TITLE HOLDER’S WHAT BETTER TIME DROPS JUNE 2ND

It’s been a hot minute…

We’re excited to finally get moving forward on the new Title Holder LP What Better Time that drops digitlally this Friday, June 2nd on your favorite music services. You can check out the first two new singles from What Better Time over on our Bandamp page along with some killer videos the band has done for not only these two tracks but the tracks from their Story of My Life EP that make up the A-Side of this killer release.

We’re also launching a vinyl pre-order for What Better Time along with Friday’s digital release so be sure to snag a limited copy of the Cotton Candy Pink, Lime Green Swirl, or classic Black vinyl.

What Better Time, Title Holder’s first vinyl release, includes for the first time a physical release of The Story of My Life EP along with seven new tracks recorded with Nik Bruzzese at The Gradwell House and mastered at Sun Room Audio by Dan Coutant. Chris DeMakes and Buddy Schaub from Less Than Jake also contributed in production and collaboration to help bring Title Holder’s first recordings and release to life.

Mark your calendars for this week’s digital drop and vinyl pre-order!

FAINTEST IDEA PRE-ORDER NOW AVAILABLE

Fresh off the heals of an appearance at Random Hand’s 20th Anniversary bash, Hand Fest, Jump Start and TNS Records are excited to launch the pre-order for Faintest Idea’s upcoming March 31st release The Road to Sedition. To celebrate we’ve got four killer vinyl variants to choose from. Exclusive to the States we have 100 copies each available in Orange Ghostly and Transparent Orange Crush. Both Jump Start and TNS have copies available on Randomly Mixed Color vinyl as well.


UK and European fans can grab the exclusive Half Orange/Half Green split color vinyl from our good friends from TNS Records. Head on over to TNS Records and pick up a copy!

Don’t miss Faintest Idea on their first US Tour with The Slackers this April including dates with The Pietasters and Fishbone as well!

Mon, Apr 17th – Atlanta, GA at The Masquerade
Tue, Apr 18th – Charleston, SC at Tin Roof Alley
Wed, Apr 19th – Charlotte, NC at Neighborhood Theatre
Thu, Apr 20th – Blacksburg, VA at The Lyric w/The Pietasters
Fri, Apr 21st – Baltimore, MD at Soundstage w/Fishbone
Sat, Apr 22nd – Bensalem, PA at Broken Goblet Brewing/This Is Not Croydon Fest 4
Sun, Apr 23rd – Pittsburgh, PA at The Crafthouse

TITLE HOLDER RELEASE FIRST SINGLE FROM WHAT BETTER TIME

If necessity is the mother of invention, then it’s no surprise that Title Holder’s creation was born at the height of the Covid pandemic. Formed in 2020 by then Queens-based singer/songwriter Matt Sullivan, Sullivan’s take on ska and pop-punk is an honest and earnest take on two genres that have seen their fair share of silly fads and trends. The result is Title Holder’s undeniable energy and pop sensibility that quickly gained the attention of Chris DeMakes of Less Than Jake who produced and helped arrange several of the tracks from Sullivan’s first recorded effort, the six song EP The Story of My Life.

The band’s diligent work ethic and creative music videos helped the band build a supportive following coming out of the pandemic. Ready and eager to bring their energetic live show on the road the band followed the release of The Story of My Life by sharing the stage and supporting the likes of The Pietasters, Mustard Plug, Catbite, Spring Heeled Jack, J. Navarro & The Traitors and more. Milwaukee based Interstate Music also chose Title Holder as their 2022 pick as ‘Best New Band’ giving the band even more momentum going into 2023.

With that momentum the band is excited to announce the release “Going Insane”, the first track from What Better Time, their first vinyl release which includes for the first time a physical release of The Story of My Life EP along with seven new tracks recorded with Nik Bruzzese at The Gradwell House and mastered at Sun Room Audio by Dan Coutant. Slated for a June 2nd release, What Better Time shows Sullivan’s keen pop sensibilities and lyrical wit on full display.

FIRST NO ON 15 MATERIAL RELEASED IN 20 YEARS

It’s been a long time since this band has been talked about around these parts, but “New Year, who dis?”

Full disclosure, this is a bit of ‘self-promotion’ since we’re going to talk about a band I played in a long, long time ago…

Two decades ago in a college town in the middle of Pennsylvania a group of six idiots sprang forth with a goal of drinking a metric shit ton of beer and playing some sort of mix of horn driven pop-punk that was too ska for the punk kids and too punk for the ska kids. Or something like that.

That group was No On 15 and from town to they spread their infectious blend of party anthem pop-punk punctuated by a three piece horn section and a lot of beer. And I mean a lot of beer. See what I’m getting at there

Over 20 moons ago the band set out to work with Steve Foote (of Big D & the Kids Table fame) at Fork In Hand Studios to record their opus. To mix the record the band headed to Fort Collins, Colorado to work with the legendary Bill Stevenson of The Descendents/The Blasting Room fame. It was honestly some of the craziest shit I’ve ever done and seen. We got to record with one of our favorite and most respected dudes in Steve and mix with arguably the best punk drummer ever. Oh yeah, and we got to see Bill Stevenson fart/shartle on a glass door in the studio. I shit you not, but I digress.

Like just about every good punk story it wasn’t to be. Before a planned tour with The Code and the release of Meet the Lads the band fell apart like all ‘legendary’ bands should leaving the rest to stories and myths.

