2 weeks ago
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NYC noisemakers Lip Critic are gearing up to return with a brand new album. It’s called Theft World, and it drops May 1st via Partisan Records. Along with the announcement of the new LP, the band has unveiled the lead single, “Legs in a Snare.” Watch the unsettling music video below.
As the electronic punk act tells it, the origins of the seemingly half-conceptual Theft World began while the band was touring their Partisan debut, Hex Dealer. Frontman Bret Kaser discovered his identity had been stolen, and that, furthermore, his information had been used to make hundreds of purchases — including his own band’s full discography on Bandcamp.
After tracking down the scammer, the crew learned it was a young fan (reportedly wearing a Five Nights at Freddy’s hoodie) who proudly confessed to the crime. The fan went on to explain that he believed there were hidden messages and codes littered throughout the Lip Critic catalog, and that he had merely been following the breadcrumb trail left for dedicated listens to find. Instead of calling the police, the bandmembers sat the kid down and recorded his imagined lore, which, though wild and at times incoherent, was captivating enough to lay the groundwork for what would become Theft World.
“Theft World is an ode to the power and pervasiveness of stealing,” the band said in a statement. “It’s about taking something ugly and using it to make something cute. It’s about eating an absurd world and falling in love with it as you digest.”
It’s a bananas story. So bananas, in fact, that we’re suspicious if it actually happened or the absurdist quartet are tapping into their inner Bob Dylan or Cameron Winter, crafting a narrative for sheer fun and the art of myth-making. Either way, as heard on “Legs in a Snare,” it’s compelling as hell.
A live wire of a tune, the song is another helping of Lip Critic’s propulsive, unpredictable electro-punk. There are quick dynamic shifts, buckets of energy, and eerie, synthetic timbres. The accompanying music video, which I can only describe as a depiction of what would happen if everyone in New York City collectively took too much Benadryl, matches the energy. Check it out below.
Pre-order Lip Critic’s Theft World here.
Revisit our CoSign interview with Lip Critic and see where their 2024 album Hex Dealer landed on our year end ranking. You can also pick up a vinyl copy of that record here. Lip Critic also has several tour dates on the horizon; See the full list of announced shows and pick up tickets here.
Theft World Artwork:
Theft World Tracklist:
01. Two Lucks
02. Jackpot
03. Debt Forest
04. Talon
05. Charity Dinner
06. Drumming With Izzy
07. My Blush (Strength Of The Critic)
08. Shoplifting
09. Legs In A Snare
10. My Wife And The Goblin
11. Yard Sale (230 Take)
12. 200 Bottles of Eviction
English (US) · 