Today, on Juneteenth, the day of emancipation, we bring to you The Blackwashing, an eclectic assortment of 24 tracks from some of the best and brightest black underground artists going today. Conceptualized and spearheaded by mynameisblueskye and his new label ASAS in partnership with staple independent label Z Tapes and ourselves, The Blackwashing was coined as [...]
Today, we're excited to premiere the newest track from Philadelphia bedroom pop artist Port Lucian, "20z". Queer musician (and self-described "hermit) Portia Maidment, Port Lucian follows up earlier 2020 singles "Give It Up" and "Full Control?" with "20z", a track most obviously inspired by turning recently turning 20 and the combination of uncertainty at [...]
Today, we're thrilled to share "Spun, Pt. II", the new track from NYC ambient/drone artist Leaaves, as well as announce his upcoming album on Strategic Tape Reserve, 12 Worlds. It feels like just yesterday that we first covered the music of Nate Wagner in our premiere of "This Is a Frozen House...", and then [...]
Today, we're excited to share "Waterfall", the newest single from UK singer-songwriter Medium Soft, as well as announce his follow up to March's Paradise Slums: AM in the PM. "Waterfall", and by extension AM in the PM, represents a stylist shift from Paradise Slums, largely owed to the acquisition of a '90s Technics keyboard bought with funds made from [...]
Dead Friends Shirley (Wallflower Records) Today, we're excited to premiere the new LP from Edmonton rock band Dead Friends, Shirley. The sound of Dead Friends is not one so far removed from the likes of many popular modern garage rock acts such as Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, and The Growlers, but it's also not [...]
Today, we're thrilled to premiere an exclusive version of the collaborative split EP between synth jazz act Plum Anderson and psychedelic soul band The Varunas: Jetplane 76. A loosely conceptual project based around the idea of being on a jet in the '70s, Jetplane 76 is mentioned as being particularly indebted and in homage to '70s [...]
Today, we're thrilled to share the music video for "Blank Tape on the Radio", the Banders single from COUNTERZINE favorites The Lice. Long Beach "shitgazers" The Lice quickly followed up their April 1st album Hoarder House UFO (check our premiere of single "Serial Killer") with another new track in "Blank Tape on the Radio", a feature song on [...]
On February 22, 2020, my 26th birthday, I was fully prepared to put my label to bed, once and for all. I had one last release to work on, and then Under the Counter Tapes would go gently off into that good night, largely unnoticed if something I was proud to have worked on. That [...]
Editor's note: This album was originally released by MUZAI Records and since been removed from the label's catalog. As such, we've edited links and info accordingly. Medium Soft Paradise Slums (Not on Label) Today, we're thrilled to premiere Paradise Slums, the debut album from English yacht pop/soft music singer-songwriter Medium Soft. By nature and by necessity, Paradise [...]
Quinton Barnes Aarupa (Grimalkin Records) Today, we’re excited to premiere the new album from Canadian experimental R&B songwriter and producer Quinton Barnes, Aarupa. For those who follow the Grimalkin collective, it's likely that your first exposure to Quinton was the "Domestika" single released earlier this, which made a strong impression with us with its soulful, [...]
