Hot Chip have announced their forthcoming album, A Long Way From Kansas, scheduled for release on January 8. The news arrives alongside the lead single “Random Violence,” a tribute to the late Optimo DJ JD Twitch, accompanied by a Jack Cole-directed video.
“Last September, our dear friend and brilliant DJ Keith McIvor of Optimo in Glasgow passed away following a diagnosis of an inoperable brain tumor a few months prior,” Joe Goddard explained in a statement. “He was the primary inspiration behind the song’s lyrics. He was a passionate music lover and a staunch socialist. Many of the lines address his passing directly, as well as memories of nights at the Sub Club in Glasgow, where we first met twenty years ago.”
A Long Way From Kansas marks the first time bandmember Felix Martin takes lead vocal duties on a Hot Chip record. The album also features contributions from Beth Ditto and Eddie Chacon. It follows their 2022 release, Freakout/Release. In the interim, the band issued a 2025 reissue of their greatest-hits compilation Joy In Repetition, appeared in the second season of Netflix’s Beef, and celebrated the 20th anniversary of their sophomore album, The Warning.
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