Suicide Squeeze

Suicide Squeeze is an independent record label based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in August 1996 by David Dickenson, the label began as a small operation focused on releasing singles by artists connected to the Pacific Northwest independent-music scene. Its early catalog included 7-inch records by 764-HERO, Modest Mouse, and Elliott Smith, helping establish the label's identity as a tastemaker with strong ties to emerging alternative and underground artists. The label developed from Dickenson's part-time hobby into a cottage-scale music business during the late 1990s. Rather than concentrating on one narrow genre, Suicide Squeeze built a catalog covering indie rock, punk, garage rock, pop, metal, folk-pop, experimental music, and post-rock. Its format mix has included vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, and digital releases. The company has also issued comedy and performance-art recordings on CD and DVD, demonstrating a broader interpretation of independent cultural publishing than a conventional music-only label. During the 2000s, Suicide Squeeze expanded its profile through releases connected to artists such as Eugene Mirman, Goon Moon, Chin Up Chin Up, Black Mountain, Page France, These Arms Are Snakes, and Cotton Jones. The label's 2003 limited-edition vinyl release of Elliott Smith's "Pretty (Ugly Before)" became one of its notable early catalog items. In 2006, it marked its tenth anniversary with the compilation Suicide Squeeze Records: Slaying Since 1996, which presented the label as an ongoing community rather than merely a sequence of individual releases. The label's 2007 releases by Minus the Bear, including Interpretaciones del Oso and Planet of Ice, connected Suicide Squeeze with a larger audience for technically ambitious indie rock. It later issued work by These Arms Are Snakes, Cotton Jones, and This Will Destroy You. This Will Destroy You's 2011 album Tunnel Blanket reached number 25 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, providing one of the label's clearest examples of measurable commercial visibility. In the 2010s, the roster continued to combine established independent acts with newer artists. The Coathangers became an important recurring act, with releases including Larceny and Old Lace, Suck My Shirt, Nosebleed Weekend, and the Parasite EP. Other significant releases included Nü Sensae's Sundowning, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan's UZU, Guantanamo Baywatch's Darling...It's Too Late, and music by Ty Segall, Michael Nau, and L.A. Witch. The label signed L.A. Witch for the release of the Los Angeles trio's debut album in 2017. Suicide Squeeze has also used anniversary projects and cross-category collaborations to reinforce its identity. Its 2016 digital compilation Suicide Squeeze: 20 Years assembled music associated with the label's first two decades, including tracks connected with Elliott Smith, Minus the Bear, La Luz, and King Tuff. In 2014, the label partnered with Oregon's Fort George Brewery on Suicide Squeeze IPA, a craft-beer collaboration that extended the brand beyond recorded music. The label's positioning rests on curation, physical formats, genre breadth, and close relationships with artist communities. Its catalog is particularly associated with limited-edition vinyl and artists occupying the space between underground credibility and broader alternative-music recognition. Publicly available material identifies Suicide Squeeze as an active independent label, but does not provide sufficient information to document its current staff structure, ownership arrangements beyond Dickenson's founding role, financial performance, or a complete current roster.

