Ain't No Lie: 'Lies' by LIES Is an Early AOTY Favorite

Mike and Nate Kinsella explore new sonic territory and fans of American Football and Owen can't miss this new project.

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A few decades ago, I spent a spring break visiting an old friend and catching up on the years that had passed since his family moved out of state. Naturally, we spent most of the time sharing music, and I am forever indebted to him for playing No Good for No One Now by Owen. Over textures mostly limited to acoustic guitars and bare-bones drums, this guy was singing about personal shortcomings and failed relationships through raw and honest lyrics that evoked the emo scene I was getting into at the time. “Who is this, and how did he write these relatable things?” my high school brain wondered. The next record we listened to was the still relatively new debut from the fabled American Football, and my lifelong love of Midwest emo was born.

It turns out that this artist wasn’t even named Owen. He was Mike Kinsella, and along with his brother, Tim, and cousin, Nate, the three played in what seems like every Illinois band that formed the niche genre. Before American Football, there was Cap’n Jazz, followed by Joan of Arc, and so many others. After an American Football reunion tour, two albums that are just as great as that legendary debut record, and Owen returning to critical grace with 2020s The Avalanche, Mike Kinsella’s music might be as known as it’s ever been. Now he’s back with Nate (Birthmark, Make Believe) for a new project, LIES, and it may be the best version of the signature Kinsella formula yet.

LIES’ debut album, Lies, was born from writing sessions that were supposed to be the fourth American Football album. Since the project was born out of the pandemic, it started with Nate Kinsella sharing short synthesizer loops he’d created during the early days of the pandemic. The poppier edges didn’t fit with the American Football “sound,” and Mike recalls telling Nate, “I want to be in that band.”

The result is the Kinsellas at their most intricate yet accessible. “Blemishes” sets the mission statement for the project, as it starts with bubbly vocal samples before building into a rich conclusion that throws in everything but the studio kitchen sink. “Echoes” and “Corbeau” are a few of the many reasons why Lies should be revisited repeatedly, with new intricacies to absorb with each fresh listen. The latter was an excellent choice as the project’s first single last year - it wouldn’t be out of place on any of the Owen records, yet the lethargic loops and low-lying fuzz throughout demonstrate that any great artists such as the Kinsellas are constantly experimenting with their musical voice, even after almost thirty years of recording.

As intriguing as the first quarter of Lies is, it’s in the thick of the album where LIES (the band) blossoms. Last year saw the release of an EP that featured five of the songs found here, and “Resurrection,” the first on Lies not to be found there shows that this new Kinsella project has real legs. With its bouncing synth bassline and gorgeous string work, “Resurrection” would be all over pop radio if Clear Channel had any soul left in its Robo-DJ empire. Not to be outdone is “Broken,” with Mike Kinsella exploring divorce much like he did on The Avalanche. LIES brilliantly turns the formula on its head, creating an atmosphere akin to a child’s birthday party through a melody built around a Jack-in-the-box that morphs into a drumline crescendo. Kinsella has explored this subject many times. Still, here he offers a bit of humor by breaking up the seriousness with a party horn after singing, “I’m over you, you’re over me, congratulations!” for one of the more memorable parts in a fantastic record.

Lies reaches a midpoint peak with “Camera Chimera,” a brooding groover that recalls Depeche Mode through pulsing bass and delayed guitar washes before the stunningly sublime “Summer Somewhere” reaches new sonic territory for a Kinsella project. “No Shame” is one that I initially wrote off, as it does take a bit to get going, but in an album full of soaring orchestral summits, the last few minutes are beyond captivating. The final run of “Rouge Vermouth,” “Knife,” “Sympathetic Eyes,” and “Merely” will please anyone who appreciates Owen’s more subdued moments and is well worth the time to spend listening to on a good set of headphones.

The first quarter of the year has delivered a robust slate of records, but Lies by LIES may just top the list - a much-welcomed exception to break the cycle for all of the anticipated albums that have fizzled out once released. Earlier American Football and Owen albums may hold a special place in the heart. Still, Mike and Nate Kinsella deserve praise for continuing to grow and releasing something so distinctive from the rest of their catalogs.

Lies is available on Polyvinyl Records.