Amongst Liars Release New Single and Music Video, “Vice”

Alternative rockers Amongst Liars are going head to head with their demons with their new single and music video for “Vice.” The track is taken from the band’s upcoming second full-length album, Design, due 4th July 2024 via Earache Records. As an ambassador for Metal for Good, the track explores mental health, depression, and the catastrophic effects of long-covid.

On the new single, vocalist Ian George comments:

“‘Vice’ was the last song we actually recorded for the album, back in October 2023-and also the first song we wrote with James Brumeo on synth after he joined the band in July. The song deals with a mental health battle that I experienced last autumn. I’ve had long-covid for the last couple of years and have struggled with breathing difficulties and chronic fatigue, but then last summer some events in my life triggered a depression that I also partly attribute to long covid. I experienced severe depression, paranoia and almost schizophrenia where at times I didn’t even recognise myself. It was a really dark time; I pushed a lot of people away, became really introverted and just couldn’t get any meaning around these thoughts that kept going round in my head. It really was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to cope with in my life. Music definitely helped me come out of it, partially by writing and recording this song and also ‘You Are Not a Slave,’ to channel and put down in lyrics what I couldn’t express to anyone at the time because I was so shut off, guarded and paranoid. So in a sense the song is a cry for help and rally for hope at the same time.”

Amongst Liars toured in autumn 2023 supporting Theory of a Deadman across the UK and just finished a very successful 3000-mile 15-day French tour in February 2024 supporting Ayron Jones. A July UK tour with some HMV in-stores is currently being finalized around the launch of Design, and more support tours are being worked on for autumn 2024.

George says:

“Lyrically, the album is about metamorphosis and rebirth – it is themed around a lot of the issues we have experienced over the last year since our debut album. Personally there have been relationship issues, our bass player Ross has beaten stage two cancer and I have been dealing with a lot of issues around having long covid, resulting in severe fatigue and very up and down bouts with depression. But the album is using this as catharsis-about facing these problems, growing as people and finding positivity amongst the chaos of modern life. There is commentary on the current climate in the UK with songs such as “The Shameful”, “No Control” and “Wolf Machine”, with the political climate getting increasingly worse and people more and more disheartened.There are songs about overcoming mental health and adversity with songs like “Mind”, “Vice”, “By Design” and “Say”. And songs about standing up to bulling and toxic behaviour with “You Are Not a Slave”. We are also aiming to diversify as much as possible with alternative versions of these songs and have done a stripped back piano version of “Vice” and are working on collaborations with other artists too.”

As well as announcing a fan special with the band travelling around the UK to visit fans and deliver albums/play acoustic tracks in people’s homes in late June, Amongst Liars has just announced gigging activity across the album.

Tour Dates:

18th May – The Venue, Brighton – The Alternative Escape
4th July – Temple Bar, Eastbourne
11th July – Instore acoustic, HMV Leicester
11th July – Firebug, Leicester
12th July – Corporation, Sheffield
13th July – Gullivers, Manchester
18th July – Face Bar, Reading
19th July – Instore acoustic, HMV Cardiff
19th July – Fuel, Cardiff
20th July – Giffard Arms, Wolverhampton

Amongst Liars “Vice” single artwork, by Pierre Englebrecht