Covert Contracts, by CONTROL TOP

Covert Contracts

by CONTROL TOP

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Josh Steichmann Tuscadero meets the A-Frames and belts out catchy, angular nuggets that never overstay their welcome. Favorite track: Chain Reaction.

rocketingskyward Its difficult if not impossible to pick a favorite track. This band reminds me of my favorite AmRep bands from the 90s....which I still listen to heavily today. I also hear hints of the Jesus Lizard and Sleater -Kinney, both of which I love as well. Looking forward to a live show soon I hope! Favorite track: Unapologetic.

DeadHooliganXXL Halloween 2021 at the TLA
I needed this! Favorite track: Office Rage.

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1.	Type A 02:23	lyrics	buy track
Type A Why do you have to be that way Type A There’s always something more to say Type A You always have to get your way Why don’t you get out Get out of my way The thought of chaos worries you Only your solution will do I see right through your power trip One loose screw and you will slip Static vision Cold precision Manic control Hands off my soul Who gave you the right to decide what’s right Your false authority is dreadful and boring me The thought of chaos worries you Only your solution will do I see right through your power trip One loose screw and you will slip Type A Why do you have to be that way Type A There’s always something more to say Type A You always have to get your way Why don’t you get out Get out of my way You always have to get your way The thought of chaos worries you Only your solution will do I see right through your power trip One loose screw and you will slip
2.	Office Rage 02:55	lyrics
Office rage Rattling the cage One night on the stage Next day in a daze Office rage More work for less pay Done with the display Don’t mistake your fate Staring at a screen Makes me itch and scream Click click click click click Makes me fucking sick Talking on the phone Just wanna be alone Service with a smile Eat shit Office rage Digging your own grave Don’t you dare delay Quit your job today Staring at a screen Makes me itch and scream Click click click click click Makes me fucking sick Talking on the phone Just wanna be alone Service with a smile Eat shit
3.	Chain Reaction 02:42	lyrics	buy track
Runaway chain reaction Burning up satisfaction Light the wick, pull the trigger What started small is getting bigger Ricochet downward spiral One more word and it goes viral Light the wick, pull the trigger What started small is getting bigger I'm looking for an open door But all I see is a broken mirror Do anything to prove you're right Lose everything to win the fight Light the wick, pull the trigger What started small is getting bigger No one likes to take the blame In the end, we're all the same Light the wick, pull the trigger What started small is getting bigger I'm looking for an open door But all I see is a broken mirror I can't take it anymore I wish I could disappear Runaway chain reaction Burning up satisfaction Light the wick, pull the trigger What started small is getting bigger I'm looking for an open door But all I see is a broken mirror I can't take it anymore I wish I could disappear
4.	Unapologetic 03:54	lyrics
Unapologetic This pattern is pathetic Don’t tell me I’m frenetic Or you’re going to regret it I’m sorry but doesn’t count Weak excuses start to mount It wasn’t your intention you say To make me feel this goddamn way Who’s the bull in the china shop now Check out this spectacular cow Breaking things because nothing stays gold Damaged goods can still be sold Unapologetic Your delusion is poetic I need an anesthetic So I can just forget it I’m sorry but doesn’t count Pride forever paramount It wasn’t your intention you say To make me feel this goddamn way Who’s the bull in the china shop now Check out this spectacular cow Breaking things because nothing stays gold Damaged goods can still be sold Unapologetic Cold and apathetic Unapologetic Never said it like you meant it Who’s the bull in the china shop now Check out this spectacular cow Breaking things because nothing stays gold Damaged goods can still be sold
5.	Straight Jackets 02:25	lyrics
Can’t cope This culture’s got me in a chokehold Thick smoke Trying to speak but I can’t stop coughing I can’t see the sky But I know that it’s there And I can’t breathe tonight We’re all living in fear Solitude is the only freedom we have Because society has us in straight jackets Can’t cope So sick and worked up gonna explode Short rope I gotta move now, I can’t stop running I can’t see the sky But I know that it’s there And I can’t breathe tonight We’re all living in fear Solitude is the only freedom we have Because society has us in straight jackets Straight jackets
6.	Covert Contracts 02:41	lyrics
Paralyzed by endless information Too consumed to have imagination Nonconsensual infatuation Scrolling on and on until sedation Covert contracts I can’t relax Everything looks like a commercial It’s a brand to be controversial First step is to give up your attention Next step is to give up your intention Then one day you’re locked up for dissension It was all built into the invention Covert contracts I can’t relax Everything looks like a commercial It’s a brand to be controversial
7.	Betrayed 02:44	lyrics
Betrayed by the nation Betrayed by the fight Betrayed by the cronies on the left and the right Betrayed I’ve been betrayed Betrayed by justice Betrayed by the truth But worst of all I’ve been betrayed by you Betrayed I’ve been betrayed Nowhere to turn Nowhere to go What do you do When you’re all alone Betrayed by the dollar Betrayed by the divide Betrayed by the relentless will to survive Betrayed I’ve been betrayed Betrayed by ambition Betrayed by the truth But worst of all I’ve been betrayed by you Betrayed I’ve been betrayed Betrayed by the future Betrayed by the past Betrayed by the present fleeing so fast Betrayed I’ve been betrayed Betrayed by emotion Betrayed by the truth But worst of all I’ve been betrayed by you Betrayed I’ve been betrayed Nowhere to turn Nowhere to go What do you do When you’re all alone
8.	Ego Deaf 02:11	lyrics
I’m trying to love you But I hate all men And I want to hate you For being one of them You can’t stand to hear me Bitch and yell But if your ego is deaf How can your love be real If your ego is deaf How can your love be real It’s not your fault Men are raised to abuse If you don’t believe me Take a look at the news Rapists in the spotlight Cheered with zeal If your ego is deaf How can your love be real If your ego is deaf How can your love be real While you’re clearly better Than the rest There are certain truths You haven’t addressed I’ll try to love you If you’ll turn the wheel But if your ego is deaf How can your love be real If your ego is deaf How can your love be real
9.	Traffic 01:30	lyrics
Can’t waste my time Waiting in line Red, yellow, green mean nothing to me Racing through the streets with electric speed Mental traffic Wreaking havoc I can’t stand it I won’t have it Can’t waste my time Waiting in line Patriarchy means nothing to me Breaking through the scene, getting off my knees Mental traffic Wreaking havoc I can’t stand it I won’t have it Permission is an invention To keep us trapped in convention Sometimes the moment passes Urgency turns to molasses Got to grab it Can’t waste my time Waiting in line Dreams are the only things with meaning Unchaining my brain, entering the ring Mental traffic Wreaking havoc I can’t stand it I won’t have it Got to grab it
10.	Prism 03:33	lyrics
I don’t wanna be Everything to everybody I wanna be all of me I’m not afraid of inconsistency I’ve taken time to reflect I’m ready for who I’ll become next What is this sense of elation Could it be liberation I won’t say it again Don’t make me say it again A prism is not a prison You can be many things And still be whole A prism is not a prison You don’t owe anyone An explanation I don’t wanna be Put in a box by conformity I wanna be all of me I’m not afraid of possibility I’ve taken time to reflect I’m ready for who I’ll become next Change is a celebration I get off on cognitive flirtation I won’t say it again Don’t make me say it again A prism is not a prison You can be many things And still be whole A prism is not a prison You don’t owe anyone An explanation
11.	Black Hole 02:00	lyrics
Nothing is given And we’re always taking We’re in a black hole Of our own making We’re giving speeches Yet no one’s translating We have solutions Yet no one’s debating We’ll believe a lie If it’s intoxicating We’re going nowhere Yet we can’t stop pacing We’re now obsolete Yet our heads are inflating We’re doing nothing Yet our hearts are racing Nothing is given We’re always taking

