The group’s most recent album, “Sungrazer,” investigates the complexity of the mind in the age of social media and constant instant gratification. It sheds light on the loneliness of constant connectivity and the struggle to find meaning in the chaos because it was written as a fable for the digital age. Check out the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got Started?
Russell: I had been playing in various bands and working in the music industry for over 10 years and had just come out of two bands where I wasn’t G’d up on the music and was frustrated with not having much say. These ended in around 2017, so I then decided to put together my own band and pull together people that had the same ethos, approach and musical intent. It took a while to find the right fit, but with these guys everything just clicked!
Alex: So I was actually the last to join LT. Apparently there were some pretty funny contenders before me. Hey Russ? I had been looking for a new project after a year away from music. The year previous the band I was in had split up. When I met these guys I knew there was gonna be some magic. We started writing some songs together, jamming, working on a few demos Russell had in the bag. It’s fun thinking back to those first rehearsals, finding our feet.
2. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘LIARS TEETH?
Alex: This is a difficult question to answer as so much music and art have influenced me throughout life. I grew up in South America (Bogota) where they are big into ‘rock’ music. At the time grunge was exploding, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins were on the radio and MTV all the time. When I came back to the UK Brit Pop was really making a stir and I got really into that too. In my early 20’s I delved into alot of 70s/80s. I could honestly talk about this for hours… How about you Russ ?
Russell: I mean my influences are all over the place, but I’m similar to Alex in that the early 90’s alt / grunge bands were a big part of my musical life, then following on from that a lot of the alt / indie bands early-mid 2000’s, when I was a teenager. As a drummer I definitely had a staple diet of 70’s/80’s stuff too… Led Zeppelin, King Crimson…as well as Metal and some heavy funk and fusion stuff, a bit of everything really!
Alex: Liars Teeth is actually taken from a lyric in one of our songs. Josh heard me sing it and said how about we go with that! I think we’d been playing together a year before we even had a name [laughs]
Russell: Yeah, names are tough. I think the sentiment behind the name felt right, it embodied our frustrations with aspects of, for want of a better phrase, ‘modern life’.
3. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your Sound?
Russell: I think we’ve always strived to straddle the line between being slightly out there sonically, a bit weird and off kilter, whilst still having catchy hooks and stuff people can really engage with. I feel like we have this heavy bedrock of me and Rico (bass) which allows Josh and Alex to add the sexy tinsel on top [laughs].
Alex: yeah I think Russ has kinda nailed it there. We all like big riffs and intricate guitar jams, instrumental crescendos. But catchy too. I do love a good hook and chorus you can sing along too. What does Josh call it ? ‘Jank Rock’
4. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style?
Alex: Ever since I was a kid I sang along to songs. Trying to hit every note, sing in harmony. Without sounding cheesy, I guess that was me finding my voice. I really gained my confidence going to open mics which then led to me playing solo shows all over the place (back in the MySpace days) haha. A different time. I got a bit bored and lonely doing that, so I started playing in bands. Which, really is what I’d always wanted to do.
Russell: I was a music teacher for a really long time, and so much of what I taught was to encourage students to find their own voice. You have to put in the hard yards and learning other people’s music is a great way to to develop, but at some point you have to stick all your influences in a pot and say “this is me”. As soon as I stopped putting my creations through the filter of ‘does it sound like my favourite band ‘x’’ and just trusting my gut instinct, I started finding my own direction and sound that I liked….which gives you confidence too.
5. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
Russell: It really depends. Ideas can come from any one of us, we all write stuff so it often becomes a kind of ‘best idea wins’ scenario. The Sungrazer EP really proves that, Oblivion started as a demo I wrote, Void was based on some Rico basslines, and Sungrazer was a true collaboration between all of us. We don’t really do a lot of jamming, it’s more about working through ideas, following different paths, until we craft the route we like.
6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and Entertainment?
Russell: I think for all of us music has been such an integral escape from all the crap going on politically and in our personal lives. I mean we all got hit pretty hard in different ways by COVID and to me our music has definitely given me a vehicle to process all that. Will we make a political album in the future? Who knows [laughs].
Alex: I wouldn’t say we are particularly driven to write music surrounding political issues, maybe someday. I would say that some of the stuff we’ve written has touches of cultural and spiritual elements for sure. Our track ‘Void’ is kind of a documentary on the daily grind, the fatigue and struggles we all face everyday. The strive to achieve. The constant chase and the fears we all run from.
7. Do you think it is important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
Alex: haha. Well I literally just explained one of the songs. But I think everyone should make sense of music however they feel like it. So many songs I’ve listened to for years and I still don’t know what they are talking about. I hope some tune into what our songs are about. Sometimes it’s great to have a message, other times you just want music to take you elsewhere. right Russ ?
Russell: Yeah I agree. Personally my favourite music has always been the stuff that doesn’t define its intention too much. It allows you to take different meanings and relevance depending on where you are emotionally or in your life. I think in a lot of ways our music does that, there’s a sort of ‘framed ambiguity’ that allows people to see what they want in it and be affected in different ways.
8. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and Why?
Alex: Both are very different things. Being in the studio is all about the craft and process. You need a lot of patience and perseverance with all the tweaking, deleting, adding new parts. And then having the balls to call it, when it’s done. Live is so immediate, so by chance. You can play a blinder or you can fuck up at any time. You might break a string on the old guitar. You might sing the best you’ve ever sung or get a heckle that throws you off. It’s scary. But that’s the beauty of it.
Russell: I love both to be honest! They scratch different itches. I used to have my own recording studio so I’ve always really enjoyed the production element. But there’s also no substitute for being big, loud and sweaty in front of an audience.
9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
Russell: Without going into too much detail, I think we’ve all had some pretty tough shit happen in our personal lives throughout the life of the band. What’s amazing about Liars Teeth is that we all get on so well, there’s never any ego’s or any of that stuff, we get together and have a great time playing music…again comes back to that escape element, and letting the music do the talking.
10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
Russell: I think the recording and putting out the Sungrazer album has been amazing. So much was written over various lockdowns and I still don’t take the ability to play live music for granted.
Alex: defo putting out Sungrazer. We are really proud of those songs. Our first show after the release was a pretty special one. Such a great reaction to these songs. We’re looking forward to getting out there again.
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2 comments
A fantastic interview – I really enjoyed the carefully-considered and articulate responses to the questions. Judging by the song samples the sheer musicianship is immediately apparent as are the excellent production skills. This is a band with a real shit at ‘making it big’!
A fantastic interview – I really enjoyed the carefully-considered and articulate responses to the questions. Judging by the song samples the sheer musicianship is immediately apparent as are the excellent production skills. This is a band with a real shot at ‘making it big’!