Building a World of Sound: PFR Records on Shoegaze, Psych, and Vinyl
‘Paradigms II’ manifests as a kaleidoscopic cartography of contemporary shoegaze, refracting the genre’s obsidian-hued tendrils through a global lattice of aural transmutation.
PFR Records, an artist-run nexus, operates less like a label than a curatorial synapse, aggregating ephemeral energies from Tokyo rooftops to Stockholm lofts, Brooklyn basements to Honolulu’s hinterlands. Here, distortion is both artifact and ethos, an elegiac oscillation between nostalgia and futurity, while vinyl—physical, tactile, and indelible—linchpins transient aural fugues in corporeal form. The compilation is a polyphonic palimpsest, each track an autonomous vector of affect yet embedded in an overarching gestalt of temporal and spatial resonance. Across forty contributors, the project negotiates the tension between individualistic intensity and collective coherence, yielding a heterogeneous yet cohesive auditory topography. ‘Paradigms II’ is less a mere album than a cartographic meditation on contemporary subterranean currents. It’s an elegy, a manifesto, and a sonic chronicle of the shoegaze diaspora.
“Having a record on vinyl means it lives forever.”
First off, the sheer geographical spread on ‘Paradigms II’ is wild – Tokyo, Stockholm, Honolulu, Portland, Boston, NYC… How did you even begin to track down all these incredible underground artists from literally across the globe? Was it a deep dive into Bandcamp rabbit holes, or more word-of-mouth?
TJ Perrin: The NYC bands on the comp are some of my best friends in the city, people I’ve shared stages with since 2022 – NoFun, Skye Matlock, and my band Duel Ferns. We’re an artist-run label, so in addition to managing the releases and getting them into record stores, I also play drums in Duel Ferns. A big part of why this all came together was wanting to capture the energy of the scene we’ve been part of here.
In 2023, I was in Japan dropping off our ‘Live 2022‘ cassette at record stores in Tokyo and Osaka. That trip ended up being a major spark for ‘Paradigms II.’ I’d never seen a show in Japan before, so I messaged Daoud from Kikagaku Moyo, and luckily he told me he was playing at two venues that week – a solo guitar set at Tsubame Gallery, and an improv jam with Mitsuru Tabata from Acid Mothers Temple at UFO Club. I went to both, and they were just unreal.
I saw ReRun Lance for the first time at UFO during that trip. They’re a badass, all-female, bass-and-distortion-filled power trio. Despite being 7,000 miles away from NYC, I had this overwhelming feeling during their set of being right back home in Brooklyn. We got to talking after the show, and I told them I’d love to do a release with them. The next year, I went back to Japan again, where I saw Yuètù play and had the same feeling as before – these bands could easily hold their own on any lineup in the NYC underground circuit. We connected over MBV and the shoegaze revival, seemingly taking place in every corner of the world.
Some artists did come from internet dives, though. When I first heard Dyr Faser, I actually wasn’t sure what time period their music was from. The vocalist really reminds me of Nico, and they have a great vintage tone. I was stoked to find out they’re active and playing shows not far from NYC, in Boston and Rhode Island.
Snakey Dublay was probably the deepest rabbit hole find. I stumbled on a Reddit post he shared titled “what genre is this?” with an insanely rad music video he made. It blew up r/indie_rock and practically knocked my headphones off. Turns out he lives in Portland. When I asked if he had any unreleased stuff, he sent me 10 tracks to pick from. Those really shaped the early direction of the album. All so good!
By the time I found GC Candy, I’d been talking up the project to friends as a “shoegazy / darker psych compilation.” I was co-curating an Ardneks exhibition at a gallery in Brooklyn, and a friend there introduced me to Kyle, who had just moved to New York from Honolulu. Not long after, he said, “Hey, Kyle’s in a shoegaze band.” Turns out their sound was exactly what I was looking for and a perfect addition to the album. We’re good homies now.
