Dead Oceans, Inc.
FoundedJune 30, 2006 (age 20)
FounderChris Swanson
Ben Swanson
Darius Van Arman
Jonathan Cargill
Phil Waldorf
DistributorSecretly Distribution
GenreVarious
CountryUnited States
LocationBloomington, New York City, Los Angeles, London
Websitedeadoceans.com

Dead Oceans, Inc.,[1] is an American independent record label founded in 2006 and based in Bloomington, Indiana.[2] It operates as part of the Secretly Group, alongside Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar.[3][4]

History

On June 30, 2006, Phil Waldorf founded Dead Oceans with Chris Swanson.[5][1][6] Swanson suggested the name Dead Oceans, which came from the lyrics of Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" (1963).[7][8] Chris' brother Ben Swanson, Darius Van Arman, and Jonathan Cargill of Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar also helped to found the label.[9][10] The label was officially launched in 2007, and is part of Secretly Group.[11][5]

During its early years, Dead Oceans released albums by artists such as Phosphorescent, Dirty Projectors, Akron/Family, Califone and Bowerbirds.[12] Over time, the label's roster expanded to include Mitski, Japanese Breakfast, Destroyer, and Phoebe Bridgers.[13][14][15] The label also serves as the parent imprint for Saddest Factory Records, founded by Bridgers in 2020.

In 2012, Dead Oceans released Bill Fay's album Life Is People, his first in over forty years.[16][17] In 2017, the label released shoegaze band Slowdive's first album in 22 years.[18][19][20]

In 2018, Dead Oceans was ranked No. 7 on Paste magazine's top-10 record labels and won the Libera Award for Label of the Year.[21][22][23]

In 2020, the label released the Bright Eyes album Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was.[24] The following year, the band transferred its earlier recordings, previously released through Saddle Creek Records, to Dead Oceans.[25][26]

Artists

Notable releases

Grammy Awards (US/Global)

  • Mitski ‘Be The Cowboy' - Best Recording Package (2019 nominated)
  • Phoebe Bridgers - Best New Artist (2021 nominated)
  • Phoebe Bridgers ‘Punisher' - Best Alternative Album (2021 nominated)
  • Phoebe Bridgers 'Kyoto' (Phoebe Bridgers, Morgan Nagler & Marshall Vore, Songwriters) - Best Rock Song (2021 nominated)
  • Phoebe Bridgers 'Kyoto' - Best Rock Performance (2021 nominated)
  • Japanese Breakfast - Best New Artist (2022 nominated)
  • Japanese Breakfast ‘Jubilee’ - Best Alternative Album (2022 nominated)
  • Khruangbin - Best New Artist (2025 nominated)
  • Japanese Breakfast - ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women)’ nomination best engineered non-classical album (2026 nominated)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Dead Oceans, Inc.". OpenCorporates. 2006-06-30. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
  2. ^ "Secretly Group". secretlygroup.com. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  3. ^ "Secretly Group restructures label and publishing A&R with new hires". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  4. ^ "Secretly Label Group is born: Numero, Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar and Secretly Canadian join forces | News | Music Week". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  5. ^ "LIVE FROM THE BEEHIVE". Indiana Daily Student. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  6. ^ Powell, Austin (2007-10-19). "Dead Oceans". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  7. ^ "About". deadoceans.com. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  8. ^ Shepler, Jack (14 March 2007). "Record roundup of early 2007's Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar CDs". NUVO. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  9. ^ Austin Powell, "Dead Oceans Making Waves" Austin Chronicle, October 19, 2007.
  10. ^ Dave Maher, "Secretly Canadian/Jagjaguwar Birth Dead Oceans" Archived 2008-10-11 at the Wayback Machine Pitchfork Media, February 19, 2007.
  11. ^ "Secretly Group". Music Business Worldwide. 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  12. ^ "Dead Oceans Discography". Discogs. 2025-08-01. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  13. ^ Gaca, Anna (2016-06-23). "Japanese Breakfast Shares 'Jane Cum' Video, Signs to Dead Oceans". SPIN. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  14. ^ Feeney, Nolan (2021-10-22). "Inside Saddest Factory Records: How Phoebe Bridgers Is Quietly Building an Indie Empire". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  15. ^ Hughes, Spencer (2021-11-02). "Mitski Went on Hiatus For Two Years — And Still Became a Streaming Sensation". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  16. ^ Currin, Grayson Haver (2020-01-15). "Bill Fay Was a Hidden Gem. One Musician Made Finding Him a Mission.". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  17. ^ Staff, N. P. R. (2012-08-15). "Bill Fay: A Cult Figure Returns, Skeptical But Optimistic". NPR. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  18. ^ "'One of the most important bands of recent times': How Slowdive cracked the Top 10 after 32 years". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  19. ^ "Slowdive on Reuniting for the Band's First Album in 22 Years". Observer. 2017-04-26. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  20. ^ "Slowdive on Their First Album in 22 Years and Why Shoegaze Came Back". Pitchfork. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  21. ^ "The 10 Best Record Labels of 2018". pastemagazine.com. 2018-12-31. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  22. ^ Knopper, Steve (2018-06-18). "The 2018 A2IM Libera Awards Will Be a Declaration of Independents". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  23. ^ A2IM (2018-06-22). "A2IM 2018 Libera Award Winners". American Association of Independent Music. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  24. ^ Dallas, Matthew (2025-09-29). "Bright Eyes - Kids Table (Dead Oceans) (13th Floor EP Review" (in en-NZ). 13thfloor.co.nz. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  25. ^ Aswad, Jem (2021-05-17). "Bright Eyes Moves Catalog to Secretly Group's Dead Oceans Label". Variety. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  26. ^ Havens, Lyndsey (2020-08-14). "Inside The Inevitable Return of Bright Eyes". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-02-02.