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For the first time since 2021, Pipe-eye, the moniker for Australian musician, singer and songwriter Cook Craig, is set to release a brand new LP. Titled Pipe-defy, the album is slated for release on October 18th, with the lead single, "Lords Of Lithium," giving a first taste of what's to come.

With nods to the venerable influences of funk and 70s/80s synth dance classics, Pipe-defy is a stylistic departure from his previous albums. For this project, Craig explains wearing his influences on his sleeve; “At around the time that I was starting to write songs for the album, my mum gave me a bunch of old CDs from my early teens that I hadn’t listened to in ages. There was heaps of Grandmaster Flash, Herbie Hancock, Zapp, Stevie Wonder and other stuff like that. When I kept writing songs they kinda just started sounding like that… so I guess it kinda just kick started an old obsession I had for that style of music.” This is particularly evident as each track beckons listeners to lose themselves in a tapestry of mesmeric synth rhythms, sobering orchestra hits and foot tapping, knee slapping, hand clapping groove.

Pipe-defy stands as a testament to Craig’s resolve to explore new aesthetics with each new release, furthering his quest to push himself to into new song-writing terrain. "When I was writing the songs for the album, (which I had about 20 of), if I wasn’t bopping my head subconsciously to it, then it was cut."

Artist Bio
Enter the audacious realm of Pipe-eye’s fifth opus Pipe-defy, where sonic frontiers are boldly charted amidst a symphony of infectious rhythm and unparalleled harmony, filtered through precise synthesis and considered instrumentation. This groove based gem JAMS.
Known for his tenure in both King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and The Murlocs, Cook Craig’s four previous solo albums under the guise Pipe-eye have played a prevalent part in his development and growth as a songwriter, musician and composer. Craig’s latest release Pipe-defy incessantly edges towards something more advanced and poignant than ever before, whilst retaining Craig’s authentic songwriting style and appreciation for the quirky, macabre and melancholic.
Notable on the album is a lack of guitar, as the album is mostly comprised of keyboards and synthesizers, with exception to bass guitar of course; “I could never not have a bass on a song, as it’s my first instrument, I feel like I’ll often begin writing songs on a bass and then build off that.”
The focus on a powerful bassline and keys based compositions is intensely evident in tracks such as "Catch Me On A Break", "Snake On A Sand Dune" and "The Taste" which envelope the listener in pulsating hi-fi stereo; “another heavy hitter on the record is my Roland Juno which I couldn’t have done without to get that smanky snappy sound”.
Pipe-defy stands as a testament to Craig’s resolve to explore new aesthetics with each new release, furthering his quest to push himself to into new song-writing terrain. "When I was writing the songs for the album, (which I had about 20 of), if I wasn’t bopping my head subconsciously to it, then it was cut." Despite this however, there are a handful of tracks which delve into something considerably more sentimental;

“Not all the songs are funky and kooky” says Craig, “there was definitely a couple numbers that I wanted to be a bit more ‘ballady’ like "Lords of Lithium" or "Don’t Fade Away"… I wanted them to be more affectionate and break up the flow of the ‘whacky’.”

Written and recorded between life on the road touring and returning home to the quiet life in Melbourne, Pipe-defy lyrically mirrors this sense of place, touching on themes of profound nostalgia and the vulnerability that comes from being split between two seperate lifestyles. “It’s bizarre tossing between being at home and being on the road, people might think it’s glamorous which it kind of is, but there’s also the reality of being not quite at home in either place, whether it’s here or there” says Craig. “I guess as I was writing the lyrics this was an intense focal point of what I was feeling at the time and I think in a song like "I’m Coming Back", this is most evident.”

Drawing from like minded musicians and fellow bandmates in parallel projects, Craig lends himself the collaborative dynamism of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, with fellow band members Joe Walker (mixing, production) and Micheal Cavanagh (drums) contributing to the album.
Another notable difference from previous Pipe-eye albums is the production style; “I intentionally wanted to go for a much more ‘hi-fi’ sound for this album, which Joey nailed. It was definitely a departure from previous Pip-eye sh*t which was always on the ‘lo-fi’ side”.
Prepare to embark on a symphonic adventure unparalleled, with Cook Craig’s Pipe-defy. Unfettered by previous projects, Pipe-defy takes any preconceptions the listener might have had about what a Pipe-eye album sounds like and smashes it over the head of the auditor in a sonic affront from the first note of the record.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
A1. Catch Me On A Break
A2. Snake On A Sand Dune
A3. Lords Of Lithium
A4. I'm Coming Back
A5. Travertine

SIDE B
B1. Best Party Ever II
B2. The Taste
B3. Fortune Cookie
B4. We're In This Together
B5. Innuendo
B5. Don't Fade Away