I would definitely have pitched a review if I still wrote for p4k.
I agree with boxedjoy's take above, though would perhaps say (not that this contradicts boxedjoy's point) that maybe part of the problem is that, if you're not paying attention, they can be boxed too easily as "West End Girls" as produced by Underworld (or some variant or equivalent) - not so much "I don't get it" as "I get it too easily and there's nothing more there to get, to grapple with". I doubt many if any people find them either perplexing or hateful, but I could imagine a lot of shrugged shoulders and "why should I care?"
Or to put it more simply, I am surprised that there is no post above, perhaps from imago (or turrican if they were still around?) dismissing Real Lies as pleasant but ultimately unimaginative, derivative music for norms.
"You Guiding Hand" was excellent as a standalone single but it works even better in the context of the album, the pummelling kickdrum section (vaguely reminiscent of "Born Slippy") is like a final blast of ravey euphoria before the album winds down.
― Tim F, Friday, 29 April 2022 03:56 (one year ago) link
I think as well that their style of music is so untrendy right now in a lot of ways
an obvious comparison as far as recent acts go is for those i love, who's gotten a fair bit of attention & acclaim in the uk press lately doing a pretty similar spoken-word-over-moody-dance-music thing but he's really nowhere near as compelling as real lies
real lies obviously aren't innovating but they've distilled down their influences really really well, captured that melancholic uk late night vibe as well as anyone ever has. the album's pretty wide-ranging too within that vibe
think the lack of backlash so far is partly because they have pretty much no hype in the press or anything
― ufo, Friday, 29 April 2022 04:30 (one year ago) link
the one For Those I Love track I've heard was terrible, the example of how to do this sort of thing really badly
― boxedjoy, Friday, 29 April 2022 08:17 (one year ago) link
yeah i did not get the hype there at all
― ufo, Friday, 29 April 2022 08:52 (one year ago) link
Can't remember the last time I played an album as much as I have this one in the last week. Got tickets to see them in November and can't wait
― groovypanda, Friday, 29 April 2022 09:41 (one year ago) link
They're a lot of fun live - saw them in Salford a few weeks back and while they were hampered by technical glitches, once those were fixed it was really good. Guest vocalists and dancers!
Concur with all the praise for the album, the new tracks easily stand up to the previously released tracks.
― Twelves, Friday, 29 April 2022 11:09 (one year ago) link
seeing them tomorrow for the second time in six months, even more excited because I know what to expect (and this time insisting on pals coming rather than going alone)
― boxedjoy, Friday, 29 April 2022 11:27 (one year ago) link
have fun boxedjoy, hope you have a beautiful night out!
― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Friday, 29 April 2022 12:45 (one year ago) link
Lad Ash has crashed into the Official UK Album (Downloads) Chart Top 100 at #85!!! (which probably equates to about 40 actual purchases)
― technopolis, Friday, 29 April 2022 18:09 (one year ago) link
Plus: an actual review! Great stuff from tQ: https://thequietus.com/articles/31453-real-lies-lad-ash-review
― technopolis, Friday, 29 April 2022 19:38 (one year ago) link
that's a nice review
― the cat needs to start paying for its own cbd (map), Friday, 29 April 2022 20:23 (one year ago) link
Looks like it will be amazing boxedjoy xps
Still coming down from @_real_lies last night 🌹 🕊 pic.twitter.com/mwcamygrBu— Nick Levine (@nicklevine) April 29, 2022
― groovypanda, Friday, 29 April 2022 20:32 (one year ago) link
i don't want to wish the whole summer away but their brighton date in october can't come quickly enough
― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Friday, 29 April 2022 20:36 (one year ago) link
I'll be at the Glasgow show tomorrow too, first gig post covid
― ignore the blue line (or something), Friday, 29 April 2022 21:31 (one year ago) link
v jealous of y'all getting to see them. album totally kills
― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Friday, 29 April 2022 21:33 (one year ago) link
Mini ilx fap imminent!
― boxedjoy, Saturday, 30 April 2022 00:20 (one year ago) link
gig was incredible, tho i am deaf in one ear now. was funny to see Kevin Kharas queuing up at the bar for a beer just before they came on. And the girl who sings on Nicotine Patch spent the show dancing just next to us. Intimate no frills show, proper rave atmosphere
― ignore the blue line (or something), Sunday, 1 May 2022 12:29 (one year ago) link
even better than last time I saw them, best band in the world right now, bliss to be alive
― boxedjoy, Monday, 2 May 2022 09:45 (one year ago) link
<3<3<3
― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Monday, 2 May 2022 09:53 (one year ago) link
ty boxedjoy and tim f for helping me codify my thoughts about this band. deeply uncool as very cool is a funny and interesting take, somehow extremely accurate in my brainspace.
― Xii, Monday, 2 May 2022 16:02 (one year ago) link
Still listening daily.
Album of the year
― groovypanda, Friday, 13 May 2022 08:54 (one year ago) link
Also this (starts 66 minutes in):
We were live in session on @BBCR1 last night. Listen back now https://t.co/TZDWIADvBN pic.twitter.com/vssnBshrAx— Real Lies (@_real_lies) May 11, 2022
― groovypanda, Friday, 13 May 2022 09:06 (one year ago) link
on tour 2022, tickets on sale now https://t.co/ITyxrltlQc 🕊🌹⚡️ https://t.co/C5UZPBiRzG— Real Lies (@_real_lies) June 16, 2022
really guilty lol at this
― boxedjoy, Tuesday, 28 June 2022 21:21 (one year ago) link
also over the weekend I had the lads round - as in, the friends I have who are proper lads - and we put this on at the tail end of the night's shenanigans and it seemed to really strike even more of a chord in that context. This feels like such a classic already.
