LIARS have always been a pretty unique presence in our musical landscape, gnawing and needling away at the bones of rock as the whole edifice collapses, from right back when they presented that noise-rock concept album about witchcraft, They Were Wrong, So We Drowned, jeez, 17 years back now. Never mind always finding them in the kitchen at parties; you’re more likely to find Angus Andrew, the sole ever-present in the Liars project, down in the cellar, lights off.
A new album has just been announced for Mute on August 6th, to be entitled The Apple Drop; and, after piloting the ship pretty much solo through the two most recent full-length offerings, 2017’s TFCF and 2018’s Titles with the Word Fountain, Angus has once more embraced the meshing of ideas that comes from collaboration on this new set.
“For the first time I embraced collaboration from an early stage, allowing the work of others to influence the work of my own,” he says of working in a quartet-formation Liars alongside avant-garde jazz drummer Laurence Pike, multi-instrumentalist Cameron Deyell and lyricist Mary Pearson Andrew. “My goal was to create beyond my abilities – something bigger than myself.”
And Angus has revealed a first single from that work of high-summer darkness in the form of “Sekwar”, which comes fully visually armed with a video directed by Clemens Habicht; you can watch that below. Angus is found deep in subterranea, declaiming over retro synth hum and graceful, atmospheric guitars.
As for The Apple Drop, we have it on on good authority that the blend of a quartet caught in the studio and solo electronic layering makes for a record on which the traditional band structure dissolves into experimental electronica lab.
“Momentum and revolution were themes I wanted to explore, to give the listener this sense of transformation and to feel like you were being transported through the wormhole,” Angus explains.
“Throughout Liars’ history I have consistently tried to develop new methods of creating music; on each project I’ve essentially abandoned previous methods and attempted to instead learn different ways of writing and producing songs.
“Where once I perceived this journey as a straight line, I’m increasingly realising my trajectory is more akin to a spiral. As new ideas are generated, older ones take on new meaning and evolve further.”
Liars’ The Apple Drop will be released by Mute on August 6th digitally, on limited edition recycled coloured vinyl and CD; additionally, one of two exclusive flexidiscs, each featuring a different acoustic version of an album track, will be available while stocks last through select independent shops. Pre-order your copy here.
Connect with Liars at their website and on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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