No Liars Share New LP, ‘The Cause & The Cure’

28 March 2018 | 2:28 pm | Alex Sievers
Originally Appeared In

If you're looking for some good new music to get your claws around, then No Liars are it.

If you're looking for some good new music to get your claws around, then No Liars are it. 



Hailing from Victoria, British Columbia, I doubt that anyone else out here in Australia has any fucking clue who No Liars are. I mean, I sure didn’t until the band emailed me recently regarding their solid new 11-track record, ‘The Cause & The Cure’, but now I’m really paying attention.

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For this new record, the independent Canadian band enlisted Jesse Gander of Rain City Recorders (Japandroids, White Lung) to record this debut full-length and Joao Carvalho (Alexisonfire, Arkells, Silverstein, Protest The Hero) to master the album as well. And as such, ‘The Cause & The Cure’ is just dripping in that particular kind of raw and honest production that suits No Liars' brand of melodic post-hardcore perfectly. Case in point: songs like the emotive ‘Guilt Trip’, the groovy riffage of 'Animal', and the glorious, dynamic title track that closes out this new LP.

A single listen to No Liars shows that these five guys are pulling a metric fuck tonne of influence from other, bigger Canadian acts; the dual vocals, deep emotion and massive hooks of Alexisonfire, the anger and energy of Comeback Kid, as well as the riffs and grooves of Billy Talent. Yet they handle these crystal clear inspirations well enough and in part, offer up a solid mixture of burning hardcore instrumentals, plenty of well-written melodious sections, some really passionate screams and catchy vocal melodies to boot. Also, unintentional or not, this band also carry on the very same songwriting torch that Funeral For A Friend lit and left on their last couple records (basically everything from 'Welcome Home Armageddon' and onward), and I am more than okay with that!

Another thing I also really enjoy about this record is how the title is the mission statement; shaping the wider intent and message of this whole release. All of these songs are both about the "cause" - what origins certain issues or personal pains have sprung from - and what their answer or “cures” are or might be. Even if we don’t like the resolutions presented. And I don’t think the band themselves have the full answers to the wider political issues that they discuss here, they're just trying to help make sense of this giant mess. What with songs like the super-charged 'Justified Sacrifice’ (about disinformation campaigns, "fake news", ad 'alternative truths' by politicians, commentators and media alike), the punk-as-fuck 'Societies Fall' (the title says it all, really), or the catchy 'This Hell I Call Home' (about ill-advised nationalism and misguided patriotism) see the group speaking up and doing so loudly.

And look, while what No Liars are saying here isn't anything that new, I can really respect and appreciate the honest passion, strong songwriting and the performances on offer.

Give 'The Cause & The Cure' a spin below!