Arbutus Records
# Arbutus Records

Arbutus Records is a Montreal based record label and management company founded by Sebastian Cowan in 2009. The label is named after the street by the same name in Vancouver, where Cowan grew up. The label have also begun expanding outside of Montreal, signing international artist Σtella, from Athens, Greece, on April 16, 2019, and Toronto-based trio Rapport on August 28, 2019.

## History

Arbutus Records was created by a community of artists and musicians from the Montreal DIY music scene that came together in the 4600 square foot Mile End, warehouse loft space called Lab Synthèse. Lab Synthèse was co-founded by Sebastian Cowan in 2007. The record label was created in order to promote and cultivate the bands associated with the space. Police shut down Lab Synthèse and Cowan began managing the artists that performed there shortly after, resulting in the formation of Arbutus Records. Cowan and the label kickstarted the music careers of Blue Hawaii, Grimes, Majical Cloudz, Sean Nicholas Savage and TOPS among others early on. Arbutus records fosters a family environment that is not often seen in labels of its size, and as a result many of the artists under the label have remained in the label for over ten years. The label operates as a DIY ethic community of multimedia artists and musicians, who work collaboratively to develop and release music which combines punk ethos and pop music.

## Label values

Arbutus Records was founded based on ideals that stemmed from the values of Constellation Records, focusing on curating individuality rather than a common sound. The label considers the release of records as a creative and collaborative process, moreover that the "art [made] is that of the artist", and they will always work in service of that. Ensuring that each artists vision and desires are communicated to the fullest extent possible is a priority at Arbutus Records. The label also puts emphasis on DIY culture in the music that they release and supporting their artists to accomplish more with very little.

Arbutus Records treats those they work with as family. They believe that everyone should be treated equally and have access to a quality music experience, whether in the form of appreciation or creation.

## Artists

* Blue Hawaii
* Braids
* Doldrums
* Graham Van Pelt
* Grimes
* Lydia Ainsworth
* Majical Cloudz
* Michael Stasis
* Moon King
* Σtella
* Sean Nicholas Savage
* Tonstartssbandht
* TOPS

## Discography

| Year | Album details |
| - | - |
| 2008 | Sean Nicholas Savage - Little Submarine Released: July 18, 2008 Genre: Pop Format: CD |
| 2009 | Oxen Talk - O Mores! Released: January 1, 2009 Genres: Rock, Pop Format: CD |
| 2010 | Grimes - Geidi Primes Released: 2010 Genres: Electronic, Pop Format: CD |
| 2011 | Tonstartssbandht – Now I Am Become Released: 2011 Genres: Rock, Pop, Folk, World & Country Format: CD |
| 2012 | TOPS – Tender Opposites Released: 2012 Genre: Indie Rock Format: CD |
| 2013 | Blue Hawaii – Untogether Released: March 4, 2013 Genres: Electronic Pop Format: CD, Digipak |
| 2014 | Lydia Ainsworth – Right From Real Released: 2014 Genre: Indie Pop Format: CD |
| 2015 | Braids – Deep In The Iris Released: April 28, 2015 Genre: Synth-pop Format: CD |
| 2016 | Mozart's Sister – Eternally Girl b/w Angel Released: 2016 Genre: Dance-pop Format: Cassette |
| 2017 | Honey Harper – Universal Country Released: 2017 Genre: Rock Format: EP |
| 2018 | Graham Van Pelt – Time Travel Released: 2018 Genres: Electronic, Rock Format: CD, Vinyl |
| 2019 | Moon King – Voice Of Lovers Released: 2019 Genres: Electronic, Pop Format: Cassette, Digital download |
| 2020 | Σtella – The Break Released: January 24, 2020 Genre: Pop Format: CD, Vinyl, Digital download |
