With the spring release of Elizabeth Goodman’s book Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011, there seems to be a spike in interest in the sound and style coming out of that era. But while we’re enjoying the return of bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and LCD Soundsystem and hoping Interpol’s Turn On The Bright Lights anniversary tour comes to our city, Liars are just here in the corner shrugging at any sort of nostalgia fit for that whole period.
At least that’s the impression we get from “Cred Woes,” the standout cut from Liars’ recent album TFCF — short for Theme From Crying Fountain — which hit last month via Mute. The springy synth number latches onto some timely vibrancy, eventually giving way to Sharona as it stomps along down a spiral to nowhere. Which is precisely how we like our music in 2017.
If “Cred Woes” sounds like a band reborn, or one with no real care for a backstory, that’s by design. TFCF is the first Liars release without multi-instrumentalist Aaron Hemphill, allowing co-founder Angus Andrew room to breathe for the first time in the group’s 16-year history. It was recorded in Andrew’s native Australia, with a live mic set up outside his isolated bush dwellings: “So everything I was recording was in context of the world outside the studio,” Andrew says in the press notes, via CoS. “Sometimes I’d have my headphones on, just listening to the bush, and a bird would fly up and scream into the microphone. The truth is, even in New York or LA, I was still pretty isolated. Here, there are no other people around, but I feel much more connected to the environment around me than in a big city.”
Fresh off the Riot Fest stage over the weekend, Liars bring their mutant disco to The Sinclair in Cambridge tonight (September 18). Watch the video for “Cred Woes” below, and also enjoy the remaining dates on Liars’ tour and a fun interview Andrew did recently with Pitchfork.
Liars On Tour, 2017:
September 13 Detroit, MI @ El Club
September 15 Chicago, IL @ Riot Fest
September 16 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
September 18 Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
September 20 Hamden, CT @ The Ballroom at The Outer Space
September 21 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
September 23 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
September 24 Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
September 25 Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
October 06 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
October 07 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
October 10 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
October 13-15 Joshua Tree, CA @ Desert Daze Festival