Hot Chip Announce New Album and Share Song for Late Optimo DJ JD Twitch
Hot Chip will release their new album A Long Way From Kansas on January 8. The lead single, “Random Violence,” honors Keith McIvor, the Optimo DJ known as JD Twitch, who died after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. The album includes guest appearances from Beth Ditto and Eddie Chacon, and marks Felix Martin’s first lead vocal on a Hot Chip record.
Hot Chip’s forthcoming record, A Long Way From Kansas, arrives January 8. Its first offering, “Random Violence,” remembers Keith McIvor—the Glasgow Optimo figure known as JD Twitch—who died following an inoperable brain tumor diagnosis. A Jack Cole-directed clip accompanies it.
Joe Goddard said McIvor, a friend met two decades ago at Glasgow’s Sub Club, shaped the song’s lyrics. The album includes Beth Ditto and Eddie Chacon, and Felix Martin sings lead for the first time on a Hot Chip LP. It follows 2022’s Freakout/Release.
The tribute could resonate with electronic-music fans, Glasgow clubgoers, and listeners who followed JD Twitch’s Optimo work, offering a public way to process his death. Hot Chip’s announcement may draw new attention to McIvor’s legacy while building anticipation for the album among the band’s audience. Guest turns from Beth Ditto and Eddie Chacon, plus Felix Martin’s first lead vocal, may broaden interest, though the record’s reach will likely depend on how listeners connect with its grief-tinged lead single.