April Album of the Month
Whoever invented the over-used phrase ‘difficult second album’ clearly wasn’t familiar with Amongst Liars.
Their debut was a critical smash and has proven its legacy for the legions of rock fans that have discovered the band since its 2022 release.
But with ‘By Design,’ Amongst Liars just go up another level, as the anger of the ‘Black Days’ era is now superseded by channelled rage for album two.
‘Prelude’ and ‘Ready For This’ pick up from where album one left off, but there’s a broader canvas. There’s keys (most notably on ‘Vice’) as four become five. There’s also a cello and stripped back acoustic material. Even a sense of pop mingling in – as a counterpoint to the intense rock riffs, screaming choruses and uncompromising protest that the band does so well.
‘Ready for This’ is modern and vital. A million miles away from the ever-so-predictable classic rock revivalists in the band’s peer group, Amongst Liars are serving up fresh, directed and purposeful modern rock for a new era.
‘By Design’ – the album’s title track – is a highlight track on the album and has all the ingredients of a signature Amongst Liars track – strong lyric quality, powerful anthemic choruses and a brooding intensity to the mood of the song. Combined, these facets define the essence of the Amongst Liars sound – it’s music that demands an instant reaction.
The new album also includes a run of already proven singles: ‘Alibi’, ‘The Shameful’ and ‘You Are Not A Slave’ have all been huge listener favourites as singles on the Monday rockshow. They have all generated large numbers of requests and these singles all played their part when listeners called Amongst Liars as Band of the Month earlier this year.
When it comes to the singles, it is the consistent quality of the band’s output that really stands them apart. After ‘Over and Over’, ‘Burn the Vision’ and ‘Black Days’, the band made a name for themselves as being on a lucky run. But even to this day, every next single seems to trump the one that went before. Most bands have one or two great singles but, in critical and objective terms, Amongst Liars could already have a greatest hits worth of strong singles to release. And these new singles frame the excitement and creative energy on this fine new album.
The album highlight for me is ‘Say’ – a beautifully controlled and richly atmospheric song. It’s an acoustic number, and there’s even room for someone (not Finlay surely?) to play the cello. For an all-out band, the restraint on ‘Say’ is all the more impressive – and, in terms of impact, sometimes less is more.
As well as a rich vein of new songs, a few old fan faves return too. ‘Mind’ gets an overdue inclusion on a Liars studio album and ‘Wolf Machine’ stands as the perfect closer – a song many long-standing fans still regarded as one of the band’s finest songs.
This album marks the rise of a Great British band. Following a successful tour of France and their debut on Times Radio, Amongst Liars are not content to follow the well-trodden path that many rising rock bands follow. They are broadening the net, doing things differently and allowing new rock to live outside a classic gold fish bowl – which can be comfortable but is already dated and, for some, is very limiting.
Amongst Liars are a modern band for the now. Their music tackles many of today’s big issues head on – mental health, the political shambles, conflict and corporate greed to name a few. Their music is intense, sometimes dark – but it is fresh, alive and utterly relevant. And let’s not forget that rock n roll isn’t about being safely beige: It should be about standing up and stickin’ it to the man. Amongst Liars have shunned the cowboy hats and instead present their brand of modern rock as the soundtrack to a broken world – and, in doing so, give a voice to a generation that need to stand up and make the world a better place.
The new Amongst Album ‘By Design’ will be released on 5th July
Album pre-orders are now live. For pre-orders, album countdown news and new surprises, follow Amongst Liars at https://www.amongstliars.com
