SBTRKT Says Disclosure Copied His Artwork
Disclosure announced the release of their sophomore album over the weekend and shared the cover art, which features a faded out image of a caracal, a type of wildcat that also gives the record its name. In a statement, Howard Lawrence explained that the cat “felt like a perfect fit for our Wild Life brand […] so the Caracal made perfect sense as the lead visual for the new album.”
SBTRKT’s latest album, Wonder Where We Land, also features some cat imagery, and he called the electronic duo “wildcopycats” for the similar “‘anonymous cat’ common album theme” in a series of tweets from earlier today. He also links the etched-out face imagery surrounding the band’s 2013 album Settle with his own mask imagery for his 2011 self-titled debut. “first lp mask theme,” he tweeted. “Second lp. anonymous cat theme. Wildfire meant wildlife tribal theme – Hold on.” In the last sentence, he’s referencing his Little Dragon-featuring single “Wildfire,” and seemingly insinuating a connection between his track “Hold On” and their “Holding On.”
@jonrsinn @disconaivete first lp mask theme. Second lp. anonymous cat theme. Wildfire meant wildlife tribal theme – Hold on.
— S B T R K T (@SBTRKT) June 8, 2015
@jonrsinn @disconaivete wildcopycats
— S B T R K T (@SBTRKT) June 8, 2015
A Twitter account that identifies themselves as SBTRKT’s art director also weighed in:
@pitchfork @disclosure seriously WTF
— A HIDDEN PLACE (@AHIDDENPLACE) June 7, 2015
literally had no time off last year for my creative work. I dont need fame. But dont cop our creative thats so personal to us
— A HIDDEN PLACE (@AHIDDENPLACE) June 7, 2015
@SBTRKT @disconaivete quick cut and paste of artistic ideas. Perhaps cos they cant afford to pay creatives?
— A HIDDEN PLACE (@AHIDDENPLACE) June 8, 2015
Here’s the artwork for both their debut albums side-by-side: