10 labels enabling ATL's offbeat scenes

Skeleton Realm, Deer Bear Wolf, State Laughter, and more

By Paul DeMerritt Thursday June 18, 2015 04:00 AM EDT

Atlanta's rock, punk and experimental scenes form a dense patchwork of burgeoning musicians who constantly blend and redefine genres. Here are some of the most crucial record labels enabling that talent in 2015.

	Acerbic rock 'n' roll runs through the core of Blood Drunk Records' output. Surrogates showcase slinking post-punk influences on its biting I Made You Something album, while label mainstays Swank Sinatra bask in irreverence with releases such as Live at the Clermont Lounge.
	Between the cracks of heavy metal, punk, and garage rock, Southern metal pushes sonic brutality to its breaking point. In its short lifespan, Boris Records has brought together a merciless batch of bands representing metal's most extreme permutations. So far its roster consists of such deafening groups as Sadistic Ritual, Death of Kings, and Hellgoat. Keep an eye out in September for a new 7-inch from Peruvian trio Morbid Slaughter, and a new Mangled 7-inch later this fall.
	Run by local noise experimentalist Graham Moore, Blossoming Noise brings together an impressive array of local and international talent specializing in the deconstruction of music to its most primitive vibrations. The insanely prolific Japanese musician Merzbow, Sonic Youth alum Thurston Moore, and Graham Moore's own recordings make appearances on Blossoming Noise's diverse roster.
	Deer Bear Wolf provides an all-inclusive label promoting music, literature, and zines. Its few releases have showcased a wealth of electronic pop music, from Sealions' anthemic choruses on Number One Lover to the murky crooning on Tantrum's XYO.
	Starting as a natural extension of its recurring Goth Danse Party series, cold wave disciples DKA Records have been injecting Atlanta's electronic scene with doom and gloom since 2013. The label has since released its first compilation LP along with a smattering of cassettes from local murky masterminds such as TWINS, Fit of Body, and Goldendust.
	Geographic North covers the hazy, psychedelic side of Atlanta's pop sphere. Releases such as Lotus Plaza's Overnight Motorcycle Music and Night Cleaner's Green Sleeves cassette provide a cosmic counterpart to more dissonant works of Lyonnais' Want for Wvish for Nowhere.
	Headed by Magicicada maestro Chris White, Mission Trips holds the torch for Atlanta's experimental pioneers. In its short lifespan, the eclectic label has released Faun and a Pan Flute's sprawling self-titled LP, a remix EP from Easily Suede, and the powerful wails of Currency's debut album, Barter.
	Muckman Records heads up the weirdo front in Atlanta's extensive punk scene. Knaves Grave released its entire discography, aptly titled Discography, last year and key releases from Slugga, Bodyfather, Hotels, and MTN ISL have cemented the label's local relevance.
	Skeleton Realm's roster contains some of Atlanta's most inventive and unclassifiable artists. The only running thread linking the kaleidoscopic pop of Stevie Dinner to Breathers' synth swells to Mono Lisa's amorphous melodies is a penchant for unflinching weirdness.
	Wymyns Prysyn lead singer/guitarist Josh Feigert runs State Laughter. The label's jagged output reflects the band's ability to fuse ear-splitting ferocity with unconventional song structures. Demo 1, the debut cassette from Atlanta punks Uniform, brings a sci-fi dystopian aesthetic to liven up punk conventions, while WP's Head in a Vise LP and Girls Pissing on Girls Pissing's "Nine of Swords" 7-inch continue to redraw post-punk and hardcore boundaries.