CHICAGO WAVES (IA11 EDITION) by CARLOS NINO & MIGUEL ATWOOD-FERGUSON

Over the course of 2025 International Anthem will be celebrating their eleventh year of existence by revisiting some of the most celebrated (and hard to find) entries in their decade of releases. These LP packages will be presented with new liner notes, new insert booklets, and the fresh 2025 redesign of their iconic obi strip and dome logo. They will also be at a price point intended to help make it easier for stores to stock and sell these essential pieces of their catalog.

Classic Black 140g LP inside a heavyweight reverse-board jacket with 8-page insert booklet (new for IA11, with additional photos and new liner notes written by IE bassist Luke Stewart), IARC 2025 obi strip and printed poly-lined printed innersleeve. Pressed at Pallas in Germany, with new lacquers cut by Daniel K at SST.

The 2018 live performance captured on Carlos Niño & Miguel Atwood-Ferguson’s Chicago Waves marked a beautiful turning point for International Anthem. The moment was recorded at our then-HQ in Chicago, Co-Prosperity, the day after Niño and Ferguson performed as part of Makaya McCraven’s ensemble to celebrate the release of Universal Beings and recreate their contributions to that album's “Los Angeles Side."

The two musicians were keen to use their time in Chicago to not only support Makaya's music but also create and present fresh sounds of their own to a receptive new community. In many ways this set of improvisational, exploratory conversation between Atwood-Ferguson’s violin/effects and Niño’s percussion/soundscapes cemented the growing interchange between International Anthem's bases in LA and the Windy City.

The 2020 release of this recording as Chicago Waves magnified the unmistakable sound of togetherness audible in its grooves in a way that was uniquely cathartic given the difficulties, restrictions, and widespread social isolation of those times. But as that era fades further into the rearview mirror, Chicago Waves maintains its power. It’s not a mystery—this is what togetherness sounds like.