Knifeplay have announced their third album, What Is Truth?, and shared the 10-minute lead single “Love Song”. The Philadelphia band, led by TJ Strohmer, released their breakthrough sophomore record Animal Drowning back in 2022. Since then, they have toured intermittently, put out annual updates to their ephemeral Christmas EP, and released the live collection Live In Seattle, which featured several unreleased epics begging for a studio treatment.
Now those songs are finally part of a proper Knifeplay LP. The album arrives on January 22nd via Double Double Whammy, and it runs almost 80 minutes. The title nods to Pontius Pilate, though the band has not confirmed exactly what that reference means.
The Long Wait For What Is Truth?
The wait between albums has been long for Knifeplay fans. Animal Drowning came out in 2022, and the band has spent the years since touring and releasing smaller projects. The Christmas EP updates kept the band visible, but the live collection Live In Seattle hinted at bigger ambitions.
That record featured several unreleased epics, and now those songs have found their permanent home on What Is Truth?. The album is preceded by the 10-minute lead single “Love Song”, which arrives today alongside a statement from Ben Turok, who directed the video.
“I had planned most of what we shot but of course some things just happened and that’s most of what I liked in the end,” Turok said. “I wanted to make something epic in scope, that had all this beauty and emotion baked into its images.”
The Album’s Tracklist
What Is Truth? packs twelve tracks across almost 80 minutes. The record opens with “Toil” and closes with “Please Let The Children Be Artists”. In between sit familiar names from the Live In Seattle set, including “Agonizing Mountain”, “Flowers Must Die”, and “Stars”.
Here is the full running order:
| # | Track |
|---|---|
| 01 | “Toil” |
| 02 | “Little Candle” |
| 03 | “Agonizing Mountain” |
| 04 | “Flowers Must Die” |
| 05 | “Joy” |
| 06 | “Close Your Eyes” |
| 07 | “Toil (Reprise)” |
| 08 | “Lord, Where Are You?” |
| 09 | “Stars” |
| 10 | “Love Song” |
| 11 | “Take The Light” |
| 12 | “Please Let The Children Be Artists” |
The Love Song Video
Turok directed the video for “Love Song”, and his statement offers a rare look at how these things actually get made. He cast a real 20-year-old couple and drove them from Los Angeles to New York for the shoot.
“It’s the kind of record you would have stuffed onto a CD-R back in the days when Low were still on Kranky, when Red House Painters were still working, when Ida were making a major label pay for their masterpiece,” the official bio reads.
That line captures the album’s ambition. Knifeplay are making music that feels handmade, intimate, and sprawling all at once.
The Tour Dates And The Live Record
Knifeplay are also announcing a tour to support the album. The schedule includes two shows in Pennsylvania, with dates in Harrisburg and Philadelphia.
| Date | Location | Venue | Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/10 | Harrisburg, PA | Capital City Music Hall | w/ Hase & Full Body 2 DJ Set |
| 12/11 | Philadelphia, PA | Mini Mart | w/ Rhododendron |
The live collection Live In Seattle was a strong indicator of what the full-length might sound like. Those songs now have their definitive versions on What Is Truth?, and the album’s length suggests Knifeplay are not rushing anything.
What We Know About Knifeplay
Strohmer leads Knifeplay, and the band’s sound has been described as dreamy, dreary, and deeply dramatic. They were called a Philadelphia Band To Watch, a designation that carries no single source or list behind it.
The album’s length is notable. Almost 80 minutes is a commitment, and it suggests Knifeplay are willing to let a song breathe. The reprise of “Toil” at track seven also points to a record that values structure over brevity.
The Singles And The Release Plan
“Love Song” is the lead single, and its 10-minute runtime matches the album’s epic scale. The video, made by Ben Turok, captures a couple on a road trip from Los Angeles to New York.
The release plan is simple. The album is out on January 22nd, and pre-orders are available now. The tour dates in Harrisburg and Philadelphia will give fans their first chance to hear the album live.
The album is out on January 22nd, and it is worth the wait.
See the video the story is built around at Stereogum.
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