The Head and the Heart sign to Sub Pop

The Head and the Heart at the Showbox. Photo by Jason Tang

UPDATE (5:55 p.m.): Just got confirmation from a reliable source that the Head and the Heart did sign a record deal with Sub Pop Records for U.S. distribution.

(UPDATE: 6:00 p.m.) My pals at Sound on the Sound are also confirming the deal and have a nifty iTunes screenshot to prove it, so you know it’s got to be true.

File this one under the jumping the gun and there will be egg on my face if this is wrong departments.

According to LA Weekly the Head and the Heart has signed a record deal with Seattle’s own Sub Pop Records. If this is true it would both make sense and be a major coup for Sub Pop continuing a big year of signings for the seminal label. Earlier this year Sub Pop signed Shabazz Palaces, which was at the time the hottest unsigned act in town.  The label also signed Mogwai and Dinosaur Jr frontman J Mascis. The Head and the Heart fit right in with Sub Pop’s roster of folk rock bands which includes locals Fleet Foxes.

Sub Pop has yet to announce the signing of the Head and the Heart. An email has been sent to Sub Pop seeking confirmation of the record deal and an email has been sent to the author of the LA Weekly article requesting source verification.

It’s pretty widely known in these parts that the Head and the Heart is the hottest and most in-demand group of local musicians so it should come as no surprise that anticipation for an announcement of a record deal is pretty high. It’s also widely known that there are lots of record labels and A&R reps ranging from Dave Matthews to folks over at Warner Brothers looking to sign this group of harmonious twenty-somethings. Oh, and I forgot to mention Sub Pop’s interest is pretty well known too.

However, the LA Weekly article could be wrong because no official announcement has been made by Sub Pop, and after all you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the Internet even if it comes from the website of an old media publication. Also take into consideratin that this old media publication is based out of LA and not Seattle (which is where the news would likely break first) and there’s good reason to believe I could be walking away with egg on my face for reporting Sub Pop’s involvement on this one. But I’m not the only one who has heard rumblings of THATH signing to Sub Pop so there could be truth to the rumors. I guess we will all just have to stay tuned for future developments.

About Travis Hay

Travis Hay is a music journalist who has spent the past 20 years documenting and enjoying Seattle's music scene. He's written for various outlets including MSN Music, the Seattle-Post Intelligencer, Seattle Weekly, Pearl Jam's Ten Club, Crosscut.com and others.

View all posts by Travis Hay →