Move over Simon Cowell. There’s a new label in town and it’s being run by a dog in headphones.
Introducing Spaniel’s Lugs, a chaotic, creative, and completely digital music label that has burst onto the scene this week with a cast of AI-generated pop stars and punk misfits. The twist? None of them are real. Or at least not in the usual sense.
Each artist on the label is created using cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology, thanks to the boffins at Imminently, who have trained their in-house system (called ADA) to write songs, invent personas, and produce bangers at a pace most humans could only dream of.
From Soft Toys to Bin Monsters
The label’s opening line-up includes a teddy bear dictator, a pole-dancing guinea pig, a grime-singing monster who lives in a bin, and a folk singer from Lincoln with more emotional depth than your average Britpop reunion tour.
The early standout is Phluffee, a surreal pop collective made up of unstable soft toys. Their track Alice Bear (The Evil Genius) is already raising eyebrows for its lyrics about golden submarines and invisible sharks.
Then there’s Colin, a purple Muppet with dreams of crypto stardom and a diet made entirely of mouldy toast. His single Crypto Colin is a trap anthem for the chronically overconfident.
And if that’s not enough, there’s Whitmore Way, who deliver British sarcasm in ska-punk form, and Trashy, a Eurovision-style fever dream with more key changes than sense.
No Humans Required?
Spaniel’s Lugs insists that no ghostwriters, session musicians or backroom teams are pulling the strings. Every song, lyric and artist bio has been created entirely by AI.
“It’s not about faking humans,” says a spokesperson for the label. “It’s about letting artificial intelligence run wild with music. What happens when a neural network is given access to cultural history, genre rules and a warped sense of humour? Spaniel’s Lugs happens.”
A New Breed of Label
Far from being a gimmick, Spaniel’s Lugs is positioning itself as a serious contender in the independent music scene. Tracks are available to stream and download directly from the site, with new releases planned regularly. There is even talk of live shows using animated avatars, although organisers admit that most of the artists “refuse to leave the bin”.
So is this the future of music? Or just a glorious mess?
Either way, Spaniel’s Lugs has arrived. And if the early songs are anything to go by, it’s not going quietly.