― boxedjoy, Tuesday, 28 June 2022 21:24 (one year ago) link
got a ticket for the London show
― nashwan, Tuesday, 28 June 2022 21:50 (one year ago) link
they can be boxed too easily as "West End Girls" as produced by Underworld (or some variant or equivalent) - not so much "I don't get it" as "I get it too easily and there's nothing more there to get, to grapple with". I doubt many if any people find them either perplexing or hateful, but I could imagine a lot of shrugged shoulders and "why should I care?"― Tim F, Friday, April 29, 2022 5:56 AM (two months ago) bookmarkflaglink
The thing is that Underworld-produced romantic synthpop, is a fantastic proposal. The pinch of French House, strong British accent, touches of sophistic-pop may all offer their soft belly for cruel spears, but you know, kill them with kindness. In today's set-up, quick dismissals are their own true collateral. Anyway, I'm late to the party, but add one voice behind this innocent and charming album.
― Nabozo, Saturday, 2 July 2022 19:33 (one year ago) link
Still rinsing the absolute fuck out of this album. Honestly can't remember the last time an album struck such a chord with me as this one has. They've been teasing new music soon too on Instagram so looking forward to that.
― groovypanda, Sunday, 3 July 2022 16:25 (one year ago) link
xpost don’t get me wrong, I love this album.
― Tim F, Sunday, 3 July 2022 21:06 (one year ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3dMRdZ5HhI
feels like it was designed in a lab to appeal to my exact tastes
― boxedjoy, Sunday, 31 July 2022 11:30 (one year ago) link
Yeah, it's a great remix. Original might be my song of the year so far. Every single time Kev gets to the "all my friends with the same crest upon their chest" line I levitate. He sounds...completely ecstatic?
Real Lies: a band so good I bought the scarf.
― bain4z, Sunday, 31 July 2022 16:00 (one year ago) link
something wicked this way comes 👀 live at midnight https://t.co/jRrimOnu24 https://t.co/0VaTNgrrxD— Real Lies (@_real_lies) September 1, 2022
― groovypanda, Thursday, 1 September 2022 21:41 (one year ago) link
New song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9-9Ljpcs1I
― groovypanda, Wednesday, 28 September 2022 15:28 (one year ago) link
This is massive.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 28 September 2022 21:08 (one year ago) link
yeah, one of patrice's best productions yet i think, and that video is perfect too, a rattling journey full-tilt into the darkness. bummer it wasnt on the album tbh
― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Wednesday, 28 September 2022 21:22 (one year ago) link
am i alone in hearing echoes of 'no good' in it?
― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Wednesday, 28 September 2022 21:26 (one year ago) link
No, albeit that “echoes of ‘no good’” could describe a decent chunk of dance music from the last few years.
― Tim F, Wednesday, 28 September 2022 21:36 (one year ago) link
haha true
― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Wednesday, 28 September 2022 23:51 (one year ago) link
this rules
description says "first part of an epilogue" to lad ash, so there's more coming
― ufo, Wednesday, 28 September 2022 23:56 (one year ago) link
Yeah they posted this on IG:One of two songs from the world of that record that we want to put out before we put it to bed and move on with our lives.Then finished it off with it's also a fucking banger.❤️🔥
― willem, Friday, 30 September 2022 07:44 (one year ago) link
"This has been the best night of my life."Kev, earlier
― nashwan, Thursday, 6 October 2022 21:27 (one year ago) link
These guys. Every time!
― the article don, Friday, 7 October 2022 09:24 (one year ago) link
That's definitely something you should say on every night of the tour.Gig was a blast tho - my first since covid too to echo or something up thread. Funny to see Patrice come out first to a reverb-drenched edit of Roy Orbison's 'You Got It' of all things while throwing OTT DJ poses. It went properly OFF for Since I, North Circular (segue from Lonely Ones into this was glorious) and the final trifecta (Dream On, Boss Trick, YGH). The threadbare setup is probably part of the charm really altho I always want background visuals to support this kind of music. Would've been fun to hear a few more of the older tracks too but can't fault 'em really. I see the sets from earlier this year did not seem to include 'An Oral History...' so thrilled that made it in towards the end.
― nashwan, Friday, 7 October 2022 09:44 (one year ago) link
really did want to go to that but i'm broke, but super glad it was good!
― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Friday, 7 October 2022 21:06 (one year ago) link
So happy to finally get this on vinyl a full three months earlier than the predicted release date. Sounds and looks beautiful and so cool to have the bonus tracks on there.
― kitchen person, Saturday, 5 November 2022 16:03 (one year ago) link
Nice. Seeing them live in a couple of weeks and cannot wait
― groovypanda, Saturday, 5 November 2022 18:53 (one year ago) link
new track “Valentine”https://open.spotify.com/track/48M2kP5KdV0jp14Xzu8lhr?si=9JUnn3uFTbaE5TrPhigzwQ
― anza808, Friday, 27 January 2023 14:19 (one year ago) link
it's really nice
― ufo, Saturday, 28 January 2023 21:09 (one year ago) link
love that but i feel 2:43 is about a third of the length it should be
― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Saturday, 28 January 2023 22:59 (one year ago) link
solid content:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoGFNv0DC41/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
― o shit the sheriff (NickB), Tuesday, 31 January 2023 22:25 (one year ago) link