Before moving to NYC, I was living in Stockholm. That’s where the Kungens Män connection comes from. I have a deep love for Swedish psych rock, and their 2015 album ‘Förnekaren’ really inspired me when I was starting Duel Ferns. Reaching out to them felt a bit like a shot in the dark, but they were down on one condition: it had to be on vinyl!
‘Paradigms II’ feels like a perfect snapshot of where shoegaze is right now, splintering into all these heavier, darker tones. What was the driving force behind focusing on that specific evolution for this compilation, rather than, say, a broader post-punk or psych rock theme?
PFR releases have always been rooted in the music we’re listening to and creating ourselves. Before I get to ‘Paradigms II,’ it might help to mention our first compilation, ‘Paradigms I.’ That one is entirely electronic because when I moved to New York in 2019, my friends and I were making minimal house and techno. The electronic scene was super vibrant at the time – we were throwing DIY apartment rooftop parties with artists who’ve since gone on to headline festivals. We just wanted to release music that felt connected to what we were part of.
In 2020, when the George Floyd protests were happening across the city, the artist community came together in a really powerful way. We reached out to friends with an idea to put together a benefit compilation, and it grew into a massive 36-track album with artists who rallied in donating proceeds to the ACLU and Nationwide Bail Fund: organizations working to protect civil rights, combat police brutality, and support those affected by unjust incarceration in the US. Since Juneteenth 2020, that compilation raised over $6,500, all matched and donated.
Many of the artists from the first comp started moving toward psych rock and post-punk around 2022, and I think the label’s sound expanded naturally alongside that. The NYC scene was changing, and so were we. I’m honored to hear you feel like ‘Paradigms II’ captures this moment in shoegaze – that was definitely part of the vision. Between local lineups at home and the bands I encountered while traveling, it felt like there was a shared sound emerging, even across continents. Each band on the comp is actively creating, so I think that helps it reflect where things are right now.
Funny enough, I originally thought this would be a psych rock compilation, but it ended up a lot darker and more distorted.
Speaking of those influences, I’m hearing everything from Cocteau Twins to so many others. When you’re curating a project like this, how do you balance showcasing the diversity within the “distortion-infused” world while still making it feel like a cohesive, singular listening experience?
It was very important to me from the beginning to make sure all the tracks flow together as one listening experience. I’m fortunate that the track selection process with each artist was very collaborative. Some gave me a ton of unreleased tracks to pick from, some shared unfinished demos and asked what to continue working on, and I got pretty into the weeds on a few with feedback on the mix and final iterations. Not every track was unreleased, though – I’m really grateful for the bands who let me curate my top choice based on their recent releases. There were some really hard calls where I turned great tracks down, and I definitely didn’t want to offend any of the bands, but I’m super happy with how everything turned out. A few people have mentioned it sounds like it could all be the same artist, which is kind of unheard of for a compilation if you think about it. The mastering engineer, Nick Townsend, deserves a big shout-out on that one. He helped shape that cohesive listening experience from nine songs mixed by different engineers from all over the world.
The Bandcamp Daily review mentioned ‘Paradigms II’ is “smartly sequenced to let every track shine.” How much thought goes into the track order, especially with such a varied roster? Is it a painstaking process, or does it just kind of… click into place?
There were about six different variations before the final form. I had to phone a friend more than a few times during that part, too. I’m lucky to have a crew and partner who were willing to listen to unmixed and unmastered raw takes dozens of times. There were points where I practically lost my mind over the track order. It sometimes felt like something no one but me would notice, but Bandcamp saying that was validating. It wasn’t easy to nail, but thankfully I’ve heard a lot of positive things about the flow of the album, which makes it worth it in the end.
Let’s talk about the physical release – that limited run of 300 vinyl. In an increasingly digital world, what’s the importance for PFR Records in putting out a physical product, especially one with such cool artwork and analog risograph design?
Vinyl is king! I always aspire for our releases to make it to wax.
