Altered Zones

By Michael Pollock

MP3: Secret Colors: "Heavy Sleeper"

MP3: Expensive Looks: "Vanishers"

Two months ago, Group Tightener Records was a single genre label. Co-founders Sam Hockley-Smith and Jamie Granato had created a stable of 7 inch singles with blown-out vocals and reverberating guitar--a go-to for fast-hitting, distorted pop-rock and powerful summer vibes that amplify with a 32 oz. Styrofoam cup of frozen margarita. They built their label off the lo-fi riffs of Best Coast, Fluffy Lumbers, and Cloud Nothings. These days though, classifying this Brooklyn-based label is a bit harder; a string of new summer releases doesn't so much break the mold as complicate it.

Our audiophilic duo is from Washington State. Sam is from Seattle and Jamie is from Bainbridge--an island just off the city's coast. Bainbridge Island is also home to the label’s eponym, a rudimentary drinking game. Jamie supplies an example: "You’re with all your friends and you say, 'We got to group tighten this bottle of whiskey.'" The peers then collectively drink the alcohol in a hurried fashion--usually on a beach or before attending a party. Even with its connotations of peer pressure and binge drinking, Jamie and Sam like to focus on the community and goal-oriented aspects of 'group tightening.'

They met at Olympia’s Evergreen College. They had classes together; Jamie had a ponytail. After graduation they both ended up in New York. Jamie was DJing by night and working at Kim’s Video and Music as Music Buyer by day. Sam was interning at The FADER, and visiting Jamie at Kim’s during his lunch break. With the entire record store at their disposal, they spun the rock and rap they grew up listening to and came across the likes of Detroit techno producer Richie Hawtin, ambient artists from Kranky Records, and German minimal electronic label Raster-Noton. They were bonded by their interest in music of all genres. "I have a distinct memory of listening to Excepter records with Jamie at like 7:00 a.m., after staying up all night with [him] when I first moved to New York," Sam says.

Along with being a scruffy ginger, Sam is a music journalist. He knows an intern is going to transcribe the recording of the interview. He knows what the publishable story is, and he tells it straight-up. Jamie is less concerned with narratives and talking points, but smiles as scenes from their past pop into his head. Both get schoolgirl-giddy when talking about music.