ANAHEIM, Calif. — When Eleanor Livingston of Die Spitz appears on a videoconference call to discuss the band’s upcoming tour in support of their new album “Something to Consume,” she turns on the camera to reveal Chloe De St. Aubin sticking her tongue out, Kate Halter throwing up a peace sign and Ava Schrobilgen giving a nod to say what’s up from the back of a car.

The gestures from the Austin, Texas-based four-piece reveal the frivolous and playful nature of the group, which precedes their reputation for comedic music videos and the time they accidentally let an inside joke, about being signed to the “Poopbutt” label, become a real part of their bio on streaming platforms.

However, one should not take the group’s silly antics and musicians’ early 20s personas at face value; after all, their band name translates to “the pointed” in German. Their first full-length album, released on the very real label of Jack White’s Third Man Records, lives up to the name, complete with razor-sharp metal guitar riffs and jagged, punk-fueled chord progressions, proving them to be one of the fiercest up-and-coming bands.

“I hope that the album brings us into new segments of the music world, and brings in more listeners than the demographic that we’ve had so far,” Halter said. “The album is much more complex compared to the other two EPs that we’ve released and has a lot more diversity of genres and vibes.”

The 11-track album features the bandmates switching instruments and lead vocals, and they each take a jab at songwriting. It was produced by William Yip, the Philadelphia-based audio engineer, songwriter and musician who owns Studio 4 Recording. Yip has played a pivotal role in producing pop-punk and indie bangers from acts such as Balance and Composure, Citizen, the Wonder Years, La Dispute, Movements, Scowl, Tigers Jaw, Touché Amoré, Turnover, and Turnstile. Die Spitz had all the material for the album written out and said Yip helped polish it where needed.

“He definitely helped make the songs hit by reshaping them or cutting out choruses where we sometimes had extra meat in the song that was not necessary, and he would know the place to cut it so it wouldn’t drag on,” Livingston said.

“Something to Consume” has a rebellious spirit that screams messages of anti-capitalism, addiction battles, heartbreak and the frustration with crumbling globalism. Themes of addiction and critiques of consumerism can be heard intersecting in the lyrics of the grungy track, “Go Get Dressed,” where Schrobilgen sings, “I just need some substance/ Something to consume/ Restrain yourself from living/ But stay away from death.”

“The song is about depression, so it’s a different form of consumption that captures the human mind, but other songs like ‘Voir Dire’ and ‘Down on It’ are definitely about capitalism and even about wanting to kill yourself, to not live in a capitalistic society,” Livingston said.

“The general theme of the album was definitely about rejecting our current state of the world,” De St. Aubin added.

Die Spitz’s politics are informed by their lived experiences in Texas, where they said they grew up around some people with questionable beliefs, prompting them to form their own conclusions. For De St. Aubin, a moment of political activation was when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and Texas passed a near-total abortion ban, making it a felony to perform abortions and imposing penalties of up to life in prison for doctors.

The band said that they didn’t start the group with the intention of being overtly political, like some of their riot grrrl predecessors, with whom they are often grouped. However, if the current status of the world around them warrants it, they said, they will use their music to express their frustration.

“It’s not to say that you’re performative if you’re a political band, because there are lots of punk bands that are inherently political that I respect,” De St. Aubin said. “For me, bringing up political things when it genuinely is bothering me feels more natural than it being our whole identity.”

“My life is affected in a lot of ways, even if it’s not me directly,” Livingston added. “It’s my friends and the people surrounding me, too. Even if it’s not something that I directly feel on a daily basis, I still care, even if I’m not feeling it directly. You should care about people. Even the people who are not around you and whom you don’t know. Not having empathy for people because it’s not impacting you is bulls—.”

Despite the broader political climate in the Lone Star State, the city of Austin is where all four girls were raised and share some fond memories. Schrobilgen and Livingston met in preschool and attended the same music classes. By middle school, they met Halter, who learned to play the bass to get the band rolling. Their latest addition was De St. Aubin, who attended a different high school but had discovered the girls and their music through Instagram. She was recommended by her former bandmate, Molly Masson, the vocalist in Farmer’s Wife, when the group put out a call for a drummer.

Since becoming a quartet, the band has gradually built an impressive touring portfolio, featuring major acts such as Amyl and the Sniffers, OFF!, Sleater-Kinney, and, most recently, the Viagra Boys. In 2023, the group performed at the Austin Music Awards, where they won in the Best Punk Band, Best New Act and Best Residency categories. At the 2024-25 Austin Music Awards, they nabbed an award for Music Video of the Year for “I hate when GIRLS die.”

The latter song is also a mantra to the sisterhood that Die Spitz has forged among themselves and their female fans. It’s present in their latest album “RIDING WITH MY GIRLS,” and its music video, where Livingston wears a shirt with the words “I hate when GIRLS die” written on the front and leads an army of young women to embrace their full potential.

Then there is the song, “American Porn,” written as a response to the group’s sexualization, where Schrobilgen sings, “Stay right here, come with me, show and perform/ Shut your mouth, show your face, American porn,” from the perspective of shameless gawkers. The song confronts the problem that the band faces head-on and holds up a mirror to a male-dominated music scene that is slowly changing, thanks to the fury of bands like Die Spitz, who refuse to stay quiet.

“We’re affected by how people treat women in this industry, and a lot is getting better, with the more support we have directly,” Livingston said. “But still, pretty much every single tour, there’s some guy who tries to belittle us or just disrespects us. It sucks, but when you have good people on your team, it’s easier to move in a bigger stride.”

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