Last Gang Records to Celebrate 20th Anniversary with Series of Releases, Re-pressings, New Merch Line and more.
Throughout the months ahead, acclaimed independent record label Last Gang Records will celebrate its 20th anniversary, with a series of releases, re-pressings, limited edition merch items, and more. Today, they share the first in a series of covers by current Last Gang artists of original catalog releases, with labelmates Maia Friedman and Anand Wilder reimagining Metric's “Love Is A Place,”.
Discussing the decision to cover “Love Is A Place,” Friedman offered, “‘Love Is A Place’ is the closing track from Metric's first album. In my eyes, it's a song to transition from the darkness of winter to the unfolding warmth of spring. I knew I wanted to ask label-mate Anand Wilder to collaborate, and I'm so glad he agreed. We worked together in his studio in NYC and it was a delight recording and singing together. The original Metric arrangement is fairly stark and minimal, so we wanted to maintain that vibe, but instead of electric guitar Anand played some Angelo Badalamenti inspired keyboards, and Os Mutantes overdriven Fuzz Wurlitzer.”
On marking the anniversary, Metric stated, “Congratulations to Last Gang Records on 20 years of service as a label home for artists of all styles. Feels good to be part of the ongoing story. Love ya longtime,” xo METRIC
In conjunction with the announcement, Last Gang has launched a series of special, limited edition 20th anniversary merch items, available in the shop. Additionally, new 20th anniversary vinyl re-pressings of Metric’s Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, Mother Mother’s The Sticks, and Death From Above's You're A Woman, I'm A Machine are available now, along with more to be announced in the coming months.
Last Gang Records was initially founded in 2003 by music industry lawyer Chris Taylor and concert promoter Donald K. Tarlton, as a home to music they loved and believed in. The label was a passion project, while the two focused on their day jobs. Last Gang’s first two signings, Metric and Death From Above 1979, released albums in 2004, both quickly catching fire and turning what was intended to be a hobby into something far more.
Last Gang Records co-founder Chris Taylor noted, “Last Gang started as an art project to put resources behind artists I believed in. The commercial success and longevity of artists like Metric, Mother Mother, Death From Above 1979, Chromeo and others was an unanticipated by-product when Donald and I started the label in 2003. As we move into our next 20 years, I’m excited about the team, which includes Chris Moncada, Dan Hawie, and Todd Roberts, that are finding and nurturing the next generation of Last Gang. Us Against the World!”
Over the past two decades, Last Gang has served as a home to an incredibly diverse array of artists, with the motto of individuality, originality, and an us against the world mentality. Releases from Chromeo, Boys Noize, MSTRKRFT, K-os, Ryan Hemsworth, Tricky Woo, The New Pornographers and A.C. Newman, Stars, Sango, Crystal Castles, and so many more, earning the label multiple gold and platinum certified records, along with multiple Polaris Prizes, and 20 JUNO Awards, and the independent music sector globally.
“Having joined in 2015 and guiding the label through massive changes since then, it is accurate to say that Last Gang is firmly built into my DNA at this point in my career,” notes SVP MNRK/GM of Last Gang, Chris Moncada. “I am both honored and humbled to have played a part in the label hitting this sensational milestone.”
Stay tuned for more!
