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
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On May 4, 2021, Liars announced the release of a new album, titled The Apple Drop, which was released on August 6.
To Hold You Drum
Liars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We can go anywhere with small hands
Long legs,
We can go anywhere with small hands
Long, Long, Long (ooooh)
Long, Long, Long (ooooh)
We can do it anywhere but underwater
The lyrics of "To Hold You Drum" by Liars seem to focus on the idea of being able to do anything and go anywhere as long as you have certain physical attributes - long legs and small hands. These attributes are repeatedly mentioned, almost as if they are seen as the key to freedom and limitless possibilities. The repeated "long, long, long" seems to amplify this idea, emphasizing the importance of these physical attributes.
However, amidst the repeated mention of physical attributes, there is a slight deviation in the line "Milky hair, we can do it anywhere but underwater". This line seems to suggest a limitation, a barrier to what can be achieved even with all the physical attributes mentioned before. It could be interpreted as a reminder that despite our physical abilities, there are still some things that are beyond our control and cannot be achieved.
Overall, the lyrics of "To Hold You Drum" seem to suggest an underlying theme of seeking freedom and the ability to do anything, but with a hint of a reminder that even with all our physical abilities, there are still some limitations to what we can achieve.
Line by Line Meaning
Long legs,
Our physical attributes give us the freedom to explore and travel wherever we desire
We can go anywhere with small hands
Our capabilities are not limited by our physical size, as we can achieve anything we set our minds to
Long, Long, Long (ooooh)
The repetition emphasizes the importance and power of our physical attributes
Milky hair,
Our appearance may be unique or different, but it does not define who we are or what we can accomplish
We can do it anywhere but underwater
There may be limits to what we can achieve, and we should recognize and accept these limitations in order to move forward and succeed
Writer(s): Julian Morgan Gross, Aaron Hemphill, Angus Andrew Copyright: Music Sales Corporation O/B/o Mute Song
Contributed by Sadie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.