Art-Rock Artist Pleasure Craft Teases Debut Full-Length With Synth-Heavy Track “Don’t Need A Knife”

Toronto-based alt-rock artist Pleasure Craft has shared his second single of 2021 with the industrial-tinged effort “Don’t Need A Knife”. Following up his previous single “Bag Down”, the new single continues to hint towards a full-length release to come in mid 2022. Set to be a 3 Act concept album, Sam Lewis, the man behind the moniker, has built a narrative around a character who is “egotistical, aggressive, over-the-top and performative, but carrying around a suppressed, locked-up version of himself“.

The new single has the protagonist disappearing into isolation to avoid vulnerability, marking an end to the aggressive first act and the beginning of the introspective second act. The shift comes with a pounding synth-pop energy, masked with edgy industrial tones and dark-pop elements. About the song, Lewis adds, “I was listening to a lot of Nine Inch Nails at the time and I think it has some heavy industrial influence but all in all I love pop music and I hope that melodic, bright energy comes through in everything I make, no matter how dark the themes“.

Additionally, “Don’t Need A Knife” was rounded out by a vocal performance by long time collaborator Mingjia Chen who was travelling and inspired by New York City when Lewis sent her the first demo, “the song makes me want to take really big wide steps in big platform shoes— I wanted to add something that felt really big when you listen to it, like the city is a part of you, or singing at you, like walking up a living spiral staircase.”

Alongside the single comes a music video to match, directed by well-known Toronto artist Shawn Kosmo in various locations around Sudbury, showcasing Lewis in chainmail and moody black and white shots.

Watch below: