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Apr 20, 2026 By Mark Redfern

Get 50% off Under the Radar print subscriptions—just $9.99 for four issues (only $2.49 an issue) with promo code SPRING2026 (valid worldwide on four- and eight-issue subscriptions).

Each issue features 20–30 in-depth interviews, 20–50 album reviews, original photography, and exclusive print-only features, plus a downloadable sampler of up to 40 new tracks. When you subscribe you’ll get immediate access to the extended digital versions of two recent issues and then you’ll receive our next 4 (or 8) issues in the mail. If you’ve been looking for a way to discover music beyond the algorithm, this is it.

There’s a difference between discovering music and scrolling past it. Between holding something in your hands and watching it disappear in a feed. Under the Radar was built for the former—for people who want to slow down, dig deeper, and connect with music in a way that lasts.

Subscribe now here.

More About Under the Radar

Founded by music writer Mark Redfern (that’s me) and photographer Wendy Lynch Redfern, Under the Radar began in 2001 as a black & white zine distributed around Los Angeles. Wendy and I met and fell in love in December 2020 and a year later our first issue was born. Above is the first known photo of Wendy and me. Over two decades later, it’s still run by the same couple—we’re now married with a daughter (Rose, currently 13), living in Virginia, and still putting out print issues featuring original photography, passionate journalism, and a deep love of indie music.

We’ve weathered the collapse of Borders Books (which wiped out half our distribution), the death of traditional print advertising, and more, but never lost sight of what made us start this magazine: a belief in the power of great music and meaningful journalism.

We were the first national print magazine to interview Vampire Weekend and Fleet Foxes, the first U.S. outlet to talk to Wet Leg and The Last Dinner Party, and early champions of now-beloved artists like Charli XCX (on our cover in 2013, 11 years before Brat). We helped define the indie boom of the 2000s—featuring Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes, Interpol, The National, TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and many more—and have also interviewed older legends like Brian Wilson, Yoko Ono, Peter Gabriel, New Order, and Depeche Mode. We were also the last magazine to interview and photograph Elliott Smith before his tragic death.

And we’ve done it all without corporate backing or billionaire investors.

We’ve outlasted most of our print-era peers not because we had the deepest pockets or the biggest staff, but because we’ve kept it personal. Because we care. Because we believe music journalism should be driven by heart, not algorithms.

If you want a deeper look at how Under the Radar survived the last 20+ years—through births, deaths, cross-country moves, and a rapidly changing media landscape—read our behind-the-scenes secret origin story, written for our 20th Anniversary Issue in 2021.

As printing and shipping costs continue to rise, while advertising sales lower, we now depend more and more on subscribers to keep us in print. You can also support us on Patreon, buy back issues for 50% off, or advertise.

If Under the Radar has ever helped you discover a band, inspired you, or reminded you why print still matters—this is the moment to help us keep going. Or if you’re new to Under the Radar then this is a great time to dive in.

Each issue includes:

• 20–30 in-depth interviews.
• 20–50 album reviews.
• A downloadable MP3 sampler of up to 40 new tracks.
• Original photography and exclusive features that often remain print-only.

New subscriptions currently start with Issue 76, due out later this year. But new subscribers will be sent an exclusive promo code to get 50% off our current issue, The ‘90s Issue Part 2, with new conversations with Pulp, Suede, Garbage, Air, De La Soul, Slint, the cast and creators of the acclaimed TV show Homicide: Life on the Street, and Clueless’ director Amy Heckerling, and more. It also features our first ever list of the best albums of the 1990s. Later this year we also plan to put out a special 25th Anniversary Issue, which you’ll receive if you subscribe now.

New subscribers will also be sent an email with complimentary codes to access the digital versions of Issues 73 and 74 of Under the Radar to read while you wait for the next print issue to arrive in the mail.

Subscribe here!

Below is a look inside the magazine, with some spreads from previous issues, as well as some of our original photography and some of our previous magazine covers. We’ve always shot our own covers with our own photographers since Issue 1. Plus there are some behind-the-scenes photos.

Subscribe now for 50% off with promo code SPRING2026. If you’ve ever wanted an alternative to the endless scroll—and a way to support truly independent music journalism—this is it.

Subscribe to Under the Radar’s print magazine.

Buy back issues.

Advertise with Under the Radar.

Support Under the Radar on Patreon.