Press
Various press examples.
Nylon
Soundscreen design makes indie worship even easier.
Growing up with a unique name, I could never buy those souvenir key chains / license plates / barrettes that were “personalized” for girls like Rebecca and Kelly.
Recently, I realized most indie music fans feel the same way. There are tees and hoodies for MGMT, Vampire Weekend, and We Are Scientists, but get any more fringe than that, and your chances of scoring cute merch outside a basement concert are pretty much zero.
But now comes Soundscreen. The design studio specializes in music, and their newest project proves it: a line of clothes (even skirts!) inspired by Gang Gang Dance, Deerhoof, Pelicans, The National, and more.
The Summer ‘09 range debuts next week, with images by Hand Held Heart (recently nominated for a Best Album Art grammy), Seri Pop (The international collective responsible for MSTRKRFT graphics), and The Bird Machine, which relies entirely on hand-drawn art.
You can buy the clothes at some concerts, or even easier, online.
–FARAN KRENTCIL
Time Out NY
Band T-shirts you’ll actually want to wear: Gang Gang Dance, Battles, Deerhoof and more
Even though a lot of us on the TONY Music team still sport band T-shirts on occasion, we realize that we’re in the minority. Most folks seem to outgrow such garments around age 15. But we’re guessing that the new apparel line from Soundscreen Design will change at least a few people’s minds. The imprint has just unveiled its new summer collection, featuring T-shirts for avant-rock heroes Battles, Deerhoof and many more. Check out some sample styles above and visit the Soundscreen site to shop around and to get info on the company’s June 4 launch party at Glasslands Gallery, which features DJ sets by members of the National and Gang Gang Dance.
XLR8R
No Age, Deerhoof in New Design Collection
Most music heads want to rep their favorite band or artist via their wardrobe, but finding an original getup in this age of mass production is no easy task.
Enter Soundscreen Design’s Summer 2009 collection, for which the music-inspired product design company (owned by Insound) commissioned three studios to create original artwork on t-shirts, hoodies, and totes for the likes of No Age, Gang Gang Dance, Deerhoof, Fucked Up, and a few other prominent indie rock darlings.
As for the designers, Soundscreen chose Jay Ryan’s The Bird Machine project to create the gear for Battles, The National, and Pelican, while Montreal-based music and visual art group Seripop worked on Deerhoof, Fucked Up, and Handsome Furs. Meanwhile, XLR8R Vis-Ed artist Brian Roettinger and his Hand Held Heart collective took on Gang Gang Dance, Liars, and No Age, the latter two for which Roettinger has already designed art and packaging.
All gear is 100% organic (clothing is cotton, totes are bamboo), with custom-sizing available. As expected, these goodies are limited edition, so pre-order before the Urban Outfitters massive gets wind of this line. The collection is available soon.
Urban Daddy
Your New Summer T-shirt
Soundscreen Design, based in (where else?) Brooklyn, created these elegant tees by pairing graphic designers like Scripop and Jay Ryan/The Bird Machine (pretend you’ve heard of ‘em) with indie bands like Deerhoof, The National, and Battles (pretend you’ve heard of them, too). The results: soft, handsome organic-cotton tees custom-tailored for a decidedly un-roadielike fit.
Reax Magazine
Soundscreen Design Drops Music-Inspired Merch
Brooklyn-based design company Soundscreen has partnered with three hip-ass graphics studios to present a new lineup of merchandise for and inspired by nine of the coolest acts in indiedom:
“Soundscreen is currently curating, manufacturing and distributing an exclusive line of t-shirts, hoodies and tote bags featuring original designs from 3 studios for 9 prominent indie-rock artists. Simply put, they’re putting the art back into band merchandise. Driven by the desire for impeccably designed band merchandise produced in an eco-friendly manner on high quality garments, Soundscreen Design approached 3 highly regarded design studios and asked what musical artists they would be inspired to design for. The result is the introductory collection (Summer 2009), original and exclusive art from L.A.’s Brian Roettinger/Hand Held Heart, Montreal’s Seripop, and Chicago’s Jay Ryan/The Bird Machine, reveal thoughtful designs for No Age, Gang Gang Dance, Deerhoof, Handsome Furs, Fucked Up, Liars, Battles, The National, and Pelican.”
Deerhoof, The National and Pelican? That’s like a REAX drool trifecta. And everyone involved is going beyond the usual show-only availabliity:
“Rather than being sold exclusively on tour, or on the band/label website, Soundscreen Design’s collection is being distributed to both traditional music retail (record stores) and non-traditional channels (lifestyle, design and fashion boutiques), as well as directly from Soundscreen Design’s and participating bands’ websites.”
Urb
Artists Design for Soundscreen Design Summer 2009 Collection
Here’s some cool artwork for band gear designed by L.A.’s Brian Roettinger/Hand Held Heart, Montreal’s Seripop, and Chicago’s Jay Ryan/The Bird Machine. They lend a hand to styling Soundscreen Design’s summer collection featuring No Age, Gang Gang Dance, Deerhoof, Handsome Furs, Fucked Up, Liars, Battles, The National, and Pelican.
You can grab the gear (I like the Deerhoof hoodie) at record stores and specialty boutiques, along with Soundscreen Design’s and participating bands’ websites. It’s nice to see more art and thought going into merchandise.
