"I felt like I was part of something" a thread for Real Lies

i voted for real lies, it spoke to the crushing sense of notalgia that was my 2020. also made me think of the beloved, who i also love in the same slightly-embarrassed-by-it kind of way

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I’m a bit embarrassed how deeply “Boss Trick'' got its hooks in; it did absolutely nothing for me on first blush but now I’ve played it forty times if I’ve played it once and I am afraid I’m likely to listen to it another hundred in the coming year. I’m amused but unsurprised that this hooked you Dan; keep fucking around with Real Lies and they’ll definitely getcha!

There’s just something about the blend of the warm and rummy bassline, the breathy vocals, the canned drums, the piano motif, the disarmingly rich electrostrings and that sample OH THAT SAMPLE; it’s all unmistakably, immensely corny but somehow evokes genuine **Ff3eeee1llzzz** “Clubby PM Dawn” is a very good description imo.

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The first Real Lies album, which I love a lot, is more like East 17 than anything else I can put my finger on.

They remind me of The Tough Alliance a lot though: immaculate hooks over synth-pop, swaggering and menacing delivery but celebratory joyous lyrics. I think TTA practice situationalism as a means of political escape in an idealised way, but for RL it manifests in the fleeting joy of nightlife and club culture.

They also make me think of Saint Etienne's first two albums - stylistically different of course, but both at a point in their careers where their music sounds tied to the city, and borne out of the thrill of the joy of pop itself, all samples and ambition.

I really love this band, I would have started a thread on them if I had had any inkling that ILM wouldn't hate it.

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apparently real lies once described their sound as 'dj sprinkles meets oasis' lmao

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQOfS-x6mqc

and rather fortuitously they've released a new song this weekend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAvWmDP-Xtk

Oh wow why have I not heard these before?

i have nothing but warm feelings for these lads, even they make me cringe a bit (hello new song!)

i did enjoy their version of 'a raint night in soho' last year, they pretty much turned the pogues into a bark psychosis song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQQr4t72aVg

I feel like the cringe is part of the appeal: the way they skirt the boundary between lad swagger and earnestness, it feels disarmingly sincere

it's a weird kind of selling point, but yes - that!

I'm not an expert in these matters, but should thread be called "a mix between DJ Sprinkles and PM Dawn with the swagger of Oasis" (or something like that)?

I really missed a trick there eh

yeah boss trick is a ten, I love how it’s a tribute to the third guy who left the group, real earnest bromance vibes

Gorgeous merchandise that I'm vaguely tempted by: https://real-lies.bandcamp.com/merch/forza-rl-bliss-to-be-alive-scarves

As mentioned upthread, love the Ea(rne)st 17-ness of these guys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12GveMzGUSg

another new one, getting a very strong sense of how the new album is going to sound when it finally arrives

Love “Late Arcades”. Though I think “Nicotine Patch” may be my favourite of the recent material.

Love the female/male vocal interplay on:

What you gonna use those sore lips for?
Making vows, breaking laws
Constant craving, settling scores
Football pools and cellar doors
Late enough to break
Stay cool son, ache, ache, ache, ache
Hold it inside
With all the reasons why

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du8HPKqHZcI

I love this group

going to see them live tonight after it was postponed three (!) times and I am too excited

Ever since discovering this group, I've become more and more obsessed with them

these guys are wonderful.

"late arcades" is just >>>>>>

okay late arcades is outstanding

why didn’t anybody tell me about this band???

i found out about them in the 2020 ilx top tracks rollout i think? they were like 52 or something

this album has the potential to rule my winter if it comes out soon ish.

also i need the "bliss to be alive" shirt

the sweetest thing I’ve ever known

"since i" is a freaking anthem

It’s about late-night people living in a world that doesn’t want them. It’s about ecstatic taxi rides, drawn curtains, Bluetooth speakers and the sudden pull of strangers. It’s about burying yourself in words and warm bodies in an endless search for the right ones. It was ushered into the world by our friend Tom Watson and finished off by us, with the help of Tom Demac. It’s the next song from our new album and it’s for all of you.
lyrics
They tore the tongue from the town
Had the nerve to shed tears for the underground
Still need somewhere to come up now the club’s shut down
Aha, ha!
My heart lifts off the backseat, joins the bedtime birds
Numbers rule my life but I’m a man of words
But round her it surges like I can’t describe
Sin, sin, since I

Since I heard your name
I’ve been coming alive
The lines of your fingers
Can we head to mine?
Since I

