Album review: Amongst Liars – Amongst Liars

Not a lot of good things came out of 2020, but the formation of Amongst Liars proved that annus horribilis wasn’t a complete bust. Very much a product of their times, the South Coast collective combine the sexy big riffage of modern standard-setters like Shinedown and Royal Blood with a socio-political awareness that doesn’t often come with such mainstream-baiting sounds. From fake news and mental health to homelessness and countless other governmental failings, there’s plenty of fuel for this self-titled debut’s righteous fire, even if it doesn’t always ring true.

Aside from the pinned-on politics of its infectious lyrical beats (‘This violence bleeds silence!’), opener Cut It feels like it could’ve been lifted from the, eh, cuttings on Queens Of The Stone Age’s studio floor. Reign has ambitions to evoke the mountainous song-structures of Biffy Clyro, but leaves one foot in the fist-pumping sloganeering of heavier-end indie acts like Kasabian. The amped-up guitars at the beginning of Money dare to invoke Tom Morello’s work with Rage Against The Machine, but then the song spools off into the kind of pounding mass-market radio-rock that – no matter how polished or effective – doesn’t quite deliver the requisite fire.

And so they go. From the throbbing Burn The Vision via enormous, post-punky mid-album highlight Black Days to waltzing, weirdly dubstep-inflected closer Without Grace, it’s hard to fault the ambition or individual musical elements at play here. And fans who’re just after some prime bangers from the intersection between contemporary Brit rock and actual heavy music will find plenty to sink their teeth into. But it feels like Amongst Liars are still to find the spark – that sense of real, off-the-rails indignation – that will make their music really crackle.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Queens Of The Stone Age, Royal Blood, Biffy Clyro

Amongst Liars is out on July 8 via Earache