# Album Review: Liars’ ‘The Apple Drop’

- Link: https://indierockcafe.com/2021/08/album-review-liars-the-apple-drop/
- Published: 2021-08-24T17:04:20-04:00
- Author: EarsToTheGround

There’s a dark cloud that hangs over 2014’s _Mess_, the seventh album by **Liars**.
The vibrant hair strands that adorn the album art are now reminders of the band 
that used to be. Since its release, two-thirds of Liars have departed: Julian Gross
calling time on his participation in 2014, and Aaron Hemphill’s nagging back issues
putting him on the bench in 2017.

What followed was unexpected; Angus Andrew carried on Liars as a solo project for
two efforts – 2017’s underappreciated _TFCF _and its immediate follow-up 2018’s 
less-than-stellar _Titles with the Word Fountain_. Working every angle for two albums
is a lot for anyone, but with his stone-cold stare piercing a hole through us, Andrew
pressed on. Now we have _The Apple Drop_ – easily the best Liars record in a decade,
thanks in part to the additions of multi-instrumentalist Cameron Deyell and drummer
Laurence Pike.

No shade intended towards 2012’s solid _WIXIW_, but the experimental nature of Liars
had evolved to a point of no return. The faux-pop of 2007’s _Liars_ was the only
true access point for newcomers, and it’s nestled in between narrative giants, the
magnum opus _Drum’s Not Dead_ and the beloved _Sisterworld_. Liars aren’t a pop 
band by any means, but _The Apple Drop_ is the first time they’ve sounded like a
rock trio since their 2001 debut, _They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument
on Top_.

The tone of _The Apple Drop_ is livelier, something not felt since _Sisterworld_
when the band went balls-to-the-wall. Hearing “The Start” kick off the album with
such a vibrant riff warms the heart. When Andrew coalesces with Pike and Deyell 
on “Big Appetite”’s chorus of “They carry on for you” it feels like new ground is
being broken for the band.

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Everything here sounds tighter than before, with an emphasis on riffs and melody,
allowing the experimental tendencies of Liars to take a step back for a moment. 
As a result, _The Apple Drop_ will likely be labeled their ‘pop’ album, and that’ll
be a justified assessment. The synthy “Sekwar” pushes a few boundaries but it nevertheless
keeps itself grounded with climaxing choruses amongst traditional deadpan lines 
from Andrew; “I’ll fight first, I’ll fight first,” he affirms.

Of course, ‘pop’ is relative, and Liars are still fairly experimental when held 
side-by-side with traditional rock bands. The intense “Star Search” wouldn’t be 
welcomed with open arms on local radio stations, its eerie drums and spiraling organs
would likely send DJs running for the hills. Its immediate follow-up, “My Pulse 
to Ponder” squelches as Andrew sings “I’ll cut your throat” repeatedly, a display
that would see equal amounts of radio personalities fleeing their positions. Liars
haven’t forgotten who they are, but Angus Andrew unironically wants to make things
more interesting by going largely in a new direction.

_The Apple Drop’_s visual component unveils a lot of the themes behind the music.
The three music videos for the consecutive tracks “Sekwar”, “Big Appetite” and “
From What the Never Was” form a trilogy that pays homage to classic science-fiction
thrillers like _Alien_, _The Thing_, and _Twelve Monkeys_. These images make a perfect
accompaniment to the sounds and play on loop in your mind while listening to the
album. While there’s more metaphor and meaning to be drawn from these videos, one
thing is clear – Andrew is having fun with Liars again. He’s ripping open cadavers
and screaming maniacally into the darkness, and soundtracking these mini-movies 
with cinematic meditations.

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There’s nothing resembling the vocal gem that is “The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack”
here, but the closest we get is “Acid Crop”, where Andrew hoarsely yelps into oblivion
in between soft melodic singing. It’s another fine example of how Liars can be moving
forward while looking backward, not losing sight of what they’ve accomplished. Andrew
seems to start over with every Liars record, but always incorporates the lessons
learned with the new risks, and for much of the band’s discography this approach
has been successful. He continues that trend with _The Apple Drop_, mining the past’s
raw live performances with the electronics from their mid-career spikes, and finally
arriving at their latest pop evolution.

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