Sin, sin, since I
Left you late
At Sunday light

It’s a city changing
A shadow play of what it was

It’s a different type of hedonist that wears the crown
Rave echoes are the currency in shutdown town
A sadlad reminiscence with the SoundCloud out
Aha, ha
I’m a caller you can count on in the fading light
I’m a counter you can call on in the dead of night
Young yearning, burning earnings
When the time is right
Since I

Sin, sin, since I

The roads are on surge but the urge has spoken
As one door shuts, another opens
Least till tomorrow when the spell is broken
Aha, ha…

If I were you, I’d forget about that day
Memory fades when you’ve let yourself down
Promises made in a cab, they fade
Well, where are the people who care for you now?
Summer sensoria, unite the euphoria
Get back on the chase and you’ll never come down
Daylight deceit makes you feel complete
Well, this is for someone who never slows down…

Since I

The sight of your shoulders
Laid by my side
Sin, sin, since I

We dreamt a dream of this town
In between the offie and the eider down
Can you hack another bag if you’re coming round?
Aha, ha!
Can you hear that banging bassline through your bedroom wall?
You shut down our clubs then six of us moved in next door
Least you can tell me now how you sleep at night
Sin, sin, since I

going to see them live tonight after it was postponed three (!) times and I am too excited

how were they? I see they're playing here in a couple of days.

I wouldn't want to spoil it but yes you should definitely go see them, they were excellent, the performance was full of surprises and everything was suitably banging, I think the next album is going to be the Saint Etienne/Burial/East 17 hybrid of my dreams based on the new material

fuck this stuff is good

It’s about late-night people living in a world that doesn’t want them. It’s about ecstatic taxi rides, drawn curtains, Bluetooth speakers and the sudden pull of strangers. It’s about burying yourself in words and warm bodies in an endless search for the right ones.

this is otm but also describes every Real Lies song?

Both "Since I" are "Your Guiding Hand" are fantastic.

I was just Googling around looking for news about their second album and Juno has the track-listing, artwork and even previews up. Haven't seen anything announced officially anywhere yet so I'm not sure what the deal is. According to Juno the album is called Lad Ash and comes out on April 22nd.

https://www.junodownload.com/products/real-lies-lad-ash/5393660-02/

My most anticipated album of the year at this point.

it's not unusual for retailers to accidentally post listings for albums before they're announced, lots of stuff gets leaked out that way.

going through their run of singles over the last few years & "late arcades" is so good, glad that's on the album since not everything is.

Theyve announced another show in Glasgow, it doesn't seem to be a "tour" but the date makes sense around this schedule for release

I’m gonna pretend that them leaving off their best song is some kind of 80s throwback strategy,

Genre: "breakbeat"

what I really want is a bonus disc of the "UNREAL" mixes of the singles.

they played Oh Me Oh My (Nicotine Patch) at their show so it's not like they've disowned it.

Yeah I guess that’s my point, the song even has the feel of a single that sits outside of the album it is adjacent to

lad ash is happening

The questions you've been asking for so long have finally found their answer. 10AM tomorrow 🕊 https://t.co/hUPal9RWEB

— Real Lies (@_real_lies) February 8, 2022

FINALLY

I'm hoping it's the same release date that Juno had (April 22nd) as that's quite soon, but I also have my fingers crossed that the track-listing wasn't quite correct and Oh Me Oh My is on the album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv9-l613aSM

https://real-lies.bandcamp.com/album/lad-ash

juno listing was accurate

new song is a vibe

Brilliant news!

Vinyl apparently includes bonus tracks never seen on vinyl before.

some dates:

We've also added new dates to our 2022 tour. Come see us if you like, all ticket links below...

1 April - Manchester, White Hotel
23 April - Rotterdam, Motel Mozaique
28 April - London, Pickle Factory - SOLD OUT
30 April - Glasgow, Nice N Sleazy
28 May – Copenhagen, VEGA
6 Oct - London, Heaven
28 Oct - Leeds, Belgrave Music Hall
29 Oct - Nottingham, Bodega
18 Nov - Dublin, Grand Social
26 Nov - Brighton, Patterns

no spoilers but the live show when I saw them was full of charming surprises as well as being made of complete bangers and I can't wait to see them again

yes to all that, and the gig i saw was very in keeping with the spirit of their music - something very ingenuous and sincere about the whole thing, maybe its just the times we've been through but it was a genuinely emotional experience

massive rabbits – with a vital message https://t.co/ITyxrltlQc pic.twitter.com/36mxex0Cre

— Real Lies (@_real_lies) March 10, 2022

If anyone is interested Real Lies have a very lengthy Spotify playlist called “Bliss to be Alive” and it’s an absolute trove of goodies

Updated every fortnight too!

really did want to go to that but i'm broke, but super glad it was good!

