Chances are if you’ve ever paid any attention to grunge music, you’ve listened to something from Sub Pop, the legendary Seattle music label. Sub Pop actually started out as a community radio show called “Subterranean Pop” from Washington state in 1979. The next year, they released a fanzine, which is a music magazine that is geared towards fans of a certain band or type of music. After the moderate success the magazine had, Bruce Pavitt, the creator of both, eventually had the idea to start a music label in 1988 so he could document the local bands in his hometown.

In the early years of Sub Pop, the music label released a bunch of albums by bands such as Nirvana, Mudhoney, and Soundgarden, which ended up exploding because of the grunge’s popularity at the time. Since then, Sub Pop’s been predominantly known as “the grunge label.” However, in recent years they settled down into a more indie-rock niche, with bands like The Shins and Sunny Day Real Estate joining the roster.

When we’re talking about Sub Pop in the 90s, there are many albums on the label that could be pointed to as the holy grail of grunge, but I’d say that the best grunge album to be released is probably Mudhoney’s “Superfuzz Bigmuff,” courtesy of Sub Pop Records. It has catchy, in your face riffs, and they bring an awesome energy to their music. Sleater-Kinney has also released some cool stuff on Sub Pop, and has probably been one of the most consistent bands on the label for a while now. 

Sub Pop’s 2000s releases might be my favorite, purely because of The Postal Service’s 2003 album, “Give Up.” In these years, we saw a definite switch-up from heavier alternative rock into a much softer indie/folk vibe. As the most cliché indie-folk artist ever, Iron and Wine is the perfect example of this and was added to Sub Pop’s roster. Even though it totally contributes to every hipster stereotype ever, “Our Endless Numbered Days” is still pretty awesome. Sub Pop’s artist, Band of Horses, released another timeless indie classic “Everything All The Time” that your uncle has probably listened to at least once.

Finally, we can get to talking about Father John Misty and Fleet Foxes, huge players in Sub Pop’s 2010 era. I just listened to “I Love You, Honeybear” by Father John Misty, and I can definitely say that it is one of my favorite albums right now. It’s beautiful and sweeping, painting an intimate and ornate portrait of mankind – if that sounds pretentious to you, it’s because it is. Nonetheless, it’s very good. I think I would be hunted down if I forgot to mention chamber-folk band Fleet Foxes’ “Helplessness Blues,” which was released in 2013. But if you’re looking for more of a dream-pop sound, check out Beach House’s 2015 masterpiece “Depression Cherry.”

Sub Pop’s future looks bright as well, with artists like clipping. and Weyes Blood on their roster, I can personally say that I’m excited to see where this emerging experimental direction will lead.  

Below, you can find a playlist of my top picks from the label, with songs from bands like L7 and Green River. It’s mainly grunge, but there’s some folk there too.