Illuminati Hotties: the label-fighting LA punk on her wild new album | The Guardian

After a dispute with her imprint, DIY punk star Sarah Tudzin cooked up the perfect kiss-off record – which then became a hitSarah Tudzin – AKA the one-woman powerhouse behind LA’s Illuminati Hotties – released her acclaimed debut album, Kiss Yr Frenemies, in 2018. A sweetly scattershot album full of perky DIY tunes that she branded “tenderpunk”, it was a bold opening statement from Tudzin, already a veteran of the LA indie scene thanks to her background as a studio engineer for acts such as Weyes Blood and Amen Dunes, working as assistant to Chris Coady (Grizzly Bear, TV on the Radio).Tudzin was well on the way to finishing up the eagerly awaited second Illuminati Hotties album when, just before Thanksgiving 2019, she discovered that all was not right with Tiny Engines, the independent record label that released her debut. One of Tiny Engines’ other artists, Stevie Knipe of Adult Mom, had called the label out via social media, accusing them of breach of contract and missing royalty payments. In an 18-part Twitter thread, Knipe claimed that their business model was: “Take advantage of the non-men on your label and attempt to manipulate them while stealing the money they make to keep your failing business afloat.” Continue reading…

After a dispute with her imprint, DIY punk star Sarah Tudzin cooked up the perfect kiss-off record – which then became a hit

Sarah Tudzin – AKA the one-woman powerhouse behind LA’s Illuminati Hotties – released her acclaimed debut album, Kiss Yr Frenemies, in 2018. A sweetly scattershot album full of perky DIY tunes that she branded “tenderpunk”, it was a bold opening statement from Tudzin, already a veteran of the LA indie scene thanks to her background as a studio engineer for acts such as Weyes Blood and Amen Dunes, working as assistant to Chris Coady (Grizzly Bear, TV on the Radio).

Tudzin was well on the way to finishing up the eagerly awaited second Illuminati Hotties album when, just before Thanksgiving 2019, she discovered that all was not right with Tiny Engines, the independent record label that released her debut. One of Tiny Engines’ other artists, Stevie Knipe of Adult Mom, had called the label out via social media, accusing them of breach of contract and missing royalty payments. In an 18-part Twitter thread, Knipe claimed that their business model was: “Take advantage of the non-men on your label and attempt to manipulate them while stealing the money they make to keep your failing business afloat.”

Continue reading…