Tic Tac Totally

Tic Tac Totally is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, founded and operated by Matt Clark. Established in 2006, the label developed a catalog centered on garage rock, garage punk, lo-fi rock, power-pop, and adjacent forms of underground music. Its output has included small-format releases such as 7-inch singles and EPs, as well as LPs, 12-inch records, and compact discs. The label's catalog is identified by artist-driven releases and a strong connection to local, regional, and international punk and garage scenes rather than by a large corporate infrastructure. The label's early and continuing roster has included acts such as Monsters from Mars, Black Sunday, Thomas Function, The Pharmacy, Digital Leather, Lost Sounds, Snake Flower 2, Mouserocket, Wavves, So Cow, Static Static, Moonhearts, Lenguas Largas, Bare Wires, Fergus & Geronimo, Matt K. Shrugg, OBN III's, Useless Eaters, The Hussy, and others. Several of these releases connected emerging artists with wider audiences. The label was associated with early releases by Wavves and Thomas Function, and it supported projects involving musicians such as Jay Reatard, Alicja Trout, and Matthew Melton. Its relationship with So Cow also extended Tic Tac Totally's reach beyond the United States, while releases by Irish and American artists reinforced the label's international underground orientation. Tic Tac Totally's catalog reflects a preference for concise, physical releases and a broad interpretation of garage-derived music. The label has issued split singles, cover projects, self-titled releases, full-length albums, and recordings by side projects and related bands. This approach allowed it to document a network of performers rather than concentrate on one narrowly defined sound. The label's releases include both new and established artists, with some records serving as early career markers and others extending the work of musicians already known in underground rock circles. Distribution has been associated with Revolver/Midheaven Distribution, a San Francisco-based distributor serving independent and punk music labels. Tic Tac Totally has also been connected to the DIY publishing culture surrounding Clark's Dumb Audio zine. Its visibility was reinforced by coverage and an interview in Maximum Rocknroll, an influential punk publication. These associations positioned the label within a broader ecosystem of independent labels, mail-order distribution, zines, touring musicians, and specialist music media. Publicly available reference material documents an extensive catalog numbering more than 50 records by the time of the cited Wikipedia account. The discography includes catalog numbers from TTT-001 through at least TTT-087, although the numbering is not continuous and the available list does not establish that every number represents a release. The label's current operating status, present roster, ownership structure beyond its association with Matt Clark, and current website activity are not established by the supplied sources.

Tic Tac Totally emerged in Chicago in 2006 under the direction of Matt Clark, who also operated the Dumb Audio zine. From the beginning, the label functioned within the DIY and independent-rock economy: releases were generally issued in physical formats, artists were drawn from garage, punk, and lo-fi circles, and the catalog developed through relationships among touring bands, small labels, zines, and specialist distributors. The first catalog entry listed in the available discography was Monsters from Mars' Surfing Through a Creepy Castle 7-inch. Early releases also included Black Sunday's Cut Out!, Thomas Function's The Insignificants, The Pharmacy's Abominable, and later records by Digital Leather and the Cococoma/Hipshakes collaboration. These releases established a format that remained important to the label: compact, collectible editions that could introduce newer groups while maintaining a strong connection to underground record culture. Tic Tac Totally became associated with a mixture of developing and established artists. The label issued material by Lost Sounds, the project led by Jay Reatard and Alicja Trout, and released recordings connected to Trout's other groups, including Black Sunday and Mouserocket. It also supported Matthew Melton's solo and related projects. The label's work with Thomas Function and Wavves was described as helping those acts gain wider recognition, while its release of So Cow's music connected the Chicago label to Ireland's independent scene. So Cow's self-titled album gathered and remastered earlier material and received favorable attention from Pitchfork, giving the label an important point of contact with broader music criticism. The catalog expanded through the late 2000s and afterward with releases by Moonhearts, Lenguas Largas, Bare Wires, Caballo Tripode, Venereans, Legendary Wings, Fergus & Geronimo, Primitive Hands, Le Face, Shanks, Day Creeper, Unwed Teenage Mothers, Girls At Dawn, Dreamdate, Burning Itch, Useless Eaters, Wax Museums, OBN III's, and The Hussy. The list includes albums, singles, splits, cover recordings, and releases by musicians working across several bands. This breadth made the label less a single-band imprint than a documentarian of overlapping garage-punk communities. Distribution through Revolver/Midheaven Distribution helped place Tic Tac Totally releases within the independent retail and mail-order network. The label's association with Dumb Audio and its coverage in Maximum Rocknroll further reflected the close relationship between record labels, zines, and scene journalism in underground punk. The label was also described as supporting OBN III's, a project associated with the Austin garage-punk community, demonstrating its geographic reach beyond Chicago. Reference material states that Tic Tac Totally had released more than 50 records since its formation. The supplied discography reaches at least catalog number TTT-087, with gaps in the numbering and later entries such as Church of My Love's self-titled 12-inch and Moonhearts' self-titled LP. The sources do not establish a complete release chronology, current release schedule, active roster, or whether the label remains operational today. Accordingly, Tic Tac Totally is best characterized historically as a Chicago-based independent record label with a substantial garage-punk catalog, while its present status remains uncertain.

