The proceeds will be going to the charity Gendered Intelligence, an organisation established back in 2008 which aims to “increase understandings of gender diversity and improve the lives of trans people”. On its first day after being released, the compilation raised over £2,000. If you’re interested in making a donation, or even just having a listen, you can look here on Bandcamp.

Los Campesinos! noted their appreciation of the release, saying “Thank you to Heavenly Creature Records and the artists for raising so much money for such an important org. If you’ve not picked it up yet then please do grab the comp. We’ve been listening and smiling all day, feeling very good about this small band of ours.“

Thank you to @heavenlycrecs and the artists for raising so much money for such an important org

If you’ve not picked it up yet then please do grab the comp. We’ve been listening and smiling all day, feeling very good about this small band of ourshttps://t.co/ABopF62y5L https://t.co/o99lUrcX4d

— Los Campesinos! (@LosCampesinos) January 7, 2022

This isn’t the first charity compilation from Heavenly Creatures, with them previously having done the same with the works of The National, raising money for House of Tulip (which aims to help homelessness among trans and gender non-conforming people in New Orleans). They also released a similar compilation of Frightened Rabbit songs, helping Tiny Changes (an organisation helping the mental health of today’s youth). There’s also word of a Taylor Swift-themed compilation coming up in the future.

The release comes as the band continue to ready a follow-up to their 2017 work Sick Scenes. They also recently finished a tour of live performances, their first since February 2020. The 3-date event from December 13^th-15^th took the band to Cardiff, London and Leeds, earning them a four-star review in NME after appearing in London’s Village Underground.

The show in Village Underground was described as “a rousing tribute to their back catalogue, … [with] the future … looking bright“, with them playing an extra-long set after their support act, Fortitude Valley, had to pull out due to covid. The dates were mostly honouring the tenth anniversary of the band’s 2011 album Hello Sadness, but featured tunes from throughout their career, starting off with their 2021 single “Allez Les Blues“.

Despite the new album coming up, Los Campesinos! are also busy reissuing their old works, with limited vinyl reissues of Hello Sadness and 2010’s Romance is Boring being due out next February 18th in honour of their tenth anniversaries, after having done the same with their first two albums back in 2018. You can read more about this here.

The Romance is Boring reissue was first announced back in 2019 and will be pressed on gold vinyl, with only 1,500 copies available for fans. A special digital download card will also be accompanying it, containing their 2010 four-song EP All’s Well that Ends. Pre-orders (which can be made on the band’s website here) will also get you a special copy of ‘The Universe Replied’: An Oral History of Romance is Boring, a 35,000-word zine giving interviews with past and current members talking about the process of making the album and touring it.

As for the Hello Sadness reissue, it will be accompanied by new artwork and will be pressed on transparent blue vinyl, with only 1,000 copies being made. The reissues are due next February 18^th courtesy of Arts & Crafts. A band statement concerning the reissues said “Since its original release the band’s membership has changed, beloved venues have closed, we are all far older and more jaded. But Hello Sadness still hurts. ‘The Black Bird, The Dark Slope’ swirls desperately, ‘Every Defeat a Divorce (Three Lions)’ serves as a reminder of the dust gathering thicker in the England men’s football team’s trophy cabinet, and we, Los Campesinos!’s ‘sad eyed children’, still hang on their every word.”

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The band’s never been shy of showing their sentimental side for past works, having done reissues for the tenth anniversary of their first two albums back in 2018, for 2008’s Hold on Now, Youngster… and We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed. This was accompanied by a two-week tour. Last year they celebrated the anniversary of Romance is Boring with a reissue on Valentine’s Day, as well as two London concerts where they played the album all the way through. Also, the release of their latest EP back in May, Whole Damn Body, featured songs recorded around the time of Hello Sadness, seeing the band continuing to make this into an event for the fans.

To help fans eager to join them live to celebrate, last September they announced three dates where they would be playing around the UK, seeing Cardiff, London and Leeds from the 13th to the 15th of December. Suffice to say, the band seem to be on a roll at the moment. And fans have plenty more to look forward to, with lead vocalist Gareth Paisey admitting they were working on a new album. Also, the tenth anniversary of their fifth album No Blues (2013) is coming up in a couple of years, so it seems they won’t be short of things to celebrate just yet. So if you want a bit of the action, better get ordering now!

The 2020 edition of Indietracks, which was to headline Los Campesinos! and Pip Blom, was cancelled due to the impacts of the Covid pandemic. Due to return a year later, organisers have said instead that the 2021 version is to face a similar fate. Los Campesinos! had shared on their Twitter that they were “so sad to hear of the end of Indietracks. It was the first festival we ever headlined, and our scheduled 2020 headline set felt like it could have been a career high.” 

So sad to hear of the end of Indietracks.

It was the first festival we ever headlined, and our scheduled 2020 headline set felt like it could have been a career high.

As a performer and a punter it was one of the UK’s best fests https://t.co/dXTus3oB4R

— Los Campesinos! (@LosCampesinos) November 15, 2021

Similar to 2020, Indietracks said they would go forward with a virtual festival in order to raise funds for the Midland Railway Trust, the charity that organises Indietracks. The land that Indietracks is on, Midland Railway-Butterly, had been closed for months due to Covid restrictions and has recently been hit by damaging floods. There is a fundraiser on their Facebook.

Speaking further on the matter, Indietracks earlier stated on their website that “while they [Midland Railway-Butterly] remain hopeful of re-opening at some point this year, at this point it is not clear when that might be and so we can’t add any extra financial and administrative burden at such a difficult time. The ongoing situation with Covid-19 in the UK and the associated restrictions also means that organising a festival in the UK this summer is a huge financial risk – particularly for a small charity like the Midland Railway Trust.”

But now, the organisers have made the decision to cancel the festival for good. On their website, they made a heartfelt statement, explaining that “despite significant effort from all concerned the event has sadly proved unsustainable, principally due to the ongoing ramifications of the pandemic.” 

Fans have taken to Twitter to express grief over the loss of their beloved festival. One fan wrote “Indietracks was our special little world where we could unapologetically be ourselves. We had the MOST fun. It was home for a weekend and I have too many amazing memories. We were so lucky to have experienced it. My heart is broken that it’s over.”   

Indietracks was our special little world where we could unapologetically be ourselves. We had the MOST fun. It was home for a weekend and I have too many amazing memories. We were so lucky to have experienced it. My heart is broken that it’s over #IndietracksMemories pic.twitter.com/qKDJWmPIRD

— madeliefje (@daisy_boofa) November 15, 2021

Ending on a positive note, they finished with “there are so many fantastic artists, festivals, promoters and record labels out there. And we’d encourage you all to get involved, be supportive and create something new!”

“Put on a gig, arrange a festival, form a band, start a label, share something with the world that needs sharing. We’ll support you however we can, even if it’s just sharing something on social media or offering advice (bearing in mind we made as many mistakes as we got things right!). Just drop us a message and we’ll try and help. Otherwise, it’s over to you now – go for it!” 

While the ending for Indietracks is unceremonious and anticlimactic, the hope that the organisers offer is that there will always be potential for more of the same fun, creativity, and joy that Indietracks had once offered. Even still, it is a devastating blow for the Indie scene, and one that many indie fans are sure to miss.