Lip Critic announce new album and tour, share “Legs in a Snare”

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Lip Critic have announced a new album, Theft World, which is out May 1 via Partisan. The band’s Brent Kaser and Connor Kleitz produced it. The themes of the album were born out of a very unusual situation which I’ll just quote from the press release:

‘Theft World’’s inception began while the band was on tour for their Partisan debut ‘Hex Dealer,’ when frontman Bret Kaser discovered his identity had been stolen and that someone had used his personal information to make hundreds of purchases, including buying the band’s entire discography on Bandcamp.

When they tracked down the scammer, the band encountered the culprit: a young fan in a ‘Five Nights At Freddy’’s zip up who recited the stolen social security number and eagerly confessed, explaining that he believed the band’s music contained hidden codes forming an elaborate scavenger hunt he had successfully completed. Rather than involving the police, they recorded him at a 24-hour halal spot as he enthusiastically described his imagined mythology — complete with strange characters and alternate spaces — embedded in the songs, which initially seemed incoherent but gradually became captivating. When work began on a new album, their existing material felt dull compared to the vivid, accidental universe the fan had invented, prompting the band to abandon its previous plans and instead create the album he believed already existed.

“’Theft World’ is an ode to the power and pervasiveness of stealing,” the band say. “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 first single from the album is “Legs in a Snare,” which is powered by Lip Critic’s two-drummer attack and Kaser’s all-in vocal performance. You can watch the video, directed by Colter Fellows, below.

Lip Critic have also announced a spring tour, which is with Bejalvin and Flatwounds depending on the date. There’s currently no NYC show but hopefully that will change soon. Before the tour, Lip Critic have a couple midwest dates this month, including Chicago club Empty Bottle’s annual free outdoor festival Music Frozen Dancing on February 21 with Los Thuthanaka, Good Flying Birds, Snuffed, and Body Shop. All dates are listed below.

Theft World:
1. Two Lucks
2. Jackpot
3. Debt Forest
4. Talon
5. Charity Dinner
6. Drumming With Izzy
7. My Blush (Strength Of The Critic)
8. Shoplifting
9. Legs In A Snare
10. My Wife And The Goblin
11. Yard Sale (230 Take)
12. 200 Bottles of Eviction

Lip Critic 2026 tour dates:
Feb 19, 2026: Gabe’s – Iowa City, IA
Feb 21, 2026: Music Frozen Dancing – Chicago, IL
May 25, 2026: No Fun – Troy, NY % &
May 26, 2026: The Rockwell – Boston, MA % &
May 27, 2026: La Sala Rossa – Montreal, QC % &
May 28, 2026: The Garrison – Toronto, ON % &
May 29, 2026: The Sanctuary – Detroit, MI % &
May 30, 2026: Beat Kitchen – Chicago, IL % &
June 2, 2026: Hi-Dive – Denver, CO % &
June 4, 2026: Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT % &
June 5, 2026: Holland Project – Reno, NV % &
June 7, 2026: Barboza – Seattle, WA % &
June 8, 2026: Wise Hall – Vancouver, BC % &
June 9, 2026: Polaris Hall – Portland, OR % &
June 11, 2026: Cafe Colonial – Sacramento, CA % &
June 12, 2026: Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA % &
June 13, 2026: Zebulon – Los Angeles, CA % &
June 14, 2026: Valley Bar – Phoenix, AZ % &
June 17, 2026: 29th Street Ballroom – Austin, TX % &
June 18, 2026: Dada – Dallas, TX % &
June 19, 2026: Fat Cat – Hattiesburg, MS % &
June 20, 2026: Masquerade (Altar) – Atlanta, GA % &
June 21, 2026: Pinhook – Durham, NC % &
June 23, 2026: Little Giant @ Bottlerocket Social Hall – Pittsburgh, PA % &
June 24, 2026: PhilaMOCA – Philadelphia, PA % &