CHRYSALIS RETURNS

Partisan Records MD Zena White, Laura Marling and Chrysalis CEO Jeremy Lascelles gather after agreeing to keep songs on the new Chrysalis shorter than Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick.

Iconic British independent label Chrysalis Records is officially open again for business, relaunching as a frontline label and gearing up to release new music for the first time in more than two decades. Its first signing is Laura Marling in partnership with Partisan Records.

The labels have come together to sign Marling in a fully co-branded global release. The first fruits of that will be the follow-up to Marling’s 2017 album, Semper Femina, later this year. Further signings to Chrysalis will be revealed in the coming months.

“There is a unique synergy between the diverse, immediately identifiable voices of Partisan and those of Chrysalis decades prior to our existence, Partisan MD Zena White said.

Chrysalis CEO Jeremy Lascelles added: “Laura Marling, Chrysalis Records, Partisan Records. A match made in heaven.” Founded in 1968, Chrysalis broke and developed some of the most internationally successful and acclaimed artists throughout the '70s and '80s, including Jethro Tull, Billy Idol, Blondie, Pat Benatar, Huey Lewis and the News, Ultravox, Sinead O’Connor, The Specials and The Waterboys.

It was purchased by Blue Raincoat in 2016 as part of the Warner divestments, and has since been monetizing its historic catalog in the streaming era.