about

Covert contracts rule our world: manipulative relationships, encoded social norms, opaque technologies. “With a covert contract, the trick is that the agreement is only known by the person who makes it,” says Ali Carter, singer and bassist of Philly post-punk trio Control Top. “The other person is oblivious. Consent is impossible. A void of communication opens up a world of misunderstanding.”

In an era of such impossibilities, Control Top—Carter with guitarist Al Creedon and drummer Alex Lichtenauer—rip open space for catharsis. Their explosive songs are a synthesis of varied interests and backgrounds: Carter’s innate sense of new wave melodies, Creedon’s sirening noise guitars, Lichtenauer’s feverish hardcore drumming.

On their debut full-length Covert Contracts, out now via Get Better Records, the songwriting is fully a collaboration of Carter and Creedon. Carter’s voice thumps and screams and deadpans while her driving, hooky basslines play out like guitar leads. Creedon, also the band’s engineer and producer, balances composition and chaos, equally inspired by pop and no-wave.

With her lyrics, Carter responds to feeling trapped and overwhelmed in a capitalist patriarchy, offering indictments of wrongdoing and abuse of power, odes to empathy and ego death, as well as declarations of self-determination.

These songs hit even harder when you consider how close this band came to not existing at all. Despite being involved in underground music communities for years, Carter didn’t start Control Top (her first band) until age 25. Disillusioned by punk, Creedon had all but abandoned guitar. But Control Top felt exciting, a chance to experiment: to rethink the relationship between guitar and bass and use samplers to add new dimensions. Meanwhile, Lichtenauer had quit playing drums after an abusive situation in a previous band that had ruined playing music for them, and joining Control Top was an opportunity for rebirth.

At once anthemic and chilling, Covert Contracts puts words to today’s unspoken anxieties. Brimming with post-punk poetry for 2019, it’s the sound of agency being reclaimed.

credits

released April 5, 2019

Covert Contracts was recorded and mixed in Philadelphia by Al Creedon (Priests, Pouty, Taiwan Housing Project) and Jeff Zeigler (Kurt Vile, The War On Drugs, Allison Crutchfield). The album was mastered by Emily Lazar.

Control Top is:

Ali Carter - bass/vocals
Al Creedon - guitar
Alex Lichtenauer - drums

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about

CONTROL TOP Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Al (he), Ali (she), Alex (they)

ONE GOOD DAY
+
COVERT CONTRACTS @getbetterrecords

CONTACT: controltopband@gmail.com

BOOK: geoff@groundcontroltouring.com

UK/EU: roxane@atc-live.com

PR: alexc@grandstandhq.com jaclynu@grandstandhq.com ... more

discography

One Good Day

Mar 2020
Covert Contracts

Apr 2019
Type A

Mar 2018
S/T

Apr 2016

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