Partisan Records

Partisan Records is an American independent record label with offices in New York, London, Berlin and Los Angeles. The company was co-founded in 2007 by Tim Putnam and Ian Wheeler in Brooklyn, New York.^[1] The label is known for its diverse roster and has released multiple award-winning and chart-topping albums.^[2]

Partisan Records
Founded	2007; 18 years ago (2007)
Founder	Tim Putnam Ian Wheeler
Status	Active
Genre	Various, with a focus on indie rock and post-punk
Country of origin	United States
Location	Brooklyn, New York, US (HQ) London, UK Berlin, Germany Los Angeles, US
Official website	www.partisanrecords.com

History

Partisan Records was founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 2007 by Tim Putnam and Ian Wheeler. At the time, Putnam was working at the independent label Knitting Factory Records and started Partisan as a "passion project" from his apartment.^[3]

A pivotal early signing was the Providence-based rock band Deer Tick. The critical success of their albums helped establish the label's credibility.^[4] In 2008, Partisan entered into a formal partnership with Knitting Factory Entertainment, which also involved managing the catalog of Nigerian musician Fela Kuti.^[5]

The label continued to build its roster, signing artists like The Dismemberment Plan for their reunion album Uncanney Valley in 2013.^[6] A major turning point for Partisan's international profile came with the signing of Cigarettes After Sex.^[7]

Building on this momentum, Partisan signed Dublin post-punk band Fontaines D.C. in 2018 and Bristol band Idles in 2019.^[8] Both bands achieved major critical and commercial success under the label. Idles' albums Ultra Mono (2020) and Tangk (2024), along with Fontaines D.C.'s Skinty Fia (2022), all debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart.^[9][10][11]

Awards and Accolades

Partisan Records and its artists have been recognized with numerous awards and nominations from major industry bodies. The label itself has won Label of the Year at the Libera Awards (2019, 2023) and the Rolling Stone UK Awards (2023).^[12]

In 2023, London-based jazz group Ezra Collective won the Mercury Prize for their album Where I'm Meant to Be.^[13] Several artists have received multiple Grammy nominations, including Fontaines D.C.^[14] and Idles.^[15]

The label's artists have also been consistently recognized by UK-based awards. Idles have won multiple Ivor Novello Awards and NME Awards.^[16] Ezra Collective won a Brit Award for Group of the Year.^[17]

Notable Artists

The following is an alphabetical list of some of the notable artists who have released music on Partisan Records:

• Beth Orton
• Bombino
• Cameron Winter
• Cigarettes After Sex
• Cymande
• Deer Tick
• The Dismemberment Plan
• Ezra Collective
• Fela Kuti
• Fontaines D.C.
• Geese
• Idles
• Laura Marling
• PJ Harvey
• Sylvan Esso
• WITCH

Notable Releases

Year	Artist	Album	Notes
2014	Sylvan Esso	Sylvan Esso	Certified Gold in the US.[18]
2017	Cigarettes After Sex	Cigarettes After Sex	Certified Platinum in the UK.[19]
2018	Idles	Joy as an Act of Resistance	Reached #5 on the UK Albums Chart and was shortlisted for the 2019 Mercury Prize.[20]
2019	Fontaines D.C.	Dogrel	Shortlisted for the 2019 Mercury Prize.[21]
2020	Laura Marling	Song for Our Daughter	Nominated for the Mercury Prize and the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album.[22]
2020	Idles	Ultra Mono	Reached #1 on the UK Albums Chart.[10]
2022	Fontaines D.C.	Skinty Fia	Reached #1 on the UK and Irish Albums Charts.[9]
2022	Ezra Collective	Where I'm Meant to Be	Won the 2023 Mercury Prize.[13]
2023	PJ Harvey	I Inside the Old Year Dying	Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.[23]
2023	WITCH	Zango	The band's first album in nearly 40 years, it received critical acclaim.[24]
2024	Idles	Tangk	Reached #1 on the UK Albums Chart.[11]
2024	Cameron Winter	Heavy Metal	The debut solo album from the Geese frontman.[25]