<p>- Since the pandemic, <strong>Andrew Angus</strong> of Liars has resided in Australia, in New South Wales where the new record, <em>The Apple Drop</em>, was made; his first in Australia since Liars’ inception in 2000. Ten albums deep in the career of any artist and you’d be hard pressed to find a fresh perspective. Yet that isn’t the case for Andrew Angus at all.</p>
<p>With the depth you’d expect from a musician this established, <em>The Apple Drop </em>is astonishing. It’s an art rock record that channels the gloom of the past year into an exhilarating fury. The artwork alone blairs this corrosive intensity; Andrew spelunks deep into the mountains of NSW seeking a muse out of the rural, natural world. <em>Sekwar</em>, the lead single, is a tense introduction to the record<em>. </em>Andrew’s voice is rough and isolated, as grotesque post-punk production crunches through the album. His voice and the chorus of backing vocals that emerge in the track’s second half hit the same nerve as <strong>Protomartyr</strong>’s invigorating <em>Ultimate Success Today, </em>except in place of the baroque is the demented: instruments that sound like drills threaten a cave-in around Andrew.</p>
<p>Though there’s a clear post-punk-to-grunge pipeline of late, Liars refrain from creating a monotonous mood here. <em>Star Search</em> is haunting yet versatile. A soundscape of rolling bass and shrill electronica drown out Andrew’s voice initially, but as his concerns press through, the atmosphere morphs into a vocal driven segue; for a record like this, it’s pretty unconventional.</p>
<p>Despite the isolation depicted in the record’s artwork and <em>Have A Nice Life</em>-esque tortured ambiance, <em>The Apple Drop </em>is a distinctly collaborative affair. Returning to Australia saw Andrew team up with avant-garde jazz drummer <strong>Laurence Pike</strong> and multi-instrumentalist <strong>Cameron Deyell</strong>, both of whom expand upon the creative vision for the Liars’ project. The collaborative heart of the record is most clear on the record’s bolder moments, like in <em>My Pulse to Ponder</em>, a nocturnal track that oozes suspense, blurring the line between the cool and dangerous; it’s the sort of song that decades ago could easily soundtrack Martin Sheen on the run in <em>Badlands</em>, as Andrew chants, “<em>I’ll cut your throat!</em>”</p>
<p><em>The Apple Drop</em> by Liars is no double digits drop in quality, instead it’s a furious gulp of fresh air, from a pocket of freshness that he’s fought his way to, deep inside a catacomb. Angus and friends arise from the shadows, burning with new promise.</p>
<p>- Sean Tayler.</p>
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