#volar records

[bandcampsnoop]

6/6/25.

I'd never heard of Teenanger (Toronto, Canada), but according to AllMusic, their "gritty garage punk sound, smart hooks, and wry humor earned them a national following in the front half of the 2010s". EP LP (2014) and earlier definitely trend to the punk sound. The first blast of "Fly On The Wall" made me think of The Saints. The Stooges and The Gun Club also garnered mentions on AllMusic. Teenanger also released a 2009 split with Charlie& the Moonhearts.

Later albums trend more to pop/new wave. They were associated with Toronto based label Telephone Explosion Records. Last year, we posted about Chandra, whose 1980s LP was reissued by the label.

In a lot of ways, this sounds like something that would have been released by San Diego label, Volar Records.

[spacelifter87]

Presence Not Absence - A Benefit Compilation for Trans BIPOC Housing Assistance

(2020 - Digital / Cassette)

"Under Trump's administration, fair housing has been denied for the trans community in this country, and now the administration is looking to deny the trans community access to homeless shelters. This is another in a long list of hateful, vile actions by this administration, and in an effort to help, Volar Records has gathered tracks from various artists, some previously released, some not, some recorded specifically for this compilation.

All proceeds of the compilation will be donated between SDQUEERBLACKHOUSING, House of Resilience, and APAIT's Casa de Zulma. This list may grow.

Includes unlimited streaming of Presence Not Absence - A Benefit Compilation for Trans BIPOC Housing Assistance via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more." - Volar Records

[bandcampsnoop]

5/10/23.

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the new album from Permissive Rot - Brian Carver's (formerly of Christmas Island - San Diego, California) new band. I'm really, really enjoying the album - one of my favorite releases this year. I learned that Brian was also part of another San Diego based band Teenage Burritos.

Aside from Carver and Lucy Wehrly from Christmas Island, Kevin Gist (Plateaus) and Andreas Lagerström (Holograms) also lend a hand. Teenage Burritos is definitely a two-sided album. The first side is more insistent punk in the Kleenex/Liliput or Blondie vein. The 2nd side is more post-punk. Really, after the Black Flag cover, this gets more varied and nothing shows this better than "Kamikaze" (guest vocals from Pall Jenkins of The Black Heart Procession/Three Mile Pilot).

This was a joint release from Volar and Burger Records.

[bandcampsnoop]

10/7/23.

There were a lot of emails to sift through yesterday because of Bandcamp Friday. One of the last ones I received was from San Diego's Volar Records. When I think of this label, I kind of think of 2000's era punk.

moondaddy does not fit this label. Cara Potiker (also based in San Diego) makes pop in the vein of Beach House, Wild Beasts, Wild Nothing or Lawrence Arabia (I listened to "A Little Hate" yesterday and was reminded of the genius of the band). There is a definite 80s synth alternative pop sound here.

[bandcampsnoop]

1/24/23.

Christmas Island (San Diego, California) were active in the early 2000s and had a sound that meandered between The Clean, Tap Tap, and Wounded Lion. The fact that they were relatively diverse in their sound can be seen by the labels that released their music: In The Red, Volar Records (this release), Sacred Bones and Captured Tracks.

I'd listened to Christmas Island over the years and frankly was surprised to find out that I didn't own any. That will be remedied immediately. I mean, listen to "Poisoner". Couple that with the fact that Volar Records (also based in San Diego) is selling this for a mere $5 and, for me at least, this a no-brainer purchase.

[bandcampsnoop]

8/17/19.

Susan are an Los Angeles based trio who make beautiful pop/indie rock.  I’ve posted about their releases at least 4 times in the past.  They’re that good.

I will repeat my earlier comparisons:  Electrelane, Cold Beat, Grass Widow and Look Blue Go Purple.

There is only one song currently available, but if you have time and haven’t already done so, check out the previous Susan output.

This is being released by Volar Records (San Diego).

[bandcampsnoop]

3/25/17.

Released only 2 years ago on cassette (first print sold out), H.F.M. by the obviously prolific Part Time (San Francisco, California) sees a 2 LP vinyl reissue on Plastic Response Records (their first vinyl!). 

Part Time sound like a band from 30-35 years ago in Great Britain.  They sound heavily influenced by the sounds of Cleaners From Venus, and Prefab Sprout (albeit much more lo-fi).

They have released split singles with Gap Dream and Drinking Flowers.  They’ve also had releases on Mexican Summer, Volar Records, Lolipop Records, and Burger Records.

Be sure to check out the side project (also on Plastic Response):  David Loca and the Berkshire Hobbits (similar to the Duke of Stratosphear offshoot from XTC).

[donalddraperdatacomplex]