Review
The Sick Lipstick
Sting, Sting, Sting

Tiger Style (2003) Eric

The Sick Lipstick – Sting, Sting, Sting cover artwork
The Sick Lipstick – Sting, Sting, Sting — Tiger Style, 2003

Everyone enjoys a little no-wave now and again, right? Anyone who is into The Red Light Sting, Arab on Radar, or Black Cat #13 will enjoy this. In fact, half of The Sick Lipstick is composed of members from Black Cat #13, and they have done a split with XBXRX.

It seems like music this cool can only come from Canada. Most of the better no-wave acts are offerings from our friends to the North. Further proving Canada's superiority, The Sick Lipstick plays music that somehow, simultaneously manages to be abrasive and catchy. Vocalist Lindsey Gillard has a bratty voice that would probably be at home on a Bratmobile record, and she utilizes it to spit out abstract poetry that almost always contains some kind of sexual undertones. Meanwhile, in the background a mishmash of guitar, drum and keyboard plays, always threatening to go off the edge into an indiscernible mess...but never quite going that far. These tunes are definitely catchy and danceable. Check out "10-4, Can You Read Me," "Get Up! Catch Up," and "Zombie Cookie" for great examples of the chaos/catchy fusion that they have perfected.

If you've been privy to The Sick Lipstick's previous efforts, you'll be very pleased when you hear this record. Their old songs were raw and hinted towards this "catchy" direction, but were still very abrasive and at times a chore to listen to. "Sting Sting Sting," however, is about as pop as this particular style of music can probably get...in fact, it's one of the best no-wave records I have heard in awhile.

8.0 / 10Eric • February 28, 2004

The Sick Lipstick – Sting, Sting, Sting cover artwork
The Sick Lipstick – Sting, Sting, Sting — Tiger Style, 2003

Recently-posted album reviews

Bitter Branches

Let's Give The Land Back To The Animals
Equal Vision (2026)

Sometimes when you think of a town you think of a certain sound. Philadelphia is not one of those cities for me, as the bands I know from the area vary a lot in style. Yes, there is the Dan Yemin tree (Lifetime / Kid Dynamite / Paint It Black) but there are also poppy bands and emo bands and … Read more

Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs

Pigus Drunkus Maximus (Reissue)
Blind Owl Records (2026)

If rock ’n’ roll ever had a smoky, beer-soaked, throbbing heartbeat, it lives in Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs’ Pigus Drunkus Maximus. Recorded in 1981 but not released until 1987 on Restless Records, the album always felt like a document out of time — lightning caught like fireflies in clumsy hands, then bottled too long. This newly remastered reissue, … Read more

Dream Fatigue

No Requiem
Daze (2026)

There’s a particular tension that makes alternative rock compelling. I love the emotional push and pull between softness and eruption. On No Requiem, Massachusetts outfit Dream Fatigue thrive in that space, crafting a seven song EP that balances dreamlike melody with bursts of distortion and emotional urgency. Born from the creative partnership between drummer Matt Wood and vocalist Jonali McFadden, … Read more