On an undersold Thursday night at the Lodge Room on a quiet night in Highland Park, MSPAINT made their tour stop in Los Angeles to support the No Separation EP. They brought with them Pat and the Pissers and a band that caught my attention at the end of 2024, Lip Critic.
I really love MSPAINT but I traveled cross town to see what the fuck this weird, experimental band Lip Critic would sound like live and how the fuck they made the sounds that had been coming out of my speaker the last 6 months.
I arrived in time for a REALLY great band out of Indianapolis- Pat and the Pissers. They are a interesting Descendents punk mix of confrontational, charismatic and borderline technical players. Bass player Kilmer stood out immediately but I quickly realized that the entire band was tight and lead singer Alex Beckman was born to sing at people.
related: Model/Actriz- Pirouette New Album/Bend Bodies/Break Brains
At the end of an extended schmoke break between sets, we heard strange rumblings and sounds coming from the venue. We rushed upstairs to find the 4 Lip Critic lunatics thrashing about the stage, 30 seconds into their set with both bass and energy wobbling the Lodge Room- no lube. Vocalist, composer, and dare I say, leader of Lip Critic, Bret Kaser was gesticulating and pleading at the audience wildy as his fingers tapped at his sampler in violent rhythms. Sample/synth sibling, Connor Kleitz bent his body into shamanic contorted dances that were ½ time movements compared to Kaser’s body moving in 1/16th notes.
No faster than the phrase band leader came into my head, Ilan Natter counts in to a new song, mid rant on the topic of Kaser’s divorce- Kaser was ready. Something tells me Lip Critic are always ready.
Lip Critic drummers Danny Eberle and Ilan Natter didn’t seem to have any monitors in their ears and weren’t noticeably playing to any click track- seemingly just cues and quick looks on the rare occasions they fell temporarily out of rhythm. Getting back in rhythm with two drummers without a click is quite a bit harder than starting in rhythm and I witnessed them do it twice without totally fucking up the song.
related: Enter Das Bunker- Summer Massive 2025
When Lip Critic started the sample for the the B side of the Mirror Match single, “Second Life” released just this past July, we had no idea that all heaven would break loose.
I don’t want to say that Lip Critic upstaged MSPAINT. But I will say that I LOVE that bands like MSPAINT are confident enough to take a band like Lip Critic out on the road with them. Not because they are better but because there are very few bands that ever existed that can match that type of energy. DeeDee was even rockin Lip Critic merch on his back when MSPAINT took the stage.
related: Sound and Fury 2025- Everybody Spin Kick!
MSPAINT is a boundary-pushing American synth-punk and post-hardcore band formed in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in 2019 . The quartet—DeeDee (vocals), Quinn Mackey (drums), Nick Panella (synthesizer), and Randy Riley (bass)—made an artistic decision from the start: no guitar. Even though they are nowhere near the first to execute this feat in rock, This omission sets MSPAINT apart as they infiltrate the hardcore scene, enabling them to craft a uniquely raw, experimental sound.
Launching with their self-titled debut EP in March 2020, MSPAINT quickly built a reputation within the DIY and hardcore scenes . Their experimental mix of synth-punk, art-punk, and industrial post-hardcore earned them descriptions like “industrial art-punk” or playful genre labels such as “post-modeM” and I love any band that can’t fit into any 5 genre’s perfectly.
In 2023, MSPAINT released their first full-length album, Post-American. Recorded partly at synth player Nick Panella’s home studio, the album combined violent rhythms with hopeful, introspective lyrics. Critics praised its experimental structure and ability to subvert expectations.
What other blogs have said about MSPAINT
Nina Corcoran of Pitchfork highlighted the effective balance of frenetic rhythms and tranquil synths, while Paste, Stereogum, Exclaim!, and BrooklynVegan all featured the album prominently in their year-end best-of lists .
In 2025, the band followed up with the EP No Separation, released through Convulse Records. Produced by Julian Cashwan Pratt and Harlan Steed (of Show Me the Body), the EP leans into industrial textures, heavier breakdowns, and socio-political commentary. It was praised for advocating collective optimism, resistance to conformity, and unity—anchored by powerful synths, grit of the bass, and Deedee’s impassioned poetry .
According to a recent Washington Post profile, MSPAINT’s lyrics confront digital overload, capitalism, and existential crises with vivid metaphors and urgent punchlines—delivered with both accessibility and emotional depth.
A little about Lip Critic…
Lip Critic is a New York–based electronic punk quartet formed in 2018 at SUNY Purchase, known for their maximalist, genre-defying, and intensely energetic live performances . The lineup features Bret Kaser (vocals, synth), Connor Kleitz (sampler/synth), Danny Eberle (drums), and Ilan Natter (drums) . With a lineup of two drummers and two samplers—and the continuing theme of no guitars—Lip Critic breaks conventional punk molds through raw, chaotic, and immersive soundscapes and most importantly, a frenetic, manic live show that is a magnetic experience, even if you “don’t like that kind of music”.
Their debut full-length album, Hex Dealer, dropped on May 17, 2024, via Partisan Records, featuring a fierce blend of dance punk, digital hardcore, heavy noise, drum ‘n’ bass and hip-hop .
What Other Blogs Have Said About Lip Critic
Pitchfork praised its genre-hopping mastery; NME gave it 5/5 for its “wildly imaginative” chaos; Paste praised its “trenchant critiques of capitalism” wrapped in “a silly, goofy album” by a “silly, goofy band” .
Lip Critic’s identity began in improvisatory cross-genre experimentation. Their early shows involved swirling samplers, two drummers, and Bret’s preacher-like monologues—resulting in an electrifying, performance-oriented ethos where audience unpredictability energizes the band’s chaos .
Rooted in underground New York DIY and art-punk scenes, Lip Critic has rapidly earned a reputation as a “band of the moment” . Rough Trade spotlighted them as emerging artists to watch, while they’ve supported acts like Screaming Females and performed alongside IDLES across US dates .
Their sound is abrasive yet absurd, structured yet spontaneous—pushing boundaries while keeping crowds moving and laughing . Lip Critic’s brand of electronic punk recontextualizes the live show as immersive performance art—an adrenaline rush fuelled by DIY ethos, electronic experimentation, and high-octane stage presence.
Tour Spotlight: MSPAINT + Lip Critic
MSPAINT and Lip Critic are wrapping up a tour- it must’ve been quite a string of live sets across the U.S. if the Lodge Room stop was any indication. This was a high-energy tour circuit featuring both synth-punk and electronic punk dispatches. Pat and the Pissers were the perfect balancing point for the lineup- adding traditional melody and instrumentation to an experimental slate of bands but still keeping it punk as fuck.
These performances have ignited underground venues from Portland to Pittsburgh. This collaborative tour not only showcases MSPAINT’s industrial art-punk flare and Lip Critic’s explosive experimental chaos but also reinforces a shared underground spirit—demonstrating how diverse punk subgenres can converge into one synchronized showdown of sonic intensity and performance art energy.
Words: Danny Baraz
Photos: Taylor Wong
