It’s nice being a small label. We get to feel every page of the calendar fall while we’re working with our artists. So today we’re marking the end of a truly special 2025 by looking back at the the past twelve months for Samia, Sex Week, Jordana & dog eyes.

SAMIA

Hard to believe she crammed all of this into 365 days.

Things kicked off in January with the announcement of Bloodless, Sam’s third full-length. It’s easily her strongest work yet, filled with the trademark songcraft we’ve been blown away by since 2017, but enhanced by a newfound trust in her most daring instincts. “Craziest Person” cuts off right in the middle of the song (yes, your vinyl is fine). “Pants” has an entire second song attached to the end like a comedown coda. “Carousel” sneak attacks the listener with a rocket ship of guitars. The whole record is interconnected by hisses of radio static and interstitials and song fragments. The triumphal “North Poles,” perhaps her best song ever, wasn’t even a single! Come on…

Of course, she toured the hell out of this thing, a leg of sold out record store shows in the UK around release, two legs of her biggest shows ever in the US (we were able to see a few!), and another capper in the UK playing her biggest ever London headline at a sold-out KOKO.

Meanwhile,”Pool,” the first song from her 2020 debut record The Baby, went mega-viral. Millions of videos. Billions of views. SZA shared it on IG! Now “Pool” is a soundtrack for sad stuff on the internet forever and Samia can snarkily refer to herself as “How Long Girl” on our conference calls. As luck would have it, all this happened around the 5th birthday for the album, so a deluxe anniversary edition featuring NPR Tiny Desk performances was born.

Somehow all that wasn’t enough. Sam released the mesmerizing “Cinder Block” in September, a live album recorded at First Avenue in Minneapolis in November, and still found time to collaborate with Blondshell, & Annie Dirusso along the way.

2025 was incredible. 2026 is going to be even better.

JORDANA

Maybe the most prolific artist we’ve ever worked with? Lively Premonition hit at the end of last year. 2025 began with Jordana on the road supporting that record with her biggest headline shows ever – the amount of smiles in the crowd at Bowery Ballroom was life-affirming. Speaking of life affirming, she collaborated with a string quartet and concert pianist for the new video series INTERSECTION early in the year (RVA, represent!). Then she unveiled a gorgeous Audiotree session. All before emerging with an EP that founded her own nation-state on Jordanaland…

Recorded with longtime friends from the NY pop group MICHELLE (RIP), the EP found Jordana leaving behind the hazy Laurel Canyon via Yacht Rock vibes of the last full-length for some pure, unadulterated pop music. Instantly memorable chorus after instantly earwormed hook all over this thing – “Still Do,” “Like That,” “Blouse.”

Meanwhile she collabed with Kelcey Ayer (who’ll also join her on the Jordanaland tour next year), Bob Junior & almost monday. And that last song went Top 10 at Alternative rock radio. What?

Then to end the year, her 2021 single with TV Girl, “Better In The Dark” inspired hundreds of thousands of uploads on Instagram, YouTube Shorts & TikTok and landed itself on the viral charts.

The Jordanaland tour kicks off in March. And something tells us she won’t be out of the studio for long…

SEX WEEK

Bursting onto the New York art rock scene with their self-titled 2024 EP, Sex Week was born fully formed. They did it all – wrote & recorded themselves, handled their own artwork, shot their own videos (alternating between trippy Lynchian/Cronenberg fever dreams and endearing reality TV spoofs). They are a band with a complete vision and confidence way beyond their years.

Upper Mezzanine was this year’s follow-up and it spread the duo’s creative wings even further – from the country-twinged “Moneyman” to the mutant-dance of “Coach” to the eerie pitch-black experimentation of “Lone Wolf.” It did everything the debut did – but more and better.

2025 found the band crisscrossing the states on their first real tour with Chloe Moriondo. Then it found them leaving the states for their first international tour, with shows in the UK and stops at festivals like Green Man & Manchester Psych. Anyone who saw them knew the score.

This is one of the most exciting young bands making music right now. And we’ve heard the demos for what comes next. So you’re going to want to stay tuned.

DOG EYES

The only band we’ve ever signed form a cold email!

dog eyes have a knack for writing fragile & heartfelt folk songs that tap into a nostalgia for a life we never even lived. In 2024 we dropped holy friend, the SF duo’s sophomore full-length (available on cassette alongside their debut album in our Bandcamp).

This year they returned with blue bird rain cloud, a far more concise thought. Where the full-length felt universal in its emotional breadth, on the EP, they zoomed into tiny moments and unpacked the details. Like on “nano” (a song about an iPod) or the half-title track “bluebird,” which washes over you like a warm, still moment in the sun. These are songs for daydreamers. People who appreciate a quiet moment.

We’ll be taking a few quiet moments with blue bird as the year comes to a close.

