Dime Lifters

Dime Lifters, a new project from Toronto-based duo Andrew Matthews and Kyle Knapp (of the much-acclaimed Deliluh) are releasing a new single, ‘Palm of Your Hand’ out today, 9 September via Tin Angel Records. Written during a night spent stranded in the French Alps during the ‘storm of 100 years’, Dime Lifters’ industrial no-wave track is full of dronelike textures and urgent spoken word. 

The accompanying video only heightens the tension of the track, both mundane and macabre as the duo traverse a seemingly inescapable, snow-filled small town while ironically dressed in tuxedos.

Long time friends from Toronto, the two have spent many squandered years studying classic noirs and outcast films, chain smoking and hatching ambitious schemes with varying success. Dime Lifters was inspired by their time spent in the Mediterranean basin over a period of disillusionment and wonder. They see themselves as Alain Delon, if he was uglier, and less charming.

Coming from a background of dissonance and punk ethos, Knapp and Matthews have given into their desires of becoming the self-aggrandizing pop balladeers in the classic tradition. Taking cues from the saccharine underground sound, they aim for the romantic heights of Hazlewood and Walker, but trip into something closer to a cheap lounge chanteuse act or beach side busker session.

While previous projects of Knapp and Matthews have felt as if one is frozen in fear, Dime Lifters is more sun-soaked and swept out to sea. Their live performance emphasizes the winking ego of the two, in the form of scrappy karaoke, blown out guitars, and noir sax lines. They strive to portray a heart on their sleeve charisma, and the result can be both soul-stirring and endearingly pathetic. At their most effective, they remind us of the fool’s courage required in the endless search for love and raison d’être.