Eventually Meet the Lads was released digitally and maybe someday it’ll get a proper vinyl/physical release. It’s been in the works for a bit… just needs a few loose ends to make that happen, but in the meantime why not have a lil’ fun? Would or does anyone even really care? Probably not, but why the ‘F’ not, right?

Three of the songs that were never included with Meet the Lads but part of the Fork In Hand/Blasting Room recording and mixing sessions were sort of forgotten. When cleaning through the Jump Start basement I came across some old discs with all the original mixing files from those sessions, and low and behold there were two songs outright that had never been released with a third song that had only been released on a label compilation way back in the day, albeit a different version. So, two of these songs, “Party at Fuz’s” and “Valerie” are seeing the light of day for the first time ever with this being the first time The Blasting Room mix/version of “Bottle of Rossier” has ever been released.

Having never done a picture 7″ release, now seemed like the perfect time so we recruited long time friend of the band, Brian Dumm of The Keystone All-Stars fame, to handle the artwork for this killer release. Having played a basement show or two with us, Brian knew exactly how to capture a No On 15 house show and his artwork brings back a few infamous parties and memories for sure.

This release is limited to 100 copies. Outside of some act of God this is never being pressed again, so if sophomoric, immature, party pop-punk and ska are your thing pickup a copy and trip the light nostalgic with me. Head on over to our webstore to grab a copy.

Because the lyrics aren’t immature enough, here’s a sweet lyric video that is definitely NSFW.

Enjoy!

FAINTEST IDEA TO RELEASE THE ROAD TO SEDITION SPRING 2023

Man, it’s been a busy, busy month. I have no clue where September went. Between a busy work travel month back and forth between Tennessee and my upcoming work related travel for the paying gig back to Germany this week, September was flat out INSANE and the next three weeks show no signs of slowing down either. I can tell you this though… Hard Mountain Dew is a thing, and while it may have ‘Zero Sugar’, it’s not worth the price of admission if you ask me. But, I digress…

During my travels through the hills of Eastern Tennessee our good buddies over the UK, Faintest Idea, dropped the first single, “Nose Dive” from the forthcoming LP, The Road to Sedition, due out Spring of 2023 on Jump Start here in North America and TNS Records in the UK/Europe.

Those unfamiliar with this hard charging UK outfit would be well served to check out their Bandcamp page for a heavy dose of Oi! and 2-Tone influenced ska-punk with a heavy Chomsky-vibe. It’s been a while since a ska-punk band with not so subtle social commentary has gained my attention, but these guys certainly did.

“Nose Dive” is available on all your favorite streaming platforms right now and to have a bit of fun with it all the band has also dropped a lyric video for the track which you can check out right below.

Be on the lookout for more from Faintest Idea in the coming months before the new LP drops including their first ever trek across the Atlantic for some dates in early 2023.

NO ECHO TIME ‘IN YOUR HEAD’ PREMIERE

Time are excited to present “In Your Head,” the latest single to be lifted from the Friday, July 22 release of the band’s debut album, Hydrangea (pre-order some super sick limited vinyl RIGHT HERE). The fine folks over at No Echo are premiering “In Your Head” and you can also stream the track on your favorite digital platform.

Time’s ‘90s-inspired grunge-pop presents the question, “How much damage do you have to inflict on yourself before you’re reminded you’re still alive?” and bring you “In Your Head”, a self-deprecating song about our tendency to rely on vices or dependencies as excuses to avoid acceptance or accountability. “My writing has always been extremely self-critical,” said guitarist Jon Hunt of Time. “‘In Your Head’ ended up being the output of what happens when frustration and exasperation turn into self-reflection, and the grappling with the unintended self-destruction that brings about. Life is messy, and that is OK.” Stream “In Your Head” on YouTube HERE and via No Echo HERE.

While its core members are veterans of Philly’s hardcore scene via bands such as Kill Verona, No Roses and Shark Attack, Time’s own inspiration and sound is derived from the dark and heavy shoegaze/noise-pop of touchstones such as My Bloody Valentine, Sugar, Swervedriver and Catherine Wheel but with its own blushing melody and shine.

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How we got here.

Jump Start Records was born in a college dorm room first as a paper mailorder catalog and zine that quickly evolved into a vinyl 7″ release with Montreal’s The Planet Smashers. Twenty-five years and over 100 releases later, we’re still here, for better or for worse, fighting the good fight.

Where we’re going.

While the focus and drive of the label has shifted greatly over the years, one thing has stayed true and that’s a personal connection with the music and a desire to work with our friends releasing music that we love. Being an independent record label is no walk in the park. Times are tough, and being an independent record label in the year 2021 is no different; getting people to pay attention to a small record label run out of a suburban Philadelphia basement is no easy task, but we hope you enjoy what you find as much as we enjoy introducing the world to bands and music we think they ought to know.

We (I) should have stopped doing this a long time ago.

We don’t give a fuck what bands you’ve played with, who you recorded with, or how many followers you have on social media. If we like it, we like it, and there’s not much else to say. It doesn’t matter what you sound like. We didn’t start a label listening to only one style of music, and we hope the releases we’ve done throughout the years is a reflection of that.

Drop us a line.

Jump Start Records
PO Box 1469
Southampton, PA 18966

 

Questions? Awesome mac and cheese recipes? Feel free to get in touch!

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