• 2006

  Label established in Chicago

  [1]Tic Tac Totallyen.wikipedia.org

  Matt Clark formed Tic Tac Totally as an independent record label in Chicago, Illinois. The label's activities were connected to Clark's Dumb Audio zine and the DIY garage-punk community.

• Early catalog launched with small-format garage releases

  [1]Tic Tac Totallyen.wikipedia.org

  The early catalog included 7-inch releases by Monsters from Mars, Black Sunday, Thomas Function, and The Pharmacy, establishing the label's emphasis on physical independent releases.

• So Cow release expanded the label's international profile

  [1]Tic Tac Totallyen.wikipedia.org

  Tic Tac Totally released So Cow's self-titled album, connecting the Chicago imprint with Ireland's independent music scene and receiving favorable attention from Pitchfork.

• Distribution associated with Revolver/Midheaven

  [1]Tic Tac Totallyen.wikipedia.org

  The label's records were distributed through Revolver/Midheaven Distribution, linking its catalog to an established independent punk and alternative-music distribution network.

• Catalog surpassed 50 records

  [1]Tic Tac Totallyen.wikipedia.org

  The cited reference describes Tic Tac Totally as having released more than 50 records since its formation, although the supplied sources do not provide a precise date for reaching that total.

A DIY-oriented independent label documenting garage rock, punk, lo-fi rock, and related underground scenes through physical releases, emerging-artist signings, side projects, and collaborations.

• Physical music releases

  7-inch singles and EPs

  Seven-inch records form a major part of the Tic Tac Totally catalog. The label used the format for artist introductions, split releases, cover projects, and concise statements by garage and punk groups. Documented examples include Wavves' Beach Demon, Lost Sounds' Motocycle Leather Boy, OBN III's self-titled release and Mark On You, Thomas Function's The Insignificants, and releases by Black Sunday, The Pharmacy, Moonhearts, Lenguas Largas, and others.

• Physical music releases

  LP albums

  Tic Tac Totally issued full-length albums by artists working across garage rock, punk, lo-fi, and related underground styles. The documented LP catalog includes So Cow, Snake Flower 2, Mouserocket, Static Static, Bare Wires, Caballo Tripode, Meercaz, Matt K. Shrugg, OBN III's, Useless Eaters, Wax Museums, and The Hussy. These albums broadened the label's output beyond singles while retaining its independent physical-release identity.

• Physical music releases

  12-inch records and compact discs

  The label also released selected projects on 12-inch vinyl and compact disc. Documented examples include Black Sunday and Jonathan Reilly's untitled 12-inch, Test Patterns' Blackout 12-inch, Le Face's self-titled 12-inch, Church of My Love's self-titled 12-inch, and compact-disc editions associated with The Indecision Alarm and Snake Flower 2.

1. 1Tic Tac Totallyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Tic Tac Totally official websitetictactotally.com