We actually released our first vinyl in March 2020, literally the same week the US shut down due to COVID. I had it in record stores all over the country, but many of them closed their doors before anyone even had a chance to see them. Those boxes haunted me for a while, so I wanted Paradigms II to be a big comeback for us. That’s why I asked Julia Schimautz, a risograph artist in Berlin who I really admire, to do the album artwork. I’m beyond stoked on how the pressing turned out. She was a dream to work with, and we collaborated closely on creating the final LP design, which also went through a few iterations.
Having a record on vinyl means it lives forever. Someone told me recently that releases on Spotify have a six-month shelf life before the algorithm stops giving them the time of day. None of that BS with a record on your shelf.
Beyond ‘Paradigms II,’ I’ve been digging into the PFR Records Bandcamp page, and there’s a lot of other cool stuff there. Can you tell me a bit about some of your other releases? Are there any hidden gems or personal favorites that you think deserve more ears? What’s the story behind some of those earlier singles or EPs?
Thank you! I dropped a few mentions already, but one that holds a special place in our catalog is ‘Trash’ by Rudovsky. He’s one of the first artists we ever worked with. I found him on a Facebook group in 2018 via a shared love of Four Tet. He’s an insanely talented producer based in Poland. He lost that album on a hard drive that crashed. It was gone forever, but a random miracle allowed him to recover it, and for us to release it.
“The goal with our compilations is actually to stake in the ground the different genres we’d like to focus on.”
And looking at the full PFR Records catalog, what’s the general philosophy or vibe you’re going for with the label as a whole? Is it always about pushing those heavy, hazy, heartfelt sounds, or do you see PFR Records venturing into other sonic territories down the line?
The goal with our compilations is actually to stake in the ground the different genres we’d like to focus on. Our catalog currently has a range of minimal techno, house, electronica, psych, shoegaze, and ambient. I’ve been building a really exciting release schedule for 2025–26 with ambient, psych, and electronic projects. Genres that might seem detached from each other, but I think our stuff always has an experimental touch, and if you like one release, you’ll probably like them all.
Tell us about the just-recent release party in NYC! Also, any chance of some of these international bands making an appearance, or is it more of a local celebration of the compilation?
It was amazing!! We were hosted by a record store in Brooklyn for six hours. We built out a DIY stage in the back and had five bands from Paradigms II play 30-minute sets. My friends Sidestreets (who produced our previous vinyl) and GIFT (who produced Duel Ferns) DJ’d beforehand. It was sweaty, packed, and the perfect way to celebrate the album. The owner is awesome and was incredibly supportive of the project from the early stages. My friend from the music community in Indonesia described it as feeling like a real scene, whereas most shows she goes to in NYC feel like they are filled with people who don’t know each other.
We couldn’t get the bands from Japan or Sweden to join, but ReRun Lance is organizing a Tokyo release party on September 7th, 2025, at Nishi-Ogikubo FLAT 3-17-2 Nishi-Ogi Minami, Suginami-ku, Tokyo. I’ll be there with plenty of records!
“Over 40 musicians and contributors helped bring this project to life.” That’s a massive undertaking! What was the most challenging, and perhaps the most rewarding, part of coordinating such a huge collaborative effort?
I’m just honored that everyone trusted me throughout the process. The bands were all so rad to work with. The most challenging part was all the late nights – this has been my passion project for a year and a half, and I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t consumed most of my free time. It was months and months of preparation. On top of that, getting the word out is a whole other beast. I wish making the album was all it took, but promo and pitching is a full-time job – and not one any label owner should have to handle solo.
The most rewarding part, hands down, is when someone tells me they like it. Every positive reaction makes those sleepless nights less memorable. My biggest personal goal for this release was to get picked up by Bandcamp Daily, and when we got listed as an essential release, I nearly exploded. That’s a first for us. And all the love from the bands and fans at the release party gives me motivation to keep going.
What’s next for PFR Records after Paradigms II? Are there already ideas brewing for Paradigms III, or are you looking to switch gears and focus on individual artist releases?
I think we’re entering our ambient era. Stay tuned.
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: Duel Ferns recording
PFR Records Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp
