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.
No.1 Against the Rush
Liars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm pushing off the on light
I bloodied myself awake today
I'm running off the on light
The spiral down
They're come back
A dead end
Those friends of ours
Will seem pretend
They do again and again and again and again and again
I bloodied myself awake today
I'm pushing off the on light
I bloodied myself awake today
This culture's a disease
When you see it through lights
And I want you out
Cause I warned you I want you out
The lyrics of "No.1 Against the Rush" by Liars convey feelings of exhaustion and desperation. The opening lines, "I bloodied myself awake today / I'm pushing off the on light," suggest that the singer is struggling to wake up and face the responsibilities of the day. The repetition of the phrase "again and again" suggests that this is a recurring problem, and that the singer is stuck in a cycle of exhaustion and frustration.
The second verse introduces the idea that the singer's friends are not really there for them: "Those friends of ours / Will seem pretend / They do again and again and again and again and again." This suggests a sense of alienation and disconnection from those around them. The phrase "I bloodied myself awake today" is repeated again, emphasizing the singer's feeling of being trapped and unable to escape their current situation.
The final verse introduces a more political message, indicating that the singer sees the larger culture as a "disease" and wants someone (possibly a specific person, possibly society at large) out. The repetition of "I warned you I want you out" suggests that the singer has been trying to fight against this cultural disease for some time, but no one has been listening.
Overall, the lyrics of "No.1 Against the Rush" paint a picture of someone who is exhausted, frustrated, and feeling disconnected from the world around them. The repetition of certain phrases and the cyclical structure of the song reinforce this feeling of being trapped in a never-ending cycle of exhaustion and frustration.
Line by Line Meaning
I bloodied myself awake today
I woke up feeling injured and beat up
I'm pushing off the on light
I'm avoiding facing reality
The spiral down
Life is spiraling downwards
They're come back
Problems have resurfaced
A dead end
There's no solution or way out
Again and again and again and again
The cycle repeats itself
Those friends of ours
Our friends
Will seem pretend
They appear fake or insincere
They do again and again and again and again and again
They continue their patterns of behavior
This culture's a disease
The society we live in is sick and unhealthy
When you see it through lights
When you view it in a specific way
And I want you out
I want you to leave or be removed
Cause I warned you I want you out
I previously gave you a warning that I want you to leave
Contributed by Arianna L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Steven Denny
I've put myself, await the
I'm pushing off beyond life
I've put myself, await the
I'm pushing off beyond life
The spiral down, you're coming back the day
And again, and again and again and again
These friends of ours, they seem pretend
Again and again and again and again and again, yeah
I've put myself, await the
I'm pushing off beyond life
I've put myself, await the
I'm pushing off beyond life
It's cultural disease to see the life
So I want you out ...
Cause I want you, I want you, out
Cause I want you, I want you, out
Cause I want you, I want you, out
Cause I want you, I want you, out
bonbahmerdealors
When darkness is all you see, your ears will show you the light ... Amazing track
yceysson
the first time I'm hearing that song, so much feelings come to me. I wanted to go in the streets, screaming and running. There is so much sadness but so much hope too in this track ...
Megazillion
Love this song, video, everything about it! Been years now and it's still a mix go to for me.
Vincent Boy
I can never forget this song when I was high and felt something really good
naumchomsky
Saw them opening for the In Rainbows tour 2008. They've evolved so much since Drum's Not Dead.
Christina Kallet
I just heard this for the first time yesterday and it's my new favorite song.
No.1_2 U
"Shut the fuck up back there" somehow fit perfectly in the best and most beautiful way lmao
lalala65628
I saw these guys a month ago. It was amazing. really.
paul boggan
exactly!!!!! love em..... and live they are the perfect mix of darkness and hilarity......... a vaudevillian birthday party with a touch of .....nah, im blabbing now
alexgallico
Amazing way to go Todd Cole!!