DIY Label Spotlight #4: Submarine Cat • Interview • DIY Magazine

DIY wouldn’t be what it is without buzzy bands and grassroots scenes, and independent labels are an essential part of the ecosystem working to support artists from the ground up.

Up next in our monthly feature spotlighting some of the very best in the biz, we chat to Carlos de los Santos, Head of A&R at Submarine Cat Records - the London-based label home to both cult indie stalwarts and emerging future favourites.

How would you describe, in less than 10 words, the ethos behind Submarine Cat?
Community, passion, independence, songs, and ambition sums it up! Fun is a very important one too - sometimes easy to forget, but most things we do would make no sense if they weren’t fun.

Was running a label always the dream job? Tell us a bit more about your route into/through the industry.
It wasn’t until it was! I came into the industry by playing in bands, like most of us did. Through collaborating and sharing the challenges of being in a band with other local artists, I quickly discovered a passion for helping nurture talent. At that same time I was becoming obsessed with the history of independent labels in the UK, and how instrumental they’d been in creating counterculture. The combination of those two things made me want to be a part of it, and I found the perfect home at Submarine Cat! I was extremely lucky to be trusted with a job at such an exciting new label so early on in my career.

What does a typical day in the life at Submarine Cat look like?
My favourite thing about the job is that no day is the same. Most days for me will start in our Soho office having a coffee with the team. In the morning we could be talking to our distributor and scheduling upcoming releases, commissioning artwork or music videos to different creatives, or reaching out to potential producers for our latest signing. There’s also a lot of work around launching album pre-order campaigns, organising in-store tours and liaising with our international partners when bands are touring out there.

Outside of that day to day graft of working at an indie, everything else really depends! Maybe FEET or Swim Deep are in our studio writing new songs and I go to say hello, or maybe we receive the new Home Counties test pressings I need to listen to. Maybe Prima Queen have just written a hit that wasn’t going to be on the album, but it turns out it will have to be; or She’s In Parties are filming a SubCat Session; or Larry from Alabama 3 is coming in to play us new demos. I love the adventure of not really knowing what’s going to happen every day. It keeps us on our toes, and I think that’s exciting. My favourite thing about the job always takes place in the evenings or at festivals though; I love going to see our bands play important shows and smash it out of the park. The last time I got quite emotional was seeing She Drew The Gun play ‘Washed In Blue’ at Rough Trade East. What a song…

“I think that good songs and good shows remain at the core of it all. Without that, who cares about content!”

What are some of the biggest challenges of running an indie label in the digital age? And the most rewarding parts?
The biggest challenge is cutting through the noise. There’s so much incredible music out there, so the competition in the industry is unprecedented. However, I strongly believe in the artists we work with and their ability to find their voice online. It’s hard, of course. We all demand so much from artists: it’s not just about writing great songs and putting on a good show - bands are now expected to be content creators too, and we try our best to help them find their space and their own language for that. But ironically, I do think that good songs and good shows remain at the core of it all. Without that, who cares about content!

The most rewarding parts of working at a label are the moments, big or small, when you can tell the fans are truly connecting with the artist. I was so lucky to see ARXX perform at Glastonbury last year - the crowd went crazy for them. And they were living a moment they’d dreamt of for years. Seeing their faces, knowing they probably won’t ever forget that moment, and being a little part of it… that’s when suddenly everything makes sense.

If you could re-release any classic album on Submarine Cat, what would it be and why?
I’m sure everyone in the team would have their own. I’m going to guess for Felix it would probably be ‘Exile On Main Street’ by the Rolling Stones; for Darrin, it’d be ‘Horses’ by Patti Smith; for Sophie, it’d be ‘Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge’ by MCR; for Jas, it’d be ‘Rubber Soul’ by The Beatles; and for Luca, ‘Gemini’ by Wild Nothing.

For me though, it’s a no brainer: ‘Is This It’ by The Strokes. I love the movement that album represents; it’s not just about The Strokes, it’s about LCD Soundsystem, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, TV On The Radio… it’s not just one of the albums that defined the music I liked as a teenager, but it defined a movement. And I think that’s pretty awesome.

As a label, if Submarine Cat had a new year’s resolution, what would it be?
Definitely to do more live events! It’s one of our favourite things to do and we want to grow it this year. It’s so important for us to create spaces where our bands, their fans, and also friends of the label can create a community. We’ll have stages at Sound City and The Great Escape again, but we’re also starting a run of label parties in London and other European cities. The first one coming up is on Saturday 22nd March at Supersonic in Paris, with Home Counties and She’s In Parties - we really can’t wait!

To find out more about Submarine Cat, head to submarinecat.com.

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