Billy Liar has been threatening this album for such a long time having teased us for years with songs and electric acoustic shows (that makes sense to me) His music is a ball of energy his lyrics are uplifting and you want to follow and listen intently and the pay off is hearing a bunch of songs that aren’t throw away – that really means something Billy Liar in a just world would be a household name such is his talent.
The production is big the songs sound well fed and ready to blow your speakers. The beauty is when you see one guy and his acoustic guitar you can imagine exactly how these would sound recorded well with a bang on production and hey presto here it is. Exactly how I imagined it – treated with the respect these tunes deserve and not over-egged.
‘The View From Here’ is sparkling its a ball of energy and is absolutely spot on for not being too long or too short and for not going overboard with the instruments. The energy is from the tempo and the fire in those guitar strings. the songs tell a story of living on Shit Island in 2019 yet as bleak as it gets these songs are uplifting ‘Independent People’ nails it with a melancholy wrapped in some fine lyrics then to follow it on with ‘Noose’ is a beautiful thing.
The charm and ragged beauty is a fine balancing act that Billy manages with consummate ease. If you want uptempo punk rock and roll then ‘Change’ will service your needs with a rapid beat it’s on fire. My biggest criticism is its only eleven songs and it’s over in under thirty minutes. But I love me some acoustic punk rock played with soul and passion and Billy has both in spades. I guess I can always take a deep breath and get back in there for some more but make sure you make it all the way through to get the full experience. ‘Less Vegas’ is a beautiful perspective and a wonderful way to end a thoroughly charming and quite exceptional album.
USA Sales Here
UK/Europe/ROW Here
Author: Dom Daley
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