The name Etxe Records may not ring a bell, but its co-founders, Chris Goett and Jenn Thomas, aren’t worried. Although Etxe formed once their band, Girl Loves Distortion, was ready to release its first record, the idea behind Etxe predates the band. Etxe means “home” in the Basque language, and Goett’s and Thomas’ idea of Etxe in a musical context is a functional community of musicians who can lend their unique talents to assist members of their sister bands, in everything from cover art to album engineering. Etxe band Night and the City (also featuring Goett), for example, donated time in their recording studio to Toledo duo Fangs Out.

If this sounds like taking non-profit ideals and moving it into the realm of record labels, that’s not too far from the truth. Goett and Thomas both have extensive nonprofit experience, and have taken their philosophies from those careers and applied them to Etxe.

In addition to being a unique concept, Etxe has also gotten behind some killer music. Girl Loves Distortion’s gritty yet melodic songs fall somewhere between Shudder to Think and Guided By Voices, and Fangs Out has raw and energetic lo-fi post-punk gems.

DCist chatted with Goett and Thomas about the philosophies and histories that birthed Etxe Records.