Song of the Day: Liars - Mess On A Mission

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is “Mess On A Mission” by Liars from the 2014 album Mess on Mute Records.

Liars - Mess On A Mission (MP3)

Since 2001, noisy dance-punk producers Liars have been cranking out odd technicalities with the intention of crafting something altogether ground-breaking. To do so, they relayed to us legends of witchcraft around the Harz Mountains in Germany on their concept album They Were Wrong, So We Drowned. Then, Liars introduced us to two fictional protagonists, Drum and Mount Heart Attack, on Drum's Not Dead, eventually receiving Pitchfork's rating as the sixth best album of 2006. Now, after the release of the transformative WIXIW, Liars have created their thunderously confident Mess, a testament to rejoicing in the messiness of composition and an exploration of the inevitable anxiety in our increasingly chaotic world.

Today's featured song, the aptly-titled "Mess On A Mission," from Mess, is a bursting collection of digital soundbites that trill along a squirming baseline. Despite its fluidity, the song sounds anarchic from the start, beginning with the hard snap of the snare in classic DnB style. But, like the threads of a bomb-fuse, it's the pre-chorus that links everything together. Howling, yelping, yowling, singer Angus Andrew cries, "facts are facts, and fiction's fiction." Yet, while these bleak incantations express the band's stark worldview, Liars never delve into heavy-handed didacticism, and keep the lines between unadulterated fun and grave seriousness blurred.

Liars unfortunately had to cancel their appearance Sasquatch! Music Festival (due to missing luggage), but they did manage to stop by KEXP to record a live session, which you can hear on Saturday, May 31, at 3PM. You can find out about their other shows and listen to more music by visiting their website and Facebook page. For now, watch their newest, UO-sponsored music video here: