Anyone who tells you it’s all about the music doesn’t know what they’re on about. Part of the whole point of Unpopular is that the great music just happens to be a part of the jigsaw puzzle. Another just as important part of the puzzle in our opinion is the artwork, and we’re proud to boast of a rolling programme of visual artists providing great sleeves to house Unpopular singles. We’ll have some details of the artists here, with links to places where you can see more of their work.

Emily Ryan

The amazing Emily Ryan has drawn the covers for the Lovejoy single (there’s two different designs) and the Unpopular website. She's also responsible for the stamp image on the Unpopular labels.

Emily has done tons of cool stuff... back in her High School years in the early ‘90s she made ultra fab fanzines, and by the age of 14 was already immortalised in song by the impossibly cool Veronica Lake. She formed Emily’s Sassy Lime in ’94 and released a bunch of stuff on Kill Rock Stars (see, I told you she was amazingly cool). She’s done stuff for XL clothing, and has a magic website. You can also see more of Emily’s artwork on the Tangents gallery here and here.

Gail O'Hara

Photographer for the sleeve of the Clientele single, Gail O'Hara cofounded Chickfactor magazine in 1992 with Pam Berry, and has since become a prolific portrait photographer. Gail also has a record label, enchanté records, and takes the photos of the bands (containe and the pacific ocean).

Since 1994, Gail O'Hara has been Stephin Merritt's (The Magnetic Fields, the 6ths, Future Bible Heroes, Gothic Archies) official photographress. four of her photographs are in the U.S. booklet for 69 Love Songs, and the cover image of the handsome Sam Davol on disc two is Gail's. Her photos of Stephin were used in the first 6ths lp, Wasps Nests (1995), and she is one of the models used on the cover of Get Lost.

In 1998, Stevie Jackson of Belle And Sebastian immortalised Chickfactor in song on the bands' The Boy With The Arab Strap album.

Gail's photos have appeared in Chickfactor and numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Times Sunday Magazine (London), The Washington Post, Time Out, Time Out New York, The Washington City Paper, The Village Voice, Billboard and many more. She's had two exhibitions: the first was at Ladyfest 2000 in Olympia, WA; the second was a solo show at NYC's Other Music.

Born in Washington, D.C., gail mostly uses a Canon rebel, a '60s Rollei german spy camera, and a variety of Polaroids. she also fancies Lomos.

You can see more of Gail's photos at her own site: www.gailohara.com and in two exhibitions on the Tangents gallery here and here.

Nicola Pezolet

Nicola is based in the city of Quebec, Canada, where he currently studies History of Art and Architecture. Inspired largely by Tangents: The Home of Un-Popular Culture - to which he irregularly contributes his words and his digital photographs - but also by the wide array of subversive modern and avant-garde movements of the twentieth century, Nicola currently edits the fanzine Pictogram(me), while also taking part in different magazines and community-based activities. He also co-hosts a weekly radio show at CKRL 89.1 FM, the station where he fights the burden of time and indulges in playing pop records that are subtle dislocations of the norms. Finally, he drifts... mostly, he drifts.

The 'Dislocated' / 'Welcome to the Middle Ages' 7" is his first collaboration with The Playwrights and Unpopular Records.