Five Years of Art Is Hard

This weekend Art Is Hard Records are celebrating five years of overwhelming success as an independent label.

The label – which currently operates between Bristol and London – has put out some of the best pop records of the last five years. Albeit pop records that have largely swerved mainstream success. That’s not the point though. They’re records cherished by tastemakers, cool kids and bloggers the world over. Perhaps that’s because their chosen artists often eschew production and self-promotion in favour of homegrown honesty and great songwriting.

To celebrate they’re putting on a bit of a shindig this weekend at Bristol venues The Exchange and Stag & Hounds featuring live music all day. We are happy to be the first to announce that their special guests will be Sheffield’s Nai Harvest.

There will also be sets from the likes of Trust Fund, Male Bonding, Bird Skulls, Bloody Knees… We’ll be here all day if we keep listing these bands… The point is Art Is Hard have grown into something truly special over the last five years and the wealth of bands playing really reflects that.

We’ll be at the front on Saturday for the whole gnarly thing. You should be too.

As a toast to the label’s fierce victory over five years (we know that creative endeavours aren’t always easy these days) I’ve put together a list of their five most crucial cuts from the last five years. Picking five was no mean feat but these stood out to us as the finest examples of what the label offers – DIY to the core, uncompromising indie-pop.

Family Portrait by Gum / Playlounge / Joanna Gruesome / Keel Her

Joanna Gruesome / Playlounge / Keel Her / Gum - Family Portrait

June 2012

My own personal introduction to Art Is Hard came after seeing Joanna Gruesome play live for the first time. After being blown away by the band’s off-kilter I returned home and listened to everything and anything I could get my hands on. During this maniacal digging session I stumbled upon Family Portrait – a four way split between Joanna Gruesome, Keel Her, Playlounge and Gum.

It’s a great intro to the label. A real cross-section of sounds from shoe gaze to pop punk and back again. I’ll keep coming back to this one. It’s totally sold out but you can still listen to it online and I suggest that you do. What it lacks in size it more than makes up for in great songs. Go do it now.

Mispresume / Rolling Tongue by Birdskulls

Bird Skulls - Mispresume

December 2012

They said releasing a 2 minute pop punk song about text messaging and relationship paranoia in 2012 was madness.

They mispresumed.

Bird Skulls forever.

Luna / Outrun Me by Fear of Men

Fear Of Men - Luna / Outrun Me

April 2014

In the beginning, before their stunning debut album Loom, Fear Of Men released a series of EPs and singles that pushed them under the noses of the people that mattered. The last single they released before Loom was Luna / Outrun Me came out on flexidisc through Art Is Hard alongside an A5 zine. A pretty tip-of-the-hat to a bygone time of music magazines and freebie vinyl.

Of course, Fear Of Men were one of 2014’s biggest indie success stories and alongside a slew of other labels, Art Is Hard played a big part in launching them into that slipstream. A truly great single.

Big World by Happy Diving

Happy Diving - Big World

November 2014

Happy Diving play sludge-pop. However ridiculous that sounds. They’re like Melvins if Melvins had been listening to Weezer (just the two good albums though yeah?)

Their album was recorded by the guy who made Deafheaven sound insanely heavy and Joyce Manor sound like they’d been recorded in 1993. Big World is a hell of a record that, for me, really marks the moment Art Is Hard got serious.

The label describe this record as “vital sounding” and I simply can’t disagree. It’s heavy pop, totally unique and represents a real step towards a big future for Art Is Hard.

Sleep Talk​/​Dinner Date by Diet Cig

Diet Cig - Sleep Talk

September 2015

An American band on a tiny British label is certainly something worth shouting about. Diet Cig’s Sleep Talk is the latest release on Art Is Hard and it’s totally not disappointing. It’s a really great pop tune that’s backed with addictively confident vocals and perfectly introspective lyrics.

Diet Cig are a welcome addition to Art Is Hard’s roster. It’s their curatorial reliability that actually plays a huge part in making them one of the most relevant and interesting labels out there right now.

We only hope they continue to share interesting and talented artists with us for years to come.

Grab tickets for Art Is Hard’s fifth birthday all-dayer here.

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