We all need an energy-booster from time to time. Coffee, Red Bull, whatever works for you that gives that extra kick. For many, Garage rock is the cure for any kind of tiredness, and Scandanavian bands seem particularly prominent in that genre. The latest addition to a very healthy stable is Liar Thief Bandit, a power trio seemingly born to play live with the sole purpose of having fun. Whether you badge it Garage-Rock, Power-Pop, Pub-Rock or whatever, this is top-tier no-frills energetic good-time rock’n’roll!
Liar Thief Bandit will release their third album Deadlights on 14 May 2021. The album contains 12 tracks of modern-sounding Scandanavian garage rock and will be released on digital, vinyl, and CD format. Liar Thief Bandit effortlessly blends smooth guitar licks, infectious hooks, and uplifting lyrics with a ton of live rock energy, creating an album that could easily pass for a best-of collection of singles. Think The Offspring, The Hives, Rich Kids, Varvara etc, this is all great fun! Recorded in Tambourine Studios, who launched the career of The Cardigans among others, and produced by Erik Sunding, who’s been the engineer/ producer for bands such as Terrible Feelings and Bob Hund. The production on Deadlights is spotless, keeping the spirit of garage rock very much alive and well.
After humble beginnings in 2015 making demos and playing those first crucial shows, the band’s journey took off in late 20216 with their self-produced debut album Gun Shovel Alibi. Extensive touring across Europe followed, continuing thorough into 2017. The band’s energetic live show caught the attention of many and influenced the three-piece to write, record and deliver a follow-up EP Straight Ahead in August 2018, quickly followed by no less then three more extensive European tours. These guys have paid their dues!
With new songs in the making, May 2019 saw the trio doing their 100th show in Hamburg as the premiere of an 18-day tour through Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic. The autumn of that year saw a double-A single released on The Sign Records – unusually, this was shared jointly with up-and-coming compatriots Grande Royale (see recent Velvet Thunder album reviews), together with yet more touring through Germany and Switzerland. The track Virtue Not A Vice left no-one doubting the power of innovative riffs ans memorable melodies that makes Liar Thief Bandit stand out from the crowd.
Bringing us up to date, the third full-length was recorded during the spring of 2020 in Malmö’s Tambourine Studios. The songs were inspired by the hardships of being in a hard-working, constantly touring band as well as complicated situations in every-day life. But they are eternal optimists and share a determination to take life as it comes, facing obstacles with a positive state of mind.
The title track is the longest on the album, clocking in at a modest four minutes, nineteen seconds. The rest are 3 minute slabs of power chords, meaty rhythms, some surprisingly soaring guitar licks on top, some hugely infectious hooks and choruses a la Offspring, lots and lots of youthful live energy – but very competent playing, these are not simply three-chord-thrashs!
It’s probably fair to say there’s not a massive amount of variety across the song-set, but then that’s not the point – it’s simply twelve good reasons to let your hair down and have some fun! The 12 tracks amount to 42 minutes, and that’s more than sufficient to leave you breathless, worn out but eager for more – Enjoy!
Deadlights will be released in May 2021 on The Sign Records, who’ve previously worked with Liar Thief Bandit for the release of the band’s 2019 7” split single Virtue Not a Vice / Saved by Rock n Roll together with Grande Royale. Get ready to boogie!
