Rising Austin-based outfit Die Spitz — Ava Schrobilgen, Chloe De St. Aubin, Ellie Livingston and Kate Halter — can trace some of their origins back to when Schrobilgen and Livingston met in preschool. They befriended Halter in middle school. And they brought De St. Aubin into their friend group when they started the band back in 2022.
Initially, the quartet was looking to find reasons to hang out more often, and decided they should start a band after a late-night viewing of the Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt. They settled on the name Die Spitz over a “brown bag of Fireball,” opting for the feminine German definite article in place of the English. “It reminds me of the Grim Reaper spitting,” Livingstone jokes.
Their first live shows saw them pairing originals with covers from some of their early inspirations including Black Sabbath, Pixies, Mudhoney, PJ Harvey and Nirvana. Unsurprisingly, they express their ideas and themselves through a mischievously shameless blend of classic punk, hardcore metal, alt rock and more. They’ve also become known for riotous live show, where dueling cartwheels, members climbing rafters and solos while crowdsurfing could happen at just about any moment.
The Texan quartet’s highly-anticipated full-length debut, the Will Yip–produced Something to Consume was released last September through Third Man Records. The album sees the band combining their passion, friendship, identity and artistry to fight against the inescapable decay and chaos that surrounds modern life, “There’s a political side to it, but addiction and love can also be all-consuming,” the band’s Ellie Livingston says.
Something to Consume‘s 11 tracks contains multitudes and yet feels singular. It’s an expansive and expressive collection of songs, unified in its sense of deeply held camaraderie and freedom. “We depend on our freedom — freedom to do what we want, present the ideas we want, make the music we want,” Livingston says. “Whether it’s based in metal or something soft, no matter which of us wrote the song, we all contribute and work together. As a person, I don’t have a strong ego or voice, but within this band each one of us is capable of so much more.”
“Something to Consume is an album experience for everyone. Whether you’re craving a smack of lively metal or a melancholy wave of grungey violin, there’s a piece of all of us injected. Something to Consume is a call to the multitudes of ways we as humans allow consumption to enrapture our culture as well as ourselves.”
Though they’ve only been playing together for a few years, the album shows a maturity and technical prowess wielded and wed to the service of their deep and abiding friendship — and a hope to inspire change. “Some people aren’t interested in being political activists via music, but it weighs on me heavily and I feel misaligned with my calling if I don’t,” Chloe De St. Aubin says. “The four of us are free spirits with multiple interests, and there’s no limit or power dynamic that can derail us.”
The album features the previously released “Throw Yourself to the Sword,” a bruising mosh pit friendly synthesis of thrash metal, stoner rock and punk featuring some of the hardest and grimiest guitar riffs I’ve heard in some time. The album’s latest single “American Porn” comes as the quartet announces a lengthy list of summer and fall tour dates. The tour includes three New York City dates: November 13, 2026 and November 14, 2026 at Warsaw. Both of those shows are sold out. But don’t worry, they’ve got a February 19, 2027 stop at Brooklyn Steel. As always, all tour dates are below.
“American Porn” sees the rising Texans channeling a seething synthesis of grunge and riot grrl punk that calls out sexist record industry insiders and perverted older dudes, who come to their shows to leer and objectify them. “It’s a very angry song,” says the band’s Eleanor Livingston.” “And I want the people that come to our shows just because we’re pretty women or they want to sexualize or objectify us to listen to that song and tell us if they’re still a fan.”
Continuing an ongoing collaboration with director Emily Sanchez, the accompanying video for “American Porn” is a surreal fever dream of a visual that wouldn’t be out of place on 120 Minutes. The video calls out gender-roles, stereotypes and beauty standards with seething anger and a sense of mischief.
North America Tour Dates:
Apr 22 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre – SOLD OUT
May 15 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Block Party
Jul 17-19 – St. Paul, MN – Minnesota Yacht Club
Aug 1 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza
Aug 2 – St. Charles, IA – Hinterland Music Festival
Aug 5 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda
Aug 7 – San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands
Aug 9 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
Aug 11 – Boise, ID – Shrine Ballroom
Aug 12 – Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell
Aug 15 – Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre
Aug 14-16 – Buena Vista, CO – King Gizzard’s Festival Field of Vision
Sep 5-6 – Seattle, WA – Bumbershoot Arts and Music Festival
Sep 20 – Asbury Park, NJ – Sea.Hear.Now Festival
Nov 5 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre – SOLD OUT
Nov 9 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
Nov 10 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
Nov 12 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club – SOLD OUT
Nov 13 – Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw – SOLD OUT
Nov 14 – Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw – SOLD OUT
Nov 16 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
Nov 17 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Nov 19 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle – SOLD OUT
Nov 20 – Asheville, NC – Orange Peel
Nov 21 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl
Feb 19 – New York, NY – Brooklyn Steel
__
The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 15+ year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have.
To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work.
I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation box below.
Make a one-time donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
If you can give more regularly, please feel free to check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement.
Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all.
I know that a lot of folks are struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain and tumultuous economic climate. So there are other, non-financial ways in which you can support this work.
You can follow me on the following social platforms:
X/Twitter: @yankee32879 and @joyofviolent
Instagram: @william_ruben_helms
Threads: @william_ruben_helms
Bluesky: @williamrubenhelms.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement
As always, if there are posts that you dig, share them with your friends. The more eyeballs on my work, the better.
Discover more from The Joy of Violent Movement
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.