This fall, the studio will hit 6 years of operation! Thank you for your trust and for sharing such incredible music with me over the years. So much excellent music comes through the studio every year, and I want to start highlighting some of it to others. In the first 9 months of 2026 alone, over 100 releases have come out that have been mastered at Macro. A full list of releases is available on the studio’s website here, and you can join that list by getting in touch for mastering here or by replying to this email.

This first email (featuring 18 releases!) will be a bit longer since there’s so many great records to catch up on, but I hope to send out shorter, more regular updates about what’s passing through the studio. The highlights are broken up into indie rock, heavy music, R&B/hip-hop, some local Bay Area gems, and some pro-bono work.

Indie Rock Releases

First up is Lily Seabird’s excellent new LP, Lightspheres on Their Way, released by Lame-O Records. Recorded and mixed by Garrett Linck, this darker and more expansive follow-up to 2025’s Trash Mountain (also mastered at Macro) wrestles with “time & memory, loss, addiction, mortality & disillusionment & meeting those truths with empathy and hope,” per Lily. Amazingly, Lily released this album via Lame-O Records as a physical-only release for its first month - no streaming services - to promote deeper engagement with the record.

Krill returns, Krill forever! I am so pleased to have worked on this seminal band’s first record in 10 years. They were deeply inspiring when our bands played shows together a decade ago, and their return to form is no less inspiring - filled with time signature changes, “angular” hooks, and Jonah’s signature unpredictable, earnest and political lyrics. Secret Language was produced by Seth Engel at Ohmstead Recording in Chicago - it’s been such a treat to work on records with Seth for the past few years, including his own band Patter’s newest LP. The record was released by my favorite label, Exploding in Sound Records.

This stunning album by Hannah Frances came out at the end of 2025, but is now For Your Consideration for first round Grammy voting in 3 categories: Best Contemporary Folk Album, Best Album Cover, and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. Sprawling, emotional, terse and expansive, Hannah’s follow-up to the critically-acclaimed Keeper of the Shepherd has garnered a ton of praise over the past year. The album was co-produced and mixed by Kevin Copeland. Kevin and I have worked on a number of records that have been special to me over the years, including LPs by his own band, The Big Net and his newest solo album, a summery batch of Only Love Songs.

Riff-heavy rippers, emotional lyrics, and jangle-pop collide in the newest album by Reno’s Bug Bath, Too Much Heaven. Engineered and Mixed by Patrick Hills at Earthtone Recording.

The most “studio” record yet from Philly’s Remember Sports, which really allows their catchy melodies and killer band to shine. Recorded at Electrical Audio, mixed by Julian Fader.

Heavy Releases

The venerable post-hardcore band, La Dispute, recently wrapped up this live session for Audiotree, which also exists as a live video and interview. Scott Evans mixed both the band’s most recent LP this session, and brought me on for mastering for this release.

This first release by Sunblind is full of ripping hardcore and thrash, for fans of Power Trip. The band includes East Bay scene veterans from Look Back & Laugh, Allegiance, Living Eyes, Old Firm Casuals, The Explosion, and more. Recorded and mixed by Ry Ellery down the hall at Sharkbite Studios.

This EP features gnarly grindcore from Baltimore. Recorded by Ben Price, mixed by Scott Evans.

The Montreal duo pushes their sound further through post-rock, dub, surf, wall-of-sound drone and pummeling loudness and out the other side to a genre-less and expansive beauty. Recorded by Ky Brooks, mixed by Seth Manchester.

Skate-punk and hardcore from this up-and-coming Bay Area band. Recorded and mixed by Brad Lincoln at Deathbed Recording. Recently, Deathbed has started offering a “1-day EP” recording special, and I’m providing mastering for that special as well.

R&B and Hip-Hop Releases

A bouncy and fun album from Felicia Douglass (Dirty Projectors, Ava Luna) and Erik Gundel. Recorded and mixed by Julian Fader at The Honey Jar.

Great nu-disco from Mattie Safer (The Rapture, Poolside). We also worked on an album of remixes, featuring Bosq, Black Loops, Fouk, Leong and Turbotito.

One of the most fun bands to regularly come through the studio is Austin’s haha Laughing. Combining hyphy, grime, Simpsons samples and so much distortion, their music always gets me hype.

Bay Area Gems

A collaboration between Scott Evans and Evelyn Davis, described by Riley Breck of Thrice as a “beautiful, dreamy, hypnotic, twisted, analog/electro hybrid record that [the band] describe[s] as NIN meets Scott Walker, but I’d suggest that maybe they met Portishead and Bjork and Radiohead along the way.” Mixed by Beau Sorensen.

Oakland’s Free Key Choir has drawn a lot of attention in recent years. Conductor Derek Sup arranges the songs of choir members’ bands for the group of 100+ singers. This track is one of the first singles from their upcoming album and a personal live favorite.

A Bay Area institution from the same roots as Operation Ivy. Their first album was remastered at Macro this year, and re-issued for release for the first time in years. Originally engineered by the legendary Kevin Army.

Pro-Bono Work

Last year, for the 5th anniversary of the studio, I decided to codify some of the values that I wanted the studio to represent through my business practices, which are now documented on the studio’s website. These included BDS practices, divesting from Spotify, re-investing in local media and musicians, and more. I also began to set aside one slot per month for work done pro-bono on releases benefiting charities or other meaningful organizations. These are two of the more exciting releases from this practice.

This unbelievably stacked compilation benefits two Texas-based immigrant justice organizations - Casa Marianella and American Gateways - in the wake of immigration crackdowns across the country. Featuring Alan Sparkhawk (Low), Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never), Lambchop, Y La Bamba, Erik Hall, Dirty Projectors, William Tyler, Tim Heidecker and more.

Another extraordinary group of Montreal-based musicians convening for a compilation to support the Sameer Project’s work in Gaza. Featuring Egyptian Cotton Arkestra, Robin Wattie (Big Brave), hidden_attachment (Ky Brooks), Markus Floats, Hsien, Jessica Moss and more. Free Palestine.

If you made it this far, I hope you found some new music to enjoy, and thank you for your trust and collaboration over the past 6 years - to many more :) Feel free to get in touch about mastering for your next release.

-Amar