Hot Chip announces ninth album ‘A Long Way From Kansas’

British indie band Hot Chip has announced their ninth studio album, ‘A Long Way From Kansas’, scheduled for release on January 8 via Domino Records. The announcement includes the release of the first single, ‘Random Violence’.

The track serves as a tribute to Keith McIvor, the DJ and promoter from the Scottish electronic duo Optimo, who passed away in September following a diagnosis of an inoperable brain tumor. Band members Joe Goddard and Alexis Taylor noted that McIvor’s passion for music and socialism heavily inspired the lyrics. The song reflects on memories of the Sub Club in Glasgow, where the band met McIvor 20 years ago.

Alexis Taylor described the new album as a reflection of the current global climate, noting that the music was created against a backdrop that feels “cruel, discordant, violent and depressing.” This marks the band's first studio album since 2022’s ‘Freakout/Release’.