Suicide Squeeze Records was established in Seattle in August 1996 by David Dickenson. Its first release was a 7-inch single by Seattle band 764-HERO. The label soon began working with other artists from the Pacific Northwest, including Modest Mouse and Elliott Smith, and developed from a personal project into a small independent music enterprise by the end of the decade. The label's initial strategy centered on singles and physical releases, particularly vinyl. This allowed Suicide Squeeze to participate in the collector-oriented independent-record culture of the 1990s while building relationships with artists at early stages of their careers. Its catalog subsequently broadened beyond local releases and included music from artists across the United States and Canada, as well as selected international acts. In 2003, the label issued a limited vinyl single of Elliott Smith's "Pretty (Ugly Before)," a song associated with Smith's Figure 8 touring period. The following year it moved beyond music with a spoken-word release by comedian Eugene Mirman. The Absurd Nightclub Comedy of Eugene Mirman appeared on CD and DVD and received recognition in year-end selections from The A.V. Club and Time Out New York. Further cross-genre activity included Goon Moon's 2005 mini-LP I Got a Brand New Egg Layin' Machine, releases by Chin Up Chin Up and Black Mountain in 2006, and the tenth-anniversary compilation Slaying Since 1996. Suicide Squeeze became increasingly associated with ambitious indie and alternative releases during the second half of the 2000s. Minus the Bear's remix album Interpretaciones del Oso and studio album Planet of Ice were released through the label in 2007. Page France's second album was reissued by the company, while the band's subsequent full-length …and the Family Telephone also appeared on Suicide Squeeze. These Arms Are Snakes released Tail Swallower and Dove in 2008, an album noted for moving toward more experimental arrangements and conventional song structures than some of the band's earlier work. Cotton Jones, initially credited for its 2009 Suicide Squeeze release as The Cotton Jones Basket Ride, issued Paranoid Cocoon through the label in January 2009. The band's later album Tall Hours in the Glowstream followed in 2010. This Will Destroy You released the album Tunnel Blanket and the Black Dunes 7-inch through Suicide Squeeze; Tunnel Blanket reached number 25 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart. The 2010s brought a new group of recurring and notable label artists. The Coathangers released a 7-inch in 2011 and then the album Larceny and Old Lace. Subsequent label releases included Suck My Shirt, Nosebleed Weekend, the Perfume/Watch Your Back 7-inch, and the Parasite EP. Julia Kugel of the group also released a 7-inch as White Woods. Vancouver punk and grunge trio Nü Sensae issued Sundowning in 2012, while the performance-art collective Yamantaka // Sonic Titan released UZU in 2013. In 2014, Suicide Squeeze collaborated with Fort George Brewery on Suicide Squeeze IPA. The project represented a brand extension into craft beer while retaining the label's name and independent cultural identity. In 2015, the company released Guantanamo Baywatch's third studio album Darling...It's Too Late. Its 2016 twentieth-anniversary digital compilation included artists such as Elliott Smith, Minus the Bear, La Luz, and King Tuff. By 2017, the label's catalog included releases associated with Ty Segall, This Will Destroy You, Minus the Bear, Michael Nau, and The Coathangers. It also released L.A. Witch's debut album on September 8 of that year. Publicly available references describe Suicide Squeeze as continuing to operate as an independent label with a substantial physical catalog, but they do not establish a complete current artist roster, staff list, financial profile, or corporate ownership structure.

1. 2017L.A. Witch debut released

   Suicide Squeeze released the debut album by Los Angeles trio L.A. Witch.

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2. 2016Twentieth-anniversary digital compilation

   The label issued Suicide Squeeze: 20 Years as a digital retrospective of its catalog.

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3. 2014Suicide Squeeze IPA collaboration

   The label partnered with Fort George Brewery to produce a craft beer called Suicide Squeeze IPA.

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4. 2011This Will Destroy You catalog expansion

   This Will Destroy You released the Black Dunes 7-inch and later the album Tunnel Blanket through Suicide Squeeze.

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5. 2007Minus the Bear releases

   The label released Minus the Bear's Interpretaciones del Oso and Planet of Ice.

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6. 2006Tenth-anniversary compilation

   Suicide Squeeze celebrated ten years with the compilation Suicide Squeeze Records: Slaying Since 1996.

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7. 2004Expansion into spoken comedy

   The label issued Eugene Mirman's spoken comedy recording The Absurd Nightclub Comedy of Eugene Mirman on CD and DVD.

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8. 2003Elliott Smith limited-edition single

   Suicide Squeeze released a limited-edition vinyl single of Elliott Smith's "Pretty (Ugly Before)."

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9. 1997Early releases by Modest Mouse and Elliott Smith

   The label expanded its early catalog with singles by prominent Northwest-associated artists including Modest Mouse and Elliott Smith.

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10. 1996Label founded in Seattle

    David Dickenson founded Suicide Squeeze Records in Seattle, Washington, beginning with a 7-inch release by 764-HERO.

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A curator-led independent label emphasizing artist discovery, underground and alternative credibility, physical releases, and a deliberately broad catalog spanning rock, punk, pop, metal, experimental music, comedy, and performance art.

