Photo by Marcus Maddox

An hour or so west of Jersey’s cinematic mob scenes, the Philadelphia experimental shoegaze rock quintet Knifeplay are similarly gazing into the existential oblivion with “Promise”, the first single from their sophomore effort and first for Topshelf Records, Animal Drowning. “You’re born into this shit / And you are what you are,” circles Tj Strohmer around the drain, at times caught between sinking right in or fighting the downward spiral. Reality can be cruel but can also be a beautiful thing if you see it for what it is, and Knifeplay embody all of that in their sound: Stretches of bliss until being suddenly ripped apart by the void. The best you can do is learn how to best survive this life.

Directed by: Ben Turok

Fall Tour Dates:

Knifeplay’s Animal Drowning will be released October 19th on Topshelf Records.