Although initially lumped into the New York dance-punk scene of the early 21st century, they have come to be categorized by their dramatic stylistic shifts between albums, while retaining a consistent interest in rhythm and sound texture. Liars are one of the many contemporary bands to draw from the late 1970's British post-punk movement. Their first album, 2002's They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top, bore some resemblance to the work of Delta 5 and Gang of Four, accenting their angular, acerbic punk with modern synths and drum machines. Liar's second album, 2004's They Were Wrong, So We Drowned, eschewed their debut's trendy post-punk aesthetic in favor of dissonant atmospherics and electronic soundscapes more akin to the sound of This Heat. That album stratified fans and critics alike, especially chafing with those who took to They Threw Us All for the clear dance/punk leanings of a number of that album's tracks (e.g. "We Live Northeast of Compton"). 2006 saw the release of Drum's Not Dead., which continued the direction they had taken with They Were Wrong but was met with a much more favorable critical reaction. 2007's self-tited LP, Liars, found the band once again shifting styles, this time towards 60's style garage rock and 70's proto-punk, all through the dark, effects-driven prism that Liars began channeling on They Were Wrong. While more straight-forward than their previous 2 LPs, the record contained the same focus on rhythm and experimentation with the deconstruction of traditional sounds. Similar to Drum's Not Dead. Liars was critically praised and found its way on to Best of 2007 lists. They released Sisterworld, in 2010, which continued in their experimental post-punk direction. Its deluxe edition came with a completely remixed version of the album, with tracks being remixed by artists such as Thom Yorke, Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead and Carter Tutti. In 2012, they released WIXIW, which saw the band take an almost entirely electronic direction with their music.
On January 13, 2014, Liars premiered their single "Mess on a Mission" and announced the title of their 7th album as Mess, which was released on March 24 via Mute Records.[17]
TFCF
Edit
On February 20, 2017, Liars updated their site with a short video clip titled TFCF.[18] Another video was later added, called TFCF H, and then TFCF E, and so on. When taking the last letter of each of these videos, the word THEME is spelled out. On June 2, the band released four more videos which spell out the word FROM.[19] On June 15 and June 24, more videos were released spelling the words CRYING and FOUNTAIN, respectively. On May 18, Andrew announced a new Liars album to be released sometime in August, along with the amicable departure of founding member Aaron Hemphill. He will go on tour from August with a new backup band.
The initialism TFCF was the title of the band's LP which was released on August 25, 2017. Liars have, as a matter of course, sounded radically different with each album, pursuing new concepts and occupying diverse mindsets. On this, Liars’ eighth studio album, the bustling backdrops of Los Angeles, Berlin and New York have been replaced with a presence far more intimate and autobiographical.[citation needed]
The Apple Drop
Edit
On May 4, 2021, Liars announced the release of a new album, titled The Apple Drop, which was released on August 6.
Drum Gets A Glimpse
Liars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You drove them out.
Was I naive to think they'd stay?
You were a bore.
Why can't we just try start again?
It just won't work.
There's so much that we couldn't say.
I'm bothered by these trembling stars.
Then close your eyes.
Why should we try to stay awake?
'Cause you can't sleep.
Then why should I be here at all?
'Cause you can't sleep.
The lyrics to Liars's song Drum Gets A Glimpse seem to be about a failed relationship. The persona in the song seems to be addressing their significant other who has driven all their friends away. The persona ponders if they were naive to think that their friends would stay despite their partner's unpleasant nature. The significant other comes off as a bore, and the persona seems to be dissatisfied with the relationship. The idea of starting again is suggested, but the persona believes that it won't work.
The persona also expresses their frustration with their partner's inability to communicate. They speak in tongues, and the persona is bothered by the trembling stars associated with it. The significant other has trouble sleeping, and the persona is questioning why they should still be in the relationship since their significant other can't sleep. The lyrics depict a relationship that seems to be falling apart, and the persona is stuck in an unsatisfying situation.
Line by Line Meaning
It seems like all our friends are gone.
You intentionally caused our friends to leave and now we are alone.
Was I naive to think they'd stay?
I trusted you and didn't realize you were the reason our friends left.
Why can't we just try start again?
I want to move past this and rebuild our relationship, but it's impossible with you.
There's so much that we couldn't say.
We have communication issues, you speak in riddles and I can't understand you.
I'm bothered by these trembling stars.
I'm disturbed by your strange behavior and it's affecting me.
Then why should we try to stay awake?
Why should we bother trying to fix this relationship if you are not willing to put in the effort?
'Cause you can't sleep.
You are restless and unable to find peace, which is causing turmoil in our relationship.
Then why should I be here at all?
If you don't care about this relationship, why am I still wasting my time trying to salvage it?
Contributed by Liam T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.