THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Victory Lap (#23) is the third solo release from Alex Zarou Levine, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Brooklyn punk band The So So Glos. Recorded in the midst of his intensive treatment for a rare and serious cancer, these 10 songs capture the intensity of his experience while maintaining an undercurrent of defiant optimism.
In June 2023, following a sold-out show with The So So Glos at Bowery Ballroom, Levine was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare and serious form of cancer affecting his salivary gland. Despite undergoing grueling chemotherapy and radiation treatments, he channeled his experience into music, writing and recording over 50 tracks. The first release from that collection of songs, Victory Lap (#23) is a reckoning that boldly turns the most dismal of moments into uplifting anthems by way of mosh pits and dance parties. Last fall, Alex shared the album’s first single, The Future’s A Riot, accompanied by a video featuring footage chronicling his diagnosis and writing/recording during his first week of treatment.
About the cover, Levine explains: “I had an idea to use a photo of my radiation mask, which was worn during my treatment for the album cover. It was strapped around me and to a table — firmly pressed to my face as I went through extremely claustrophobic sessions that lasted up to an hour a day. Gag in the mouth, the closest thing to torture I’ve ever experienced, but it also saved my damn life. If it wasn’t for the music that was playing in the room, I don’t think I would have made it through. To me, it represents the album and mirrors the times.”
Victory Lap (#23) follows Alex Orange Drink’s 2021 full-length Everything Is Broken Maybe That’s OK and 2018 solo debut Babel On. Last year, he was featured as a guest vocalist on Bright Eyes’ song Rainbow Overpass and co-writer of seven songs on their new album Five Dice, All Threes. As co-founder of venues Market Hotel and Shea Stadium, Levine has been a key figure in New York City’s DIY scene for nearly two decades. A New York native of both Palestinian and Jewish descent, he has lived with homocystinuria, a genetic disorder that requires a strict diet and an orange-flavored daily medication, the source of his alias Alex Orange Drink.”
