For seven years, Mainline has been at the vanguard of Atlanta’s independent press, documenting the stories and issues that the corporate media often neglects or actively buries. In that time, they’ve proven to be staunch advocates for the city’s working and creative classes, collaborating with an array of progressive grassroots organizations and embedding themselves in the DIY arts community. This is especially true for the local music scene, which Mainline has championed through their extensive coverage, as well as their annual Mainline Music Fest, which returns for its third run this September.
So it should be considered no great surprise that the organization’s latest venture would seek to expand on that mission.
On Tuesday, Mainline announced the official launch of Mainline Records, a new label intended to amplify local artists while serving as an extension of the publication’s community-based reporting. To that end, their inaugural compilation, Mainline Mix 1, serves to place Mainline’s lauded work on the Stop Copy City movement in a more immediate and emotional light. Featuring tracks from a broad cross-section of Atlanta’s fertile underground, the compilation highlights the grit, resilience, and radical spirit of musicians forced to contend with police militarization, environmental racism, and the hijacking of public policy by corporate interests. According to a press release, future compilations will take a similar approach, allowing Mainline to explore deeper themes and stories.
“Mainline Records is a natural continuation of the work we’ve been doing since 2019,” said Aja Arnold, founder and head of operations of Mainline. “For years, we’ve documented Atlanta’s independent music community and the political issues that affect them through critical investigative and feature journalism. Launching the label allows us to invest in that same community in a more direct way through helping artists release music and sustain their art, while preserving the culture and independent media ecosystem we’re creating together.”
Mainline Mix 1 is available digitally for $11.88 through Mainline Records’ Bandcamp page. In celebration of the release, 100 handmade, limited-edition CDs are also available for purchase. Listeners can also choose between one of four cover photos shot by Arnold making this a must-have for collectors looking to capture a unique moment in Atlanta music.
Check out the full tracklist along with version 1 of the compilation’s cover art below.
Mainline Mix 1 Tracklist:
01. SMALL – Surveillance!
02. Nag – Tree Circulatory System 02:09
03. B.I.M.B.O.S – Come Outside
04. Playytime – Powdered Sugar
05. T.E.N.T. – beyond rust wire
06. Janie Danger – (Kill) Your Self-Help Book
07. Mutual Jerk – Boys Listening to Music
08. Blammo – Uncle
09. Jamee Cornelia, Llei – They Put It in the Watermelon
10. Empty & Free
11. Mirror Move – Lavender Town
12. mallbangs – Intimates
More Info
Bandcamp: mainlinerecords.bandcamp.com
Instagram: @mainlinerecords_