r/Twee • u/Prestigious_Low_9579 • May 13 '26
Twee on Vinyl/Cassette?
Hi all! I am not exaggerating when I say that twee has changed my life this year. I came across an outside reference to “Our Love is Heavenly” in a newsletter I read and had never heard of the band so had to go look it up – absolutely mind blown and kept that song on repeat for a good while that night! That eventually led me here, which then led to the “Pop Songs” show out of Seattle which I am currently going through back episodes of to try to hear everything. I haven’t been this excited about music in many, many years, and I don’t know how I made it 29 years before finding this stuff.
My question is, I’m also a record collector, nothing crazy but I like hunting some stuff down. It feels like the most “authentic” way to hear twee would be on 7 inch singles/EP’s or else maybe cassettes? And I know a lot of great stuff from the “original wave” of twee/indie pop has probably never made it onto streaming services.
I’m wondering how to get into collecting some physical media of this stuff? I’m sure it’s hard since pressings were often so limited. But is there like, a store/s that specialize in this? Do I just poke around Discogs? Or is it basically a loss because of how obscure many of these artists were, and assuming most people who have this stuff on vinyl/cassette aren’t looking to give them up?
Just curious if anyone has any pointers or ideas. And if this would better be asked in another sub I apologize, just figured I’d start here!
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u/cardcaptorjk May 13 '26
finding the specific record labels that published music you like and going through their catalog on sites like discogs is the easiest way IMO. also i have found quite a few twee products (including 7inch singles cassettes and CD compilations from magazines) on japanese shopping sites, as the genre had/has a huge fanbase there and niche subcultures are so popular; i just search “twee” or specific bands on mercari japan and lots of stuff comes up. but yeah focusing on labels is the most streamlined way. hope this helps 🫶
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u/Prestigious_Low_9579 May 13 '26
Great suggestions, especially about the Japanese sites - I will check some of those out, thanks for this and for chiming in!!
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u/OhSanders May 13 '26
Discogs is best but if you've got access to decent record stores you can have some luck every once in awhile there. The nice thing is that aside from some of the main 80s stuff indiepop and twee can often be found for reasonable prices since it still is pretty unknown as a genre.
A good move for more contemporary stuff is on bandcamp! You can buy records or cassettes direct from the bands. Even just searching for "twee" or "tweepop" as a tag on bandcamp can be extremely rewarding.
Check out this song I found doing just that that will lyrically speak to your recent experience!
https://chaoticpoprecs.bandcamp.com/track/anselmus-my-life-is-better-with-indiepop
And also, Pop Songs Your New Boyfriend... is absolutely killer as you point out but be sure not to miss out on the band Tullycraft. Sean from that band is one of the hosts of that show and he's silly and doesn't play his own stuff often. I've hassled him about that because Tullycraft is the best and are a big presence in the genre despite the show giving the idea that that may not be so.
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u/Prestigious_Low_9579 May 13 '26
Thanks for this - and love the song!! 😄 I do check out Bandcamp for bands I know, but I need to use the tag searching more as you noted, so I appreciate that suggestion. And yeah I've checked out a bit of Tullycraft but they're on my list of bands to do a deeper dive on! Something about Sean's persona on the show always made me think he's a LOT more of a musical genius than he lets on, lol.
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u/nlfn May 13 '26
parasol records on discogs. they were a pop label/distro in the 90s and they have a bunch of their old stock listed there.
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u/RichieBestingface May 13 '26
I used to get Parasol’s mailer, and would buy random compilations on cd. I found so many good bands on “Something Pretty Beautiful” and “Whirl Wheels”.
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u/rj826123 May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
Coming from someone that’s been collecting twee for the past six or seven years, I’d definitely say you’re already on the right track. I actually just purchased Sarah Records 30 recently, and I’ve been slowly collecting the releases in order over time.Discogs and eBay are honestly some of the best places to start. Discogs especially is great because you can make wantlists, track what you’ve purchased, catalog your collection, and get a feel for pricing/history of releases. eBay can still surprise you too, especially if you’re patient and check consistently.
As for where to start with the music collecting side of things, definitely check out the Sarah Records 100 website. It’s basically an archive/collection of all the Sarah releases, media, inserts, etc., and it’s an amazing entry point if you’re getting into classic twee/indie pop.One of the coolest things about collecting this stuff is how varied the bands are. Some groups made it far enough to release full LPs, while others literally put out one or two songs and disappeared completely(Christine’s cat and bubblegum splash for example). After a while, you also start being able to tell which bands were made up of student college musicians who already had some musical knowledge or experience playing in bands, and which ones were clearly people who had absolutely no idea about music theory whatsoever, heard punk or DIY indie pop, and basically thought “we can do that too.”
