K/Perennial 2026 There are three primary cities around the world that come to mind for me when I think of indie pop’s genesis in the 1980s: Bristol, England; Dunedin, New Zealand; and Olympia, Washington. In Bristol, the short-lived Sarah Records championed lo-fi heroes like Heavenly and the Field Mice through their output of 7” singles and their staunch fans-first business strategy. Meanwhile, bands like the Clean and the Chills and others affiliated with the revered label Flying Nun garnered Oceania unlikely international attention with regards to ramshackly, jangly guitar music. And just before riot grrrl and grunge took over the Pacific Northwest, one Calvin Johnson forged a gentler approach to American punk, running his own K Records out of his kitchen initially to help his buddies release their music on cassettes.…