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!!! | |
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 !!! performing at theFlow Festival in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Chk Chk Chk |
| Origin | Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | |
| Spinoffs | |
| Spinoff of |
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| Members |
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| Past members |
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| Website | chkchkchk |
!!! (/tʃ(ɪ)k.tʃ(ɪ)k.tʃ(ɪ)k/ch(i)k-ch(i)k-ch(i)k), also known asChk Chk Chk, is an American band fromSacramento, California.[1] Formed in 1996 by lead singerNic Offer, members of !!! came from other local bands such as the Yah Mos, Black Liquorice and Pope Smashers. They are currently based in New York City. The band's ninth album,Let It Be Blue, was released in May 2022.
!!! was formed in the fall of 1996 by the merger of members of the groups Black Liquorice and Pope Smashers, while on tour. After a successful joint tour, the two bands decided to mix the disco-funk with more aggressive sounds and integrate thehardcore singer Nic Offer from the Yah Mos. Offer has citedDepeche Mode andOrchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) as influences.[2]
The band's name was inspired by the subtitles of the movieThe Gods Must Be Crazy, in which theclicking sounds of theSan people'sJuǀʼhoan language were represented as "!". However, as the bandmembers themselves say, !!! is pronounced by repeating thrice any monosyllabic sound. "Chk Chk Chk" is the most common pronunciation,[3] and the URL of their official website and the title of theirMyspace page suggest it is the preferred pronunciation.
The band's full-length debut record came out in 2000 as a self-titled album on the labelGold Standard Laboratories. This was followed in 2003 by the single "Me and Giuliani Down By the School Yard", a lengthy track combininghouse beats with sinewybasslines,psychedelic guitars, and simple lyrics which quote the title song of the musicalFootloose.
A second full-length,Louden Up Now, was released onTouch and Go in America and onWarp Records in Europe in June 2004. In June 2005 !!! released a newEP covering "Take Ecstasy with Me" byThe Magnetic Fields, and "Get Up" byNate Dogg. The following December, the original drummer for the band, Mikel Gius, was struck and killed by a car while riding his bike.[4]
They released their third album,Myth Takes in 2007.[3][5]
!!! is composed of Mario Andreoni (guitar), Dan Gorman (horns/percussion/keys), Nic Offer (vocals), Rafael Cohen (bass/various electronic devices), Chris Egan (drums) and Meah Pace (vocals).
Vocalist and drummer John Pugh officially left the band in July 2007 to concentrate on his new band Free Blood.[6]VocalistShannon Funchess stood in for Pugh during much of their 2007 tour.[7] The band also shared membership with the similar, defunct groupOut Hud (including Tyler Pope, who has played withLCD Soundsystem and written music forCake).[8]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [9] | US Elec. [10] | FRA [11] | JPN [12] | UK [13] | ||
| !!! |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| Louden Up Now |
| — | 4 | 169 | — | 135 |
| Myth Takes |
| 195 | 3 | 134 | 36 | 135 |
| Strange Weather, Isn't It? |
| — | 13 | 112 | 54 | — |
| Thr!!!er |
| — | 18 | 117 | 62 | 121 |
| As If |
| — | 18 | — | 80 | — |
| Shake the Shudder |
| — | — | — | 153 | — |
| Wallop |
| — | — | — | 166 | — |
| Let It Be Blue |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
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| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [13] | |||
| "The Dis-Ease/The Funky Branca" | 1998 | — | Non-album single |
| "Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard (A True Story)" | 2003 | 84 | Louden Up Now |
| "Pardon My Freedom" | 2004 | — | |
| "Hello? Is This Thing On?" | 74 | ||
| "Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard (A Remix)" | — | ||
| "Take Ecstasy With Me/Get Up" | 2005 | 213 | Non-album single |
| "Heart of Hearts" | 2007 | — | Myth Takes |
| "Must Be the Moon" | — | ||
| "AM/FM" | 2010 | — | Strange Weather, Isn't It? |
| "Slyd" | 2013 | — | THR!!!ER |
| "One Girl / One Boy" | — | ||
| "And Anyway It's Christmas"[18][19] | — | Non-album single | |
| "All U Writers" | 2015 | — | As If |
| "Freedom '15" / "Sick Ass Moon" | — | ||
| "Bam City" / "Ooo" | — | ||
| "I Feel So Free" (Lost Souls of Saturn Remix) | 2016 | — | Non-album single |
| "The One 2" | 2017 | — | Shake the Shudder |
| "Dancing Is the Best Revenge" | — | ||
| "Serbia Drums" | 2019 | — | Wallop |
| "I'm Sick of This/So We Can F*ck" | 2020 | — | Non-album single |
| "Do the Dial Tone" | — | Certified Heavy Kats | |
| "Walk It Off" | — |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
