The Liars Club – Of Self EP

Barrow-in-Furness, UK based punk outfit The Liars Club are set to release their sophomore EP, Of Self, on the 18th June, the release will be the long awaited follow up on their 2018 debut EP, Dormant. The Liars Club‘s latest release is one that channels the fury of their live shows, the latest round of which look like they are going to be delayed as the UK’s lockdown restrictions sadly look like they’re going to be extended due to the ongoing incompetence of the UK’s politicians, who are a liars club in their own right. The ongoing governmental incompetence appears to have fuelled The Liars Club, it’s a high price to pay, but if you look hard enough you can always find a silver lining behind every cloud.

The five track EP is the sound of brutally honest working class fury, but this is not your typical punk catharthis, The Liars Club also embrace influences as disparate as jazz, soul, hip hop and rock, as with everything from The Liars Club this is unrestrained and fuelled by injustice, austerity, physical and mental abuse in relationships, or “the never-ending repetition of culturalism in modern day society“. Whilst the Of Self EP is a product of the inequality and corruption in society this is not a dour retelling of the headlines, as The Liars Club put it “We like music to make you feel something. We not only want the lyrics to open your eyes, but we want the music to bring out the fire in your soul. The Liars Club is not a place of violence or hate; it’s a haven for people to come to. We are theirs and they are ours.”

The five tracks contained on the Of Self EP each address separate issues, from the starting point of the forbidding 8 Tonne, that confronts the UK’s cocaine abuse, through the claustrophobic intensity of Tutankhamen and PKB, that are separated by the unsettling interlude of Freak, before the EP closes with the superb Ryan Dunn, an epic dark grinding driven riff that steadily builds to a frantic climax being suddenly fading out leaving you in a sudden stunned silence. The Liars Club carry the intense doom laden soundtrack and unpredictability of the post punk scene, this is married to elements of noise rock, punk rock and the eclectic alternative scene to create a cacophonous and unique wall of rage against the society we live in. This is a soundtrack that is simultaneously embedded in the past, present and future with left field influences on display throughout the EP’s 17 minute run time.

The release of the Of Self EP follows in the wake of the band’s original bass player, Jake Davies, sadly taking his own life shortly after the release of their debut EP. The band took some much needed time out to process the trauma, since then the band have cemented their drive and ambition, and are honouring Jake’s legacy with the release of the Of Self EP. The Liars Club have overcome personal trauma and their cathartic wall of post punk noise is the perfect soundtrack for right here and right now. The Liars Club are an almost inevitable product of the politics of the last decade, something that means that their latest release is not always an easy listen. Of Self is a challenging, confrontational and thought provoking EP that deserves your attention.