Lip Critic have announced their new album, ‘Theft World’ and shared its lead single – listen to ‘Legs In A Snare’ here.
READ MORE: The unstoppable force of Lip Critic
The New York electro-punks’ second album, ‘Theft World’ is set for release on May 1 via Partisan Records. ‘Legs In A Snare’ mark their first new music since last year’s singles ‘Mirror Match’ and ‘Second Life’.
The frenetic track, described as “a love song twisted into a horror story”, explodes into life with relentless drums and spiky guitar behind frontman Bret Kaser’s impassioned vocals. “You got me wrapped around your finger,” he sings, before repeating, “Am I still the one you want?”
Colter Fellows directed the video, which lurches between chaos and control in equal measure, reflecting the intensity of the music – check it out here.
The concept of ‘Theft World’ came about while the former NME cover stars were touring their debut album, 2024’s ‘Hex Dealer’. Kaser discovered that his identity had been stolen and someone had used his information to make hundreds of purchases, including buying the band’s entire discography on Bandcamp.
The band found the culprit, a young fan who said he believed the music contained hidden codes forming an scavenger hunt he’d successfully completed. But rather than getting the police involved, they recorded him describe the intricate mythology he’d imagined.
When beginning work on a follow-up to ‘Hex Dealer’, Lip Critic decided to take influence from the alternate universe the fan invented, creating the album he believed already existed.
‘Theft World’ album art. CREDIT: Press
“’Theft World’ is an ode to the power and pervasiveness of stealing,” said the band of the album. “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.”
The ‘Theft World’ tracklist is:
‘Two Lucks’
‘Jackpot’
‘Debt Forest’
‘Talon’
‘Charity Dinner’
‘Drumming With Izzy’
‘My Blush (Strength Of The Critic)’
‘Shoplifting’
‘Legs In A Snare’
‘My Wife And The Goblin’
‘Yard Sale (230 Take)’
‘200 Bottles Of Eviction’
Upon the release of ‘Hex Dealer’ two years ago, NME gave it a glowing five-star review, describing it as “bold, energetic and blisteringly smart”. The review read: “Throughout ‘Hex Dealer’, Lip Critic prove why they are the band of the moment. A full-on, disruptive force emerging from their city’s underground scene – their music rides high on a bolt of infectious energy.”
Their debut UK show in 2023 also received five stars, being described as “like three or four bands rolled into one; the fervid hardcore thrashers, the hip-shaking dance heads, the sardonic post-punks – and beyond.”
In 2023, Kaser discussed the gig with NME. “We went as hard as we possibly could,” he recalled. “I was sweating so much, I felt like I had stepped in a shower with all my clothes on. I spilled a bottle of water directly over a power strip, and somehow it kept going. It really was a fun show.”
Kaser also tried to define the band’s style, explaining: “It’s hyper-eclectic, accelerated pop music, really. It’s obviously got a hardcore and punk tilt; we’re not doing anything too complex in terms of song forms, they’re short and hard-hitting. But you never know what sound is going to pop up next – our focus is to not get pinned down into a set of aesthetics, but to stay nimble and keep it natural.”
He added, “It felt like we were a little too goofy for the hardcore scene and a little too hardcore for the more poppy electronic world. We fell into a weird middle ground by being very uncompromising, aesthetically. And I wouldn’t change that for anything in the world.”
Our second album “Theft World” comes out May 1st via @partisanrecords. The first single “Legs In A Snare” is out today with a video directed by @yacolty
We will also be setting out on a North American tour with @flatwoundsny and @bejalvin as support
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY pic.twitter.com/dTUoCJPoFv
— lipcritic (@lipcritic) February 10, 2026
Fresh from a busy autumn of touring last year, Lip Critic are back on the road in North America with two shows later this month, followed by a May and June tour that will take in cities including Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas and Philadelphia, as well as Troy in their native New York.
Support comes from Bejalvin and Flatwounds, and tickets are on sale now – find them here.
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