You may not know Nick Raskulinecz’s name, but you’ve probably heard his work. As a producer, he’s helmed major releases from the Foo Fighters, Rush, Alice in Chains, Deftones, Evanescence, Stone Sour and plenty of other heavy hitters.
But now Raskulinecz is stepping out from behind the board. In July, he released “Bonfire,” his debut solo single, a six-minute-plus collaboration with Big Wreck’s Ian Thornley and Korn drummer Ray Luzier. The track puts the producer in a rather different position: not shaping someone else’s sound, but creating one of his own.
And he’s not stopping there. Raskulinecz is launching Hiss Recordings, a new singles-focused label with a particular passion for 7-inch vinyl. Having released “Bonfire” digitally, its next offering comes from rising Nashville shoegaze duo Doom Mutual, whose two-song 7-inch properly introduces the label with a decidedly different sound from the hard-rock and metal records that have defined much of Raskulinecz’s production career.
Revolver is stoked to premiere one of those two songs, the gauzy, grungy “Static Planet,” which you can take in via the music video below. “‘Static Planet’ captures the feeling of watching your life happen through a layer of interference,” Doom Mutual commented in a joint statement. “It’s about searching for connection in a world that feels distant and artificial. We wanted the music to feel like a blanket of sound — massive and overwhelming — like trying to find a signal through endless noise.”
In addition to premiering the song, Revolver also caught up with Raskulinecz to talk about his new musical chapter, the thinking behind Hiss Recording, and why the 7-inch still matters.
What was the first 7-inch you ever got?
Nick Raskulinecz My first 7-inch was Flock of Seagull’s “I Ran” with the B-side “Pick Me Up.” I still have it.
Besides that one, do you have any particularly treasured 7-inches in your collection?
I have a few. Some old Rush singles, and a few Rush singles from the record I made with them, which is pretty cool!
What do you like about the format?
It’s fun! Kinda creates a feeling of sitting on the floor listening to the Beatles back in the ‘60s like our parents did! [Laughs]
How did you get the idea of starting a 7-inch label?
The label idea came first — the 7-inch idea came as a kinda fun afterthought for the fans of the bands. Vinyl is coming back as kids discover how fun it is to have.
What’s the mission for Hiss Recordings?
The mission is to record great songs and have a shitload of fun doing it!
Why launch with Doom Mutual?
They have a really cool sound that needs to be heard! I think people will really dig what they are about. Super creative, and they have a great sound that’s different from what’s happening now.
Tell us about the two songs on their 7-inch, and what it was like producing them.
We did “Static Planet” and “Crowbar,” two killer tunes that show a couple of different sides of what the band is about. We had fun recording. It was super easy — they can play great and sing like birds!
What can you tell us about the future releases on the label?
Well… I’m currently looking for and signing bands, getting them into my studio and recording some songs. I’ve found some bands that I’m looking at and will be getting stuff out over the rest of the year and looking into releases for 2027!