Last we heard from NYC alt-rockers GIFT, they were leaning into their European celebrity and hammering out the rulebook for something called “jazz ball” while playing then-new songs from 2024’s Illuminator LP overseas. In the meantime, the band has released a slew of demos and remixes and solidified their touring chops—including an imminent set of dates planned for the UK, followed by North American shows opening for Temples. It turns out that all this touring will provide an opportunity to tease some new material set to be included on their third album, Frenzy for the Thrill, which will drop January 15 via Captured Tracks.
The record’s lead single “Hand to the Flame” arrives today, introducing the upbeat sound of the record as a dance-punkier take on their usual blend of dream pop and new wave. The track also lays out some of the themes of catharsis that wind through the record. “‘Hand to the Flame’ is holding onto passion, and what makes us human while the world falls apart,” the band explains. “Desperately chasing passion in a passionless world. Like charging full-speed toward something you know will eventually hurt you. Repeatedly putting your hand in the flame with the same outcome, knowing it will always be the same outcome but hoping it will be different. There’s romance in the chase, regardless of whether or not it’s going to hurt when you get to the end.”
As for the album itself, GIFT add that its 11 tracks address the exact concept they’re exploring with the experimental music behind the lyrics. “Frenzy for the Thrill is a reckless and cathartic chase into the unknown. It’s obsessive, a little self-destructive, but it feels like release. There’s a kind of freedom in recklessly running toward something, even when you can sense how it ends.”
Check out the aptly reckless video for “Hand to the Flame” below, and pre-order Frenzy for the Thrill here. You can also find all of GIFT’s upcoming tour dates here.