ELSEWHERE

Outside of our current releases, the Grand Jury extended universe was very busy this year too. Twin Peaks announced a reunion for christ’s sake! Hippo Campus dropped LP4, a beautiful love letter to growing up, recorded with Brad Cook & Caleb Wright (Baby Boys alert!). Elliot Moss celebrated the 10th anniversary of Highspeeds (a record we released with him in 2015) with an expanded edition. Arcy Drive took us all straight to the Pit on their debut (pssst: watch this space for news on a potential first vinyl pressing of Beach Plum some time next year). AI assholes impersonated several of our bands – no, that Seoul song was not real or new, as much as we’d like to say there was or is a new Seoul song. Native Sun dropped their blistering first full-length. TOLEDO put out new EP & played a show with goddamn Grizzly Bear. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Before we go, we’d also love to share our annual 25 for ’25 Year End Playlist, highlighting songs from our own releases, and some of our personal favorites from this year – sure, there’s a Geese song there, but there’s also some hidden gems from folks like Prewn, Fust, Nat Lefkoff & more.

Yeah, it’s nice being a small label. And it’s really nice to watch all of the incredibly talented people we’re lucky to work with do incredible things.

See you in 2026 for even more incredible things…

Samia’s Bloodless is one of the best albums of the year. But you don’t have to take our word for it – Rough Trade just awarded it with a #7 ranking on their annual Albums of the Year list. And alongside it they’ve launched an exclusive limited edition CD version of Bloodless Tour – Live From First Avenue. Samia’s first ever live release was recorded earlier this year in June at the iconic Minneapolis venue. The 20 song collection features songs from her recent record, alongside catalog favorites like Honey, Triptych, and the recent viral breakout Pool. In addition to the CD, it’s available today everywhere you stream music.

Samia says, “It was an honor to play First Avenue, and the crowd was so warm. Some friends there made me a shirt that said MPLS on it with a big mosquito. Everybody danced at the end of the set. Also, there’s a great video on YouTube that I used to watch of Rilo Kiley doing ‘Breakin Up’ at First Avenue in 2007. Jenny Lewis is playing the cowbell and it’s so aspirational. There’s no cowbell in mine, but there WAS a dog named Cowbell in the green room.”

Bloodless Tour – Live From First Avenue Tracklist
1. Triptych – Live From First Avenue
2. Dare – Live From First Avenue
3. Fair Game – Live From First Avenue
4. Sacred – Live From First Avenue
5. Bovine Excision – Live From First Avenue
6. Proof – Live From First Avenue
7. Carousel – Live From First Avenue
8. Hole in a Frame – Live From First Avenue
9. Big Wheel – Live From First Avenue
10. Kill Her Freak Out – Live From First Avenue
11. Spine Oil – Live From First Avenue
12. Craziest Person – Live From First Avenue
13. Lizard – Live From First Avenue
14. North Poles – Live From First Avenue
15. Fit N Full – Live From First Avenue
16. Pants – Live From First Avenue
17. Biscuits – Live From First Avenue
18. Pool – Live From First Avenue
19. Is There Something In The Movies – Live From First Avenue
20. Honey – Live From First Avenue

Ever-evolving, extremely prolific singer-songwriter Jordana Nye is back today to found her own nationstate with a new EP entitled Jordanaland. Waiving the flag proudly on release week is the lithe “Blouse,” a streamy synth pop masterstroke about one-sided romantic intimacy and wondering if there’s potential for more. Watch the Alex LaLiberte-directed music video above.

“It’s a song about wanting someone to realize there’s a romantic connection underneath the superficial reasons,” explains Jordana. “Through a one-sided passionate intimacy, shouting into the ether, questioning if tender moments with each other could mean anything more than just a physical relationship.”

In equally wonderful news, Jordana has also announced the Jordanaland Tour, kicking off in March 2026. Tickets are on sale now. Hit her artist page for ticket links.

Jordana recently announced her new EP Jordanaland, out November 7th. She previously shared “Still Do” and today she reveals a new song entitled “Like That.”  A reminder of the promises we make to others about caring for ourselves, “Like That” is accompanied by a Alex LaLiberte-directed music video that cheekily finds Jordana exploring the wonderful world of content creation. Los Angeles Hype House! Ring Lights! Choreographed dances! Your influencer besties! What more could you want? Unless…

Jordana says “Like That” is “a song about being totally encapsulated in someone, but at the same time, feeling as though they want you only for superficial reasons. It’s about knowing the situation you’re in is bad for you, even promising to others that you wouldn’t ever degrade yourself again, but your feelings are so intense, it’s difficult to navigate.” 

“If I got what I wanted, would I want the thing I got”

2025 has been a good year for Samia. A critically-adored new record this Spring, a viral breakout for one of her most devastating songs, “Pool,” this Summer, and a Fall that’s kicking off with headline dates across the US & UK, the announcement of her first ever stop at Coachella, and incredibly… a brand new song!

Recorded in Minneapolis only a few months after Bloodless sessions wrapped, “Cinder Block” finds Samia directly weaving a long-time love of legendary songwriter Leonard Cohen into her lyricism. Here, she interpolates two classics, “Suzzane” and “Hallelujah,” singing “I’ve touched your perfect body with my mind” and “this is my Hallelujah.” All over a gentle electric guitar strum that anchors a song swelling with tender persistence and patient intensity.

