“You fall, you crave a light into the way.”
Hailing from the south coast, Amongst Liars formed in the midst of the early 2020 lockdown. Infusing a blend of hard rock and punk, the unit’s sound invokes the likes of Royal Blood, Biffy Clyro and Shinedown. With drippings of political and social commentary on mental health, homelessness and the current government, it’s a cocktail of fiery contents that on paper has potential to deliver a heavy experience.
It doesn’t take long for the self-titled record to put the pedal to the floor. Opening track “Cut It” has a racing bassline with a rapid guitar riff that explodes on the chorus. It harks back to the energy that 00’s Queens of the Stone Age produced. On later track “Tick the Box“, the record further carries on in this vein with a thumping bass line, seeing the drum fills take a step up on the track too. The confrontational aspects of these tracks is where Amongst Liars feels at its most fun. The atmosphere of these tracks. which there are more of across the album, become infectious with their pace and momentum.
Perhaps where Amongst Liars biggest downfalls comes, and this might be due to personal taste, is its ability to find its own distinct place. As previously mentioned, it draws on many influences and wears these on its sleeve. Whether it comes from more modern bands such as Royal Blood or past greats such as Rage Against The Machine, the record does invoke and live in that past a bit too much. And while commendable, much of the political and social commentary doesn’t expand beyond the level that the likes of Schemata Theory or Enter Shikari have verbalized before.
For a debut record, Amongst Liars is a solid first attempt. There is clearly ability present and there will be an audience for this sound, which they will no doubt tap into with the record and in the future. For Amongst Liars to step up to the next level, they need to create their own sound that isn’t like what has come before, as more often than not those who originally did it have generally already done it better. Whether the group develop into an exciting prospect in the UK is now entirely in their hands.
5.5/10
Amongst Liars is out July 8th via Earache Records.