The Beautiful Liar is the third studio album by American rock band X Ambassadors. It was released on September 24, 2021 by Kidinakorner and Interscope Records. The album follows X Ambassadors' second album, Orion (2019) and the band's EP Belong (2020). It is concept album, playing similarly to a radio drama.
| The Beautiful Liar | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 24, 2021 | |||
| Length | 36:03 | |||
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| Singles from The Beautiful Liar | ||||
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Background
editTheir multi-collaborative series (Eg) and Belong EP were material largely recorded weeks before the lockdowns as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. All three band members wrote and composed the album's tracks virtually, starting with what they had before the lockdown and expanding upon it.[1]
It expresses themes of insanity, powerlessness, self-doubt, and anxiety.[2] Lead singer Sam and keyboardist Casey Harris say the album was influenced by the radio shows they would listen to as children instead of TV because of Casey's blindness. Sam said "I wanted to make an album that felt as unhinged as I did, and as the whole world felt around me. So Adam [Levin], Casey and I carved ourselves a space where we could all be as ugly, weird, funny, and f'd up as we wanted to be."[3]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Melodic | [5] |
The Beautiful Liar received generally positive reviews from critics. Matt Collar of AllMusic gave the album a 4 out of 5 stars and wrote that "The Beautiful Liar is a quirky, oddly intriguing experience, whose conceptual elements interrupt the corporate pop flow of the album". He praised the songs "My Own Monster", "Love Is Death", and "Reincarnated".[4] Johan Wippsson from Melodic called the album "a strong comeback from one of the best and most exciting bands in the pop genre right now", calling tracks "Somebody Who Knows You" and "Okay" favorites.[5]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written and produced by Sam Harris, Casey Harris, and Adam Levin. Additional writers and producers are included below
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chapter One: The Sleeping Giant" | 0:43 | ||
| 2. | "Beautiful Liar" | Ricky Reed |
| 4:09 |
| 3. | "My Own Monster" |
| Wells | 3:05 |
| 4. | "Adrenaline" | Wells |
| 2:45 |
| 5. | "Bullshit" |
| 2:13 | |
| 6. | "Chapter Two: Enter the Shadow" | 1:13 | ||
| 7. | "Conversations With My Friends" | Wells | 0:56 | |
| 8. | "I Can See The Light..." |
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| 0:35 |
| 9. | "Palo Santo" |
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| 2:43 |
| 10. | "Theater Of War" | 1:08 | ||
| 11. | "A Brief Word From Our Sponsors--" | 0:32 | ||
| 12. | "Love Is Death" |
| Mercereau | 3:33 |
| 13. | "Somebody Who Knows You" |
| Scharff | 3:44 |
| 14. | "Okay" |
| 4:45 | |
| 15. | "Reincarnated" | Wells | 2:33 | |
| 16. | "Author's Note" | 1:19 | ||
| Total length: | 36:03 | |||
Podcast
edit| The Beautiful Liar | |
|---|---|
| Presentation | |
| Starring | Rory Anne Dahl Emily Hampshire Sam Nelson Harris |
| Genre |
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| Language | English |
| Length | 30-40 minutes |
| Production | |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Publication | |
| Original release | November 3, 2021 |
A nine-episode companion podcast to the album was released on November 3, 2021 on Amazon Music, releasing on all other services November 17, 2021.[6] It is produced and published by QCode Media. It is a superhero origin story, following a blind teenager named Clementine who suddenly loses her father and has to juggle moving to a new school with her new secret friend, Shadow. It stars Rory Anne Dahl as Clementine and Emily Hampshire as the shadow.[7]
References
edit- ^ "X Ambassadors Keyboardist Casey Harris On New Album 'The Beautiful Liar,' Creating Music In The New Norm & Making Music Tech Accessible For All". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ "X-Ambassadors lose their minds as they strive to reclaim success on 'The Beautiful Liar'". The Cavalier Daily - University of Virginia's Student Newspaper. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ^ Paul, Larisha (2021-09-24). "X Ambassadors Release New Studio Album 'The Beautiful Liar,' Drop 'Beautiful Liar' Music Video". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ^ a b Collar, Matt. "X Ambassadors – The Beautiful Liar Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ a b Wippsson, Johan (6 March 2022). "X Ambassadors – The Beautiful Liar | Reviews". Melodic. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ THE BEAUTIFUL LIAR - Official Podcast Trailer, 2 November 2021, retrieved 2023-09-02
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (2021-09-21). "'Schitt's Creek' Star Emily Hampshire & Sam Nelson Harris Of Band X Ambassadors Team On Superhero Podcast". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-09-02.