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.

Nice. Seeing them live in a couple of weeks and cannot wait

new track “Valentine”
https://open.spotify.com/track/48M2kP5KdV0jp14Xzu8lhr?si=9JUnn3uFTbaE5TrPhigzwQ

it's really nice

love that but i feel 2:43 is about a third of the length it should be

solid content:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoGFNv0DC41/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

new track “Valentine”
https://open.spotify.com/track/48M2kP5KdV0jp14Xzu8lhr?si=9JUnn3uFTbaE5TrPhigzwQ🕸

solid content:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoGFNv0DC41/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY🕸=

surprised no one has mentioned Disco Inferno in reference to these guys

Bit late to the party and only heard them in the track rundown… this was my first thought too.

1-800 GIRLS remix of Boss Trick out today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twxnayLwVIg

I don't think anyone has mentioned their debut album in this thread... I really like it! It feels like they're still figuring out their sound, so you get some interesting elements like baggy and house groove that aren't present on their recent work. More songy overall and comes across pretty similar to what New Order did on Republic, blending 90s dance with guitars and synth-pop. And then you still get the beautiful "North Circular", closest to the direction they headed into later, which has a cool use of a Boards of Canada sample

oh their debut is stunning, “world peace” might be my favorite song of theirs

...which is obviously built round a sample from Jean-Luc Ponty's 'Computer Incantations For World Peace'. and then they namecheck JLP in 'Boss Trick' iirc

i really love 'Naked Ambition' off the debut, kind of an underrated track but that has everything i love about RL in it

yeah the JLP sample is sweet but the chorus is insanely sweet

Yeah "World Peace" is the track that reminded me most of New Order. Certainly as good as anything else RL has done

The 1-800 Girls remix of “Boss Trick” is fucking chef’s kiss, lemme tell you

very true

New single just dropped

Some songs kill you without even trying. This might be the best ever written in that genre. https://t.co/vF6vFS3pMW

— Real Lies (@_real_lies) May 24, 2023

Just stumbled on this by chance. Not sure I'd have recognised it as a Television Personalities cover if I'd not seen the title first!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2aYPA20iHE
Mall Grab & Real Lies - End Credits

(it's good)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FSagq7sh0w

new ep later this month

wow

god i love this track

Oh boy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6USyxbH98fM

love it

Another collaboration with Mall Grab. Really like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZkcQ-pFQmw

Yeah it is great!

oh man that is so good <3 <3

The collab with Kettama is great too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zly6vdtaRII

i totally missed this last year, but the gramrcy and john loveless remix of "late arcades" is astoundingly good.

https://real-lies.bandcamp.com/track/late-arcades-gramrcy-john-loveless-remix

MY BODY FLOWS LIKE WATER

“Ripples in the Timeline” is excellent

damn "ripples in the timeline" is so fucking good

still oversensitive, still raving off the excess envy

i can't make out exactly what he calls the drugs at the end of the first verse but "they taste like deep inside / and when it hits i realize..." is just perfect to me

"my body flows like water" is such a perfect place to get to, and i love the 'ah ah ah ah's that precede it, it feels like they shoot me there. this track was a big cathartic listen on my run this morning. love that you love this one.

song of the year. can't get enough of this lately. Finally got me into Lad Ash in full, too.

you all heard this ELLES remix they did earlier this year, right? Breathtaking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tqRtOaBfXg

Yep, so good

All the best ones sound like longing indeed

one of my pals bought the Bliss To Be Alive scarf and has spent winter explaining to security staff that it's a reference to a lyric and not an obscure political reference to Israel

New single out next week, tour next Spring and hints that we might be getting album #3 next year

then come exorcise your excess cortisol in dark rooms with us when the leaves return to the treeshttps://t.co/IW5Re50ZjV pic.twitter.com/Wx5BE9SMma

— Real Lies (@_real_lies) November 20, 2024

Tickets bought, third time seeing them in three years, excellent!

...a reference to a lyric and not an obscure political reference to Israel

Wow!

Also: Loverboy

hmm not really feeling this one

one of my pals bought the Bliss To Be Alive scarf and has spent winter explaining to security staff that it's a reference to a lyric and not an obscure political reference to Israel

― boxedjoy, Sunday, November 17, 2024 3:12 PM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink

i have the bliss to be alive t-shirt. they sent me two somehow, one from the uk and one from new york iirc? thanks lads!

love this one - i like intimateness of it, like they're nurturing something precious

listening back to "Boss Trick". Can anyone tell me about the Despair Hippo?