Here at Studio One, we’re starting to see a slow trickle of songs coming in from albums that will be released in January. It’s a strange reminder that it’ll be 2027 before we know it, and it’s also comforting to see artists we’re big fans of gearing up to release new music. The latest comes to us from the English synth pop band Hot Chip.
It’s not the first time they’ve made an appearance in the culture recently: Hot Chip appeared earlier this year in an episode of the Netflix show Beef, where they performed with series regular Oscar Isaac. (If you’re a regular Studio One listener, it will not surprise you to hear that Tressa Glass was the one who brought this piece of trivia to our attention.) The band's new album, A Long Way From Kansas, takes its inspiration partially from The Wizard Of Oz.
According to the album’s page on the Domino Recording Co. website, the title is “a nod towards Dorothy, her dog and the distance they needed to travel to get back home and find some sense of normality … the band’s ninth album finds its own way to celebrate life even as the edges all around it burn.” The lead single, “Random Violence,” also serves as a tribute to JD Twitch, a Glasgow-based club DJ who died in September 2025.
“He largely inspired the words of (‘Random Violence’),” said Joe Goddard of Hot Chip, in a statement. “He was a passionate music lover and a staunch believer in socialism. Many of the words relate directly to his death and to memories of being in Sub Club in Glasgow where we met 20 years ago.”
The song may well remind you of LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends,” which may not be an accident. Al Doyle of Hot Chip is also a member of LCD Soundsystem, and that band was also friends with Twitch. Most of the song’s lyrics strike me as a bit inscrutable, but when the chorus of “You gave me something to believe in” comes around, I don’t mind at all. “Random Violence” feels like a hopeful anthem that would also work at a sporting event, or ... maybe even a wedding reception? That might be wishful thinking, or maybe this song has given me something to believe in after all.
A Long Way From Kansas will be released Jan. 8. “Random Violence” is available on streaming services, along with the rest of Hot Chip’s music.