In other news, Samia was announced for next year’s Coachella – just the first of what is sure to be a busy festival season. She’s on the road right this minute – hit the artist page for tickets.

Samia continues to ride an insane wave of online attention from her gut-wrenching NPR Tiny Desk performance of The Baby album-opener “Pool.” There are quite literally hundreds of thousands of TikTok videos using the audio, and fans old and new have been asking for the Tiny Desk songs on streaming ever since the clip went viral in late July.

Today we mark the fifth anniversary of her debut record with the announcement a special digital-only edition featuring performances from the NPR Tiny Desk Concert (thanks to NPR Music for helping make this happen!), alongside previously-released artist covers and remixes from the likes of Bartees Strange, Palehound, Anjimile, Briston Maroney, Christian Lee Hutson and more from The Baby Reimagined.

The collection is out September 5th – pre-save here.

Samia on the success of “Pool” and the anniversary of The Baby: “Tiny Desk is like the GRAMMY’s to me – I still can’t believe they let me do that. I was struggling to stay conscious during the concert but it was the honor of a lifetime. The NPR version of ‘Pool’ resonating online is just a giant cartoon cherry on top. I’m still proud of ‘The Baby’ five years later and feel grateful that it’s meant something to some people.”

Jordana’s music has always possessed a unique sense of place.

You can hear the stillness of a Kansas bedroom on her 2020 debut Classical Notions… Humid late night New York walks on her double EP Something To Say To You. There’s the kaleidoscopic otherworldliness of Summer’s Over, her collab release with TV Girl. The unmistakable sunshine of LA on 2024’s Lively Premonitions. But on her new semi self-titled project, Jordanaland, the 25-year-old songwriter has officially crafted a place all her own.

Out on November 7th via Grand Jury, the EP was recorded with her friends Charlie Kilgore & Julian Kaufman of offkilter pop group MICHELLE, the EP drops Jordana in her most brightly-colored surroundings yet. Mixed by a pair of Grammy Award winners in Olli Jacobs (Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, beabadoobee) & David Pizzimenti (Ella Mai, Ed Sheeren, Travis Scott), these songs soar with a sonic confidence that has previously only made occasional appearances in her discography.

Lead single “Still Do,” out today, is a study in the begrudging love we maintain for the people who let us down, as she sings “Made a father from a young girl / When you left I had to be what you ought’ve been / Now you’re back and I’m your whole world / And I know I better not let you in again.” Listen now HERE and watch Jordana claim her independence in the OTIUM-directed music video courtesy of news anchor Jordana Nye below.

Jordanaland Tracklist:
01 Burning Me Down
02 Like That
03 Still Do
04 Blouse
05 I Wanna Be
06 Hard Habit to Break
07 Jordanaland

Late last month, a user on TikTok uploaded a snippet from Samia’s 2023 NPR Tiny Desk Concert. It was the heart-rending climax of the song “Pool,” the album opener from her 2020 debut The Baby. In a matter of days, the sound had been used over 15K times, SZA shared the performance on her IG story, and fans clamored for a stripped back version a’la the viral clip on streaming services.

Today, fans get exactly what they asked for, as Samia releases “Pool (Stripped),” a live-in-the-room re-record featuring an all star cast of her musician friends from Minneapolis and beyond: touring keyboardist Sam Calvoro, Bloodless tour opener Raffaella, bassist Lily Belle Govrik, and Hippo Campus’ Whistler Allen and Jake Luppen. The result somehow makes the heartbreak even harder…

Watch the original performance that started it all below.

And, if you haven’t already, grab your tickets to Samia’s upcoming US & UK headline shows – a lot of new people are discovering the world of Samia, so tickets are going fast.

Sex Week release their new EP, Upper Mezzanine, today. Of the unpredictable, sometimes gloomy, sometimes playful EP, the band says “’Upper Mezzanine’ was chosen as our second EP title because it represents a level that doesn’t really exist. Somewhere in between. You’re grateful to not be in the nosebleeds, but you’re also not in the orchestra seating. We’re still discovering our identity with every song we make, and so this batch of songs helped shape us and hopefully potential future songs.”

To mark the release the band has shared a video for EP highlight “Moneyman,” directed by Poppy Shaw. “‘Moneyman’ is about having to pay the “money man” money, all while keeping love alive. Everyone in America has a moneyman, a stranger waiting to be paid, whether it be an actual person or a credit card company.” The video was shot in Vegas earlier this year.

The band celebrates the EP release in their native NYC tomorrow night at TV Eye, before heading over to the UK later this month. Dates and tickets on the artist page.

Today marks the release of blue bird rain cloud, the new EP from dog eyes. The Oakland folk duo of Hailey Firstman & Davis Leach made their Grand Jury debut last year on the tranquil yet scrappy Holy Friend. Here, they open the aperture up thematically and ground the sonics in even more organic instrumentation and more inveterate Americana. The results are rewarding.

The band started the celebration earlier this week with the music video for semi-title-track “bluebird.” Like the song itself the clip, directed by Angela Zamora, is a gentle rush of nostalgia & yearning.

The EP is available on limited edition cassette here. The band plays a sold out release show next week in Oakland.