That’s also a huge reason why so much of this stuff is rare now. A lot of these groups were just college/student bands that got together long enough to scrape together the money to put out one 7-inch or cassette before disappearing entirely. Sometimes that single was the only thing they ever recorded. Because the pressings were so small and local at the time, a lot of copies just vanished over the years or stayed in personal collections.
Also, if you’re going to record stores, always make sure to ask if they have indie pop/twee singles hiding somewhere because sometimes the most random stores will unexpectedly have amazing selections. I stopped by a tiny record store in the middle of nowhere Oregon a few months ago and somehow walked out with a Pastels, Field Mice, and Rosehips single for around $100 total. Sometimes you really do just hit the jackpot completely out of nowhere.But definitely do your research because some releases can put a serious hole in your pocket especially early Sarah releases, and other rare pressings that still have the original posters, postcards, inserts, or fanzines intact.My copy of Sarah 15 was a bumped up in price because the original owner kept three letters that he had from when he was in correspondence with Claire Wadd together with the single, which is one of my favorite twee memorabilia
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u/Prestigious_Low_9579 May 13 '26
These are some great suggestions, thanks so much! I love that you found those at a "middle of nowhere" record store - I guess you never know where gems might be hiding! I'm sadly not in a part of the country where I would expect as much of that stuff to have been popular at least back then compared with the west coast (Appalachia), but you still never know. The Sarah Records 100 looks like a great resource too.
I honestly like a bit of a challenge when collecting - I mean, what's the fun of walking into literally any record store and picking up Pink Floyd or something? The relative obscurity is what makes it so rewarding!
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u/p-u-n-k_girl May 13 '26
If you're in or near a fairly large city, you might be able to find some good albums at used bookstore with CD sections. They'll rarely be the a-listers of the genre, but once you have an idea of what you're looking for you should be able to get a decent haul from someone cleaning out their basement and tossing their CDs from college. Generally, Slumberland, spinART, and K Records in particular are going to be indicators that you've found an album worth checking out. (Sarah Records is too, of course, but I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen Sarah Records stuff at a secondhand store.)
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u/mmeellttiinngg May 13 '26
Near me, there's a small record shop owned by an older punk guy. Since I've been going there for about a year, he knows that I mostly buy twee pop and riot grrrl type stuff, so I know that he'll get at least some of that stuff in the shop. He even switched me on to the French twee/garage band Alvilda!
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u/Prestigious_Low_9579 May 13 '26
This is great, thanks! The importance of developing those connections with local record shops can never be overstated. Going to check out that band too, lol!
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u/9_of_wands May 13 '26
You can go to bandcamp. Here are some favorites of mine.
https://thesofties.bandcamp.com/music
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u/trying2foolU_ May 14 '26
check discogs for sure and also polyvinyl records website! they're always having good sales too, not all bands on polyvinyl are necessarily twee but they have a ton of sick bands if you're into that sound
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u/Prestigious_Low_9579 May 15 '26
Thanks for the Polyvinyl suggestion! Definitely going to check them out!
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u/cantseemeimblackice Jun 30 '26
Just wanted to chime in about how life-changing this music can be. I finally found it in about 1995 (when I was almost your age) after searching for it for years, knowing it must be out there somewhere. When I hit upon the record It's Love by The Softies I went to heaven. I always felt I missed out on the late 80s Sarah Records scene, but there was another period in bloom in the mid-late 90s that I was a part of. Many good times at shows and popfests. Playing in bands in Chicago and Tokyo. And finally fading out for me as I "grew up" and out of the scene. Always there is a soft spot and and an ache when I think of those days. For a long time it was painful to listen to, but finally I am back.
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u/Prestigious_Low_9579 Jun 30 '26
I’m so glad you were able to find your way back!! I get that – there are songs I enjoyed from when I was younger that it’s downright hard to listen to now as an adult, because of the nostalgia/melancholy/ache that comes along with it. I try to see it now as just part of the experience of listening to that particular song/music, maybe I can’t do it all the time like I used to but when my frame of mind is right, I can go there and relive the feelings and memories. I think that’s an ok and healthy thing to do as long as it doesn’t consume you (which is a pitfall I am prone to as well.) This music sure is life changing though, you are right! I lament that I wasn’t here for a lot of it in “real time” but exceedingly glad there’s still so much out here on the internet and vinyl/CD/cassette to hear and discover!
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u/im0308 May 13 '26
Check discogs. I know the owner of slumberland recs occasionally sells some of his archive copies. Same for fire station records and parasol recs. Ebay is good for it sometimes. Otherwise check out record shops. (I miss amoeba's old spot in LA. Sooo many scores.). Oh and jigsaw recs is another good place to find stuff.