to a keys lead. It may seem like a subtle shift to an outsider, but monumental for a "Rock 'N Roller for life" and provides a drastic energy departure from his previous work.

In "Waking Days", perhaps the best example of this, Hodges swaps his trusty drum machine for laid back live drums and his frenetic distorted rhythm guitar for a vintage sounding electric piano which make the lead guitar refrain feel incredibly victorious. It provides the listener a courageous and contented feeling and, unlike a lot of Pop Zeus' self-deprecating verses, the lyrical sentiment of "Waking Days" matches that self-assured exaltation.

For maybe the first time as an artist we hear Hodges proclaim, "I don't need nobody else reigning my waking days". It's a bit ominous, and a lot prescient, to hear in retrospect as he pontificates his mortality, but it's a reminder for us all. Hodges' joie de vie relied on living in the moment. His intoxicating spirit relied on the calculated risk of being himself, because who else could he be? You can't help but be reminded as a listener and a student of Pop Zeus` to be authentic to yourself is the only way to be. 

It gives us great pleasure to announce a project near to our hearts that we have been working on for a long time. Our dear friend Michael “Mikey” Hodges aka Pop Zeus tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident in Downtown LA on Dec 18, 2014 and left behind a treasure trove of demos and unreleased material. This has been an emotional and challenging project, but we know how dedicated to music Mikey was and he would want this music out in the world. 

Crafting flawless Lo-Fi Power Pop gems was Pop Zeus' specialty, and this homespun 4-track demo of "Foolish" recorded October 9, 2011 is exactly that. In 3min 19sec, Mikey rips an earworm of a guitar lick over a drum machine and belts his lungs out, heart on his sleeve. 

POP ZEUS - FOOLISH [ON SPOTIFY]

This single comes as the first of 11 unearthed demos collected into a vinyl retrospective, This Doesn't Feel Like Home (Unreleased Demos 2011-2014), out March 5, 2021, days before what would have been his 36th birthday. 

For those who loved Mikey, this is a thrilling look into the vault we never got to see, and for those who never met him, it's the beginning of a love affair with a giant so many hold dear. 

We owe a great debt of gratitude to his sister Whitney Hodges and the rest of his family as well as Adam Fithers, Mike Ley, Jodie Love, Vishnu Boray, and Jon Coombs who helped source music, designed the packaging, shot and provided photography, and of course, their endless moral support. 

100% of the proceeds from this track (and all future Pop Zeus releases) will go to the Michael T Hodges Instrument Endowment Fund which supplies instruments to students in Lebanon, IN.

Written and recorded between Trump's election and inauguration, and only months before the artist's first child was born, "Black Horizons" attempts to capture both the National mood, as well as Narrow Shoulders’ personal trepidations about the world to come. Now, coming full circle, released between Biden's election and inauguration, the song reflects on a dark epoch of American history, but also grapples with the irreversible damage caused as we begin to rebuild as a nation and a family. 

This is the first single from Now Be Here which is Narrow Shoulders’ debut and first release on Twosyllable.

Back in May, eight artists who have been featured on one of the Twosyllable Records Chicago Cassette Compilations performed virtually “at” The Hideout Chicago to celebrate the release of Volume 3. It was truly a night of magic!! 

Watch the entire show here: 

Chicago Cassette Comp "Live" at The Hideout (5/23/20)

Buy the latest cassette, Vol. 3, here: 

To celebrate the release of the Twosyllable Records Chicago Cassette Compilation Vol. 3, we're throwing a show "at" The Hideout on Saturday feat comp artists present and past: Head, KCS, Michael Albert, Roommate, Ryan Sullivan, Jeremiah Chiu, Potions, and Chandeliers.

Out May 22 digitally. New exclusive singles from Fran and Free Snacks!

It has been almost a decade since we released Vol. 1 of the Twosyllable Records Chicago Cassette Compilation series and we have yet to find a local music scene anywhere in the world that better embodies the very virtues that led us to start a label. It is an incredibly supportive, robust, and diverse group of talented individuals that compose, record, and perform across a myriad of genres, neighborhoods, and socioeconomic strata in a truly impressive way. 

Some of the curated artists from Vol.'s 1 and 2 have gone on to achieve critical acclaim, global stardom, or both, while others have been etched into the canon of Chicago's lush recording legacy. We hope and believe the same will go for this new collection. On May 22nd digitally (cassette release to follow), we’ll be releasing Vol. 3 of this series (tracklist below). By no means is this a comprehensive survey of the incredible music being made in The Windy City, but we hope we are shedding light on some talent that demands to be heard beyond the Third Coast. 

Endless thanks to all the artists on this comp, especially Fran and Free Snacks who have new EXCLUSIVE singles out now (links below). Also thanks to Alex Clark for the master and Ryan Hover for the artwork. 

[PRE-ORDER THE CASSETTE HERE]

A

Cafe Racer - Zenith

Bunny - Promises

Head - Never Miss a Beat

Pool Holograph - Stage Fright

Clearance - Carte Blanche (Live at Public House)

The Knees - Stammer

B

Free Snacks - No Questions (feat. Moreau) [LISTEN NOW]

Morocco Brown - Glistening

KCS - Winter Leaves

Fran - Mother [LISTEN NOW]

Quicksails - Eventual Exits

In Will’s own words, “It's quite a coincidental time to release this song about isolation and loneliness, given that the whole world is practicing some form of quarantine at the moment.” But here it is: a new single from Will Fox. 

Stream it now on Spotify. 

Can you believe it? WE CAN. The world asked for more Candy Claws and we had no choice but to press their seminal out of print work, “Ceres & Calypso in the Deep Time” again, for the third time, on white vinyl! 

This edition includes an exclusive poster print featuring new artwork by Ryan Hover and a new poem by lyricist Jenn Morea. Out Oct 25 in stores everywhere.

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY

And to celebrate, here is the band’s first visual since 2014 for “Night Ela (Mystic Thing)”

A million thanks to Under The Radar Mag for premiering the first single and video from Will Fox’s forthcoming debut LP, Which Way, out July 12 on Twosyllable Records! Stay tuned for much more coming...

In the meantime, pre-order the LP here and, for a limited time only, you’ll get a copy of his debut cassette EP, Cosmic Dusting, for free! 

We’re very excited to welcome LA-based singer/songwriter Will Fox to the Twosyllable fold! Will’s immense talent gripped us immediately and we’re thrilled to share “The Days” from his forthcoming cassette, Cosmic Dusting out 10/26. 

A former member of the beloved Los Angeles Police Department, this is Will’s first released music under his own moniker. In his songs you'll hear an array of influences from the intricate fingerpicking of Nick Drake and Leo Kottke, to the romantic croon of Chris Bell; from the songwriting deities like Neil Young or George Harrison, to modern heroes like Cass McCombs or The Clientele. 

Cosmic Dusting features members of his LA community including Greta Morgan (Springtime Carnivore) and Tim Keen (Ought).