Hey everyone, Quickthony Taketano here, the Internet's fastest music nerd, and it is time for a review of this Lip Critic album Theft World.

Lip Critic is a music outfit that formed in the late 2010s. They're based out of New York from what I understand, and while this is not their second album, it is the second Lip Critic album I am aware of, as I first heard about these guys back in 2024 through their Hex Dealer album, a record that seemingly had a lot of noise, a lot of fury, a lot of aggressive sounds to it at its core, but didn't really stop me in my tracks. It was a bold listen for sure, but there wasn't a whole lot in terms of melodies or grooves, lyrics, songwriting, whatever, that was kind of translating through the chaos for me. Which I will say the responsibility for that, the problem there, could have very much been me kind of experiencing a very chaotic 2024 musically.

Thankfully, I was able to actually sit down and focus on this new record from the and also sort of be aware of them enough to follow along with all of the singles and teasers that were dropping in the lead-up to this record, too.

So, with all of that, I think I was better primed to appreciate Lip Critic's sound a little bit more this time around. But kind of doing a side-to-side comparison of Theft World with Lip Critic's last, the band's sound and production is definitely, I think, a little bit clearer and more focused this time around. The sound's more balanced, so you really can make everything out that's going on. And much of the time, it sort of feels like they're trying to craft as many unique and standout tones and textures as possible, rather than aggressively and violently throwing them all together for a really explosive, very blaring and deafening effect.

The band also has a very wide array of influences that I think they're doing a better job of not completely drowning in this time around. With their last record, I feel like I was really only reading the most punk and sometimes hip-hop-coded elements of their sound, but on Theft World, I would say if you are an appreciator of digital hardcore and acts that borrow heavily from that sound, such as Death Grips or Machine Girl, there's a lot here for you. I would also compare the band's sound to, I dunno, what DEVO would sound like if they had to write songs for or perform to an industrial rave. New music internet frontier weirdos such as MSPAINT, as well as The Garden, I think share a lot of influence and esthetic overlap with Lip Critic too.

I think I would also be remiss if I didn't point out what feels like an obvious point of similarity for me, and that's frontman Bret Kaser's sort of nasally, shouty, direct vocal delivery I think having a lot that, to me, feels similar to Fred Schneider of B-52's — "Gotta goin' like this!"— which, you know, frankly, I love some Fred Schneider vocals. It may not be intentionally what he's going for, but I feel like it's just the perfect alteration. It's the perfect type of delivery to be doing these flows, executing these flows throughout these tracks that are clearly like super duper hip-hop influenced.

I would say again, very obviously Death Grips influenced on some tracks. But, again, given the tone and the vocal inflections, it doesn't come across like he's doing some kind of like rap performance, even if again, at its core, that essentially it is what it is.

But look, the more I listened to this album, the more I was truly excited about it, and kind of blown away that I think Lip Critic is really doing something with a sound, or an assembly of sounds, that for a minute, I think a lot of experimental music enthusiasts might have thought was a little dead in the water, or just about everything that was interesting in this field had already been done, there's not really anything else exciting that could possibly happen, or if there is, we would be kind of sitting around waiting for one of the already established leaders in this lane to come along and do it once again.

But no, Lip Critic's very passionate, explosive, forward-thinking, exciting sound on this record is just nothing but thrills on this tracklist from beginning to end, with sharp, very well-structured songs, creative and surprising production, and sample source material seemingly on the second track, which is a real highlight for me.

The song "Jackpot," there is what sounds like a sample of a fire alarm bell thrown into mix at different pitches to create like a lead melody. The following, "Dead Forest," is just as exciting. And surprisingly, track 5, "Charity Dinner," feels almost like the band is going to a Battles-influenced math rock type of thing, but, uh, you know, with some great lead vocals.

Also very much loving the strong contrast between the incredibly catchy verses and choruses on "My Blush." And "Shoplifting" has almost some breakdowns, some low-key passages that feel almost pop and R&B influenced, and yet they're pulled off so well for a band whose sound dominantly is so aggressive and so over the top. This is actually an element of their sound I wouldn't mind hearing them explore a bit more into the future.

For sure, there are some moments where it feels like the band's songwriting ideas or overall sound are a little too derivative, be it either on "Drumming with Izzy" or the end of "Talon." But the record ends just as intensely as it starts, and even if there isn't a whole lot of attention being paid to the macro-picture of this album, because it's a pretty short, brief project, with a tracklist that operates in sort of this gauntlet of bangers format. Each song still contains elements that make it distinct, that make it stand out, that make it bold and memorable in its own way.

And again, when it comes to kind of this new frontier of aggressive, punk, terminally online, electronically fused, fun weirdo vanguard music, not only is Lip Critic onto something, they're actually doing something. And that's without even getting into all the super sharp, zany, absurd social commentary going on in much of the lyrics. Just one more thing that makes this album pretty fun to replay. Which is why I'm feeling about a decent to strong 8 on this project.

Anthony Fantano, Lip Critic. Forever.