Rising up—appropriately enough—from the ashes of the critically acclaimed Dead Young Friends, J. Ströfer promises to deliver in a more raw, straightforward manner his ornate approach to 21st century rock, without sacrificing any of the nuance of his previous incarnation.

A talented multi-instrumentalist who’s main instrument is the guitar and is equally at home with ear-splitting shoegaze as he is with the mellow classic rock of Tom Petty, Strofer can trace his wide palate back to growing up in a musical household and falling for Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors in 1994, at the tender age of 4. 
It wouldn’t be until his early teens but once Ströfer began writing songs his talent started garnering accolades in his native Dominican Republic, specifically in La Romana where he was born and raised. From then on, he’s been exploring an ear-pleasing—and sometimes ear-shattering—musical hybrid, which incorporates influences ranging from Sonic Youth to Springsteen.

Basing Dead Young Friends out of New York in late 2012, Strofer led the band thru various releases and incarnations, performing at numerous venues of note while managing to grab the attention of a fickle scene en route to making a name for the band. Halle is the latest manifestation of Ströfer’s sonic exploration, one that is couched in the simple pleasures of a catchy melody aimed to engage. His debut album, 'Ringo is my Favorite Beatle', will be released later this year.

By Henry Mena

Shopify Masters is a business podcast powered by Shopify, featuring real stories of entrepreneurship, actionable marketing tips and tools for ecommerce growth.

Belle Mare is a collaboration between songwriters Amelia Bushell and Thomas Servidone. The duo met at an open mic in Brooklyn during the winter of 2012, and recorded an EP that was released the following year.  
With the addition of Tara Rook (Keyboards), Rob Walbourne (Drums) and Gary Atturio (Bass), Belle Mare performed a live video session at Manhattan’s Electric Lady Studio, at which they caught the attention of Grammy-winner Tom Elmhirst and Ben Baptie.
Elmhirst offered the band his studio at Electric Lady to record with Baptie as producer, and began work on what will be their debut full-length album, with sessions spanning the better part of two years. Now set to arrive late summer 2016.
The first fruits of those sessions came to light last year with the singles, “Cicada”, released in February, which BULLETT called, “the most beautiful song of the month,” and “Dark Of My Evening” in November, a ‘Track of the Week’ by Interview Magazine.  Belle Mare also collaborated with director Nicole Mackinlay Hahn on the video for “Cicada”, which premiered via The New York Times’ T Magazine last April, chronicling a stunning journey of the women of Burkina Faso.
While preserving the foundations of their songwriting and maintaining the stark minimalism of their previous work, Belle Mare’s first album is new territory for the band. Compositionally diverse arrangements, and instrumentation more in line with their live performances, resulted in a far more expansive sound. Although the results are dramatically different, the sincerity and fragility of Bushell’s voice resonates distinctly throughout the album, as do the themes of longing and the passage of time.
Prior to their full length, Belle Mare released the aforementioned EP, The Boat of the Fragile Mind in April of 2013. A collection of eight songs described as “spaciously eerie” by SPIN. The EP was written and recorded by the duo in the modest confines of Servidone’s Brooklyn apartment. It is a strikingly different experience from the Electric Lady recordings, conjuring “a sense of timeless unbeholden to a specific time.” (Eric Danton, Listen Dammit). 


𝙉-𝙁𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 + ʀɪɴꜱᴇ ꜰᴍ ʀᴇꜱɪᴅᴇɴᴛ
𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 - nfacelabel@gmail.com
𝕙𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕞𝕒𝕚𝕝: sputnikonetracks@gmail.com

Lolipop Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California, known for its vibrant roster of garage rock, lo-fi pop, psychedelic, electronic and DIY punk artists. Since its founding in 2013 by musician and producer Wyatt Blair, Lolipop has cultivated a unique analog aesthetic and grassroots ethos, helping launch the careers of underground favorites like The Buttertones, Drab Majesty, Part Time, Beach Bums, Tele Novella, Mystic Braves, Corners, Froth, Winter & more.

With its roots starting in an iconic Echo Park storefront studio and tape duplication hub, Lolipop became a creative nucleus for the West Coasts emerging indie scene, pressing cassette tapes and vinyl for a new generation of analog-obsessed listeners. The label is celebrated not just for its prolific output, but for fostering a close-knit community of artists who share a passion for raw sound, vivid visuals, and DIY spirit.

From local shows to a global cult following, Lolipop Records remains a beacon of underground culture.

Writing and conversations about music and film, from the people who make them.

Talkhouse is a media company and outlet for musicians, actors, filmmakers, and others in their respective fields. Artists write essays and criticism from firsthand perspectives, speak one-on-one with their peers via the Talkhouse Podcast and Talkhouse Live events, and offer readers and listeners unique insight into creative work of all genres and generations. In short— Talkhouse is writing and conversations about music and film, from the people who make them.

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