• Vinyl singles and albumsPhysical music format1996

  Vinyl is a central part of Suicide Squeeze's catalog and includes 7-inch singles, extended plays, limited editions, and full-length albums. The format connects the label to independent-record collecting and supports releases by artists ranging from Elliott Smith and Modest Mouse to The Coathangers and L.A. Witch.

• Digital music releasesDigital music

  The label distributes music digitally alongside physical editions. Its digital catalog includes individual releases and retrospective projects, such as the twentieth-anniversary compilation Suicide Squeeze: 20 Years.

• Comedy and performance-art recordingsSpoken-word and performance media2004

  Suicide Squeeze has issued selected non-music projects, including comedy recordings and performance-art material on CD and DVD. Eugene Mirman's The Absurd Nightclub Comedy of Eugene Mirman is a documented example of this broader publishing activity.

• Suicide Squeeze IPABrand collaboration2014

  Suicide Squeeze IPA was a craft-beer collaboration between the label and Oregon-based Fort George Brewery. It extended the label's name into a consumer product outside recorded music.

• 2016Suicide Squeeze: 20 Years

  Digital music markets

  A digital anniversary compilation marked two decades of the label and assembled music associated with artists including Elliott Smith, Minus the Bear, La Luz, and King Tuff.

  Outcome. The release reinforced Suicide Squeeze's identity as a long-running independent catalog label.

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• 2014Suicide Squeeze IPA

  United States

  Suicide Squeeze and Fort George Brewery collaborated on a craft IPA using the record label's identity as the product name.

  Outcome. The collaboration broadened the label's cultural footprint beyond music, although the available reference does not document sales or long-term commercial results.

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• 2006Slaying Since 1996 tenth-anniversary program

  United States · International music audience

  The label used a tenth-anniversary compilation to present its first decade of releases and associated artists.

  Outcome. The compilation served as a catalog retrospective; no quantified campaign results are documented in the available sources.

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• 2014Extend the brand into craft beerOther

  Independent music labels often build cultural partnerships that connect their identities with lifestyle products and local creative communities.

  What changed. Suicide Squeeze partnered with Fort George Brewery on the Suicide Squeeze IPA.

  Aftermath. The partnership created a documented non-music product bearing the label's name, though detailed commercial results are unavailable.

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• 2004Expand beyond conventional music releasesStrategy

  The label had established itself in independent music but also had an opportunity to publish adjacent forms of alternative cultural content.

  What changed. Suicide Squeeze released Eugene Mirman's comedy recording on both CD and DVD and has also issued performance-art material.

  Aftermath. The move demonstrated the label's willingness to operate across music, spoken comedy, and performance media.

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• 1996Begin as a vinyl-focused independent labelStrategy

  Suicide Squeeze began during the 1990s independent-record boom, when small-run singles provided a practical route for emerging artists and collectors.

  What changed. David Dickenson launched the label with a 7-inch release by 764-HERO and built the early catalog around physical singles.

  Aftermath. The label grew from a personal project into a broader independent operation with a multi-format and multi-genre catalog.

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• 2017L.A. Witch signs with Suicide Squeeze for its debut album

  Suicide Squeeze released the debut album by Los Angeles trio L.A. Witch, expanding the label's garage- and psychedelic-rock profile.

  Product launch
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• 2016Suicide Squeeze marks twenty years with a digital compilation

  The label issued Suicide Squeeze: 20 Years, a digital compilation featuring artists associated with its catalog, including Elliott Smith, Minus the Bear, La Luz, and King Tuff.

  Other
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• 2014Suicide Squeeze partners with Fort George Brewery on an IPA

  The record label and Oregon-based Fort George Brewery collaborated on a craft beer marketed as Suicide Squeeze IPA.

  CampaignOther
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• 2006Suicide Squeeze releases its tenth-anniversary compilation

  The label commemorated its first decade with Suicide Squeeze Records: Slaying Since 1996, a compilation reflecting its growing independent catalog.

  Other
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1. Suicide Squeeze Records
2. Suicide Squeeze official website