Montreal/LA trio American Lips have released new album On Strike! via Ancient Fashion Records. It’s the kind of angular art-punk record that makes you remember why you need to listen to more new music!
Sebastien Grainger from Death From Above 1979 is behind the kit. But if you’re expecting DFA’s dance-punk thunder, you’re in for something altogether more twisted. You can hear the DNA of Gang of Four and Talking Heads in these grooves, but American Lips mutate those influences into something distinctly their own.
Frontman Adrian Popovich (who you might know from Tricky Woo and FRVITS) brings a sardonic edge that cuts through the noise like a rusty blade through corporate bullshit. Alongside bassist Jessica Bruzzese, the trio creates something that feels genuine.
The album’s standout tracks read like dispatches from late-stage capitalism’s fever dream. ‘Cardboard Trash‘ skewers consumer culture with the kind of dark humour that makes you laugh before you realise you’re part of the joke. ‘On Strike‘ and ‘Sleep‘ tackle the exhaustion of modern life. Meanwhile, ‘Got It Made‘ drags the crumbling promise of empire across hot coals, leaving scorch marks you’ll feel long after the needle lifts.
The production, handled by Popovich and mixed by Grainger, keeps things resolutely analogue and human. It’s noisy, it’s imperfect, and it’s absolutely alive. This is one for the record collectors, the college radio die-hards, and anyone who thinks rock music got too comfortable somewhere along the way.
