When things get tough we are faced with two options: first, to give up. Second, to persevere and push through the difficulties to see what lies ahead.
Over the past seven months, hundreds of musicians have been faced with one of the most difficult years of their career as the live music industry has come to a grinding halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With few studios operating at full capacity and a new social media based world to navigate, artists are forced to push themselves creatively in order to stay active and interesting to fans from around the world.
One such band who has been pushing through the pandemic in an impressive show of creativity and dedication is none other than alt pop band Charming Liars- who have taken their 2020 plans and flipped them on their head to keep active and keep fans engaged through this unprecedented time.
With several new singles, music videos and a cover that will blow you away being released over the past few months, the band have displayed a perfect example of perseverance that have solidified them as a band you don’t want to miss out on when the world returns to “normal.”
But what makes Charming Liars who they are? How have they been handling this upside down year?
We were fortunate enough to chat with the band about their latest single “Losers,” their new cover track and how their year is going so far despite all of the changes.
You can read our full interview below and be sure to stream “Losers” out now.
Second Society Report: First off, I have to ask. How have you all been holding up this year? I know that everything seems to have been flipped upside down over the past seven months so I think it’s important to check in and see how everyone is doing.
Charming Liars: It most definitely has been a strange 7 months. I’m a pretty positive/optimistic person but even I have my ups and downs. The lack of social interactions really has a strange way of playing with your head but all in all I’m hanging in there.
SSR: As a band did you have any plans or releases that had to be pushed back as a result of the pandemic? If yes, how did you adjust to these changes?
CL: We had a couple of tours planned for 2020 and it looked like the year would primarily be spent on the road however due to Covid-19 most things got pushed back. On the bright side we had about an album’s worth of songs ready to go so we decided to schedule a new release every 6 weeks.
SSR: How have you been spending the quarantine/shut downs? Have you picked up any new hobbies during the summer?
CL: Mainly just reading and writing. I’m pretty much making up for all the quiet time I missed out on last year. Also like most people, I’m trying to find creative ways to workout at home. For example; how many Steven King books can I lift or how many pushups I can do with a cat on my back. (I’ve got “IT” “The Shining” and “Carrie” on lock.)
SSR: Now to dive fully into the music- You’ve just released your single “Losers,” earlier this month which is an ode to the underdog. Can you share a bit about the background behind that song?
CL: Absolutely! When we wrote “Losers” we were going through a pretty rough time as a band. Rejection after rejection mused the overall message of the song. That message is still feeling whole as a person regardless of a less than desirable outcome, still feeling worthwhile and still feeling good despite the circumstances.
SSR: The track’s music video came out recently as well and stars a bunch of Charming Liars fans. Whose idea was it to have the video feature fans? Why did you choose to do that? (I love the video, by the way.)
CL: Thanks so much! We knew the song had the potential to represent something unique and powerful to each one of our fans so the decision to include them was an easy one we all made together. Although the song was stemmed from personal experiences , the feeling of rejection or loss isn’t mine to own. It’s a universal thought and feeling that we all share. We feel like this video captures unity more than anything.
SSR: And while “Losers” is a special release in its own right, this week you are also releasing a cover of Harry Styles’ “Falling,” which transforms the ballad into an alt pop song. What was the process in both choosing the track and choosing how you were going to transform it so that it would become a Charming Liars song?
CL: Whenever we decide to do a cover we always try to pick something that’s completely different from our sound and “Falling” happened to fit that criteria perfectly. Since the song is originally kind of a ballad it offered us a unique opportunity to play around a bit with the songs DNA and try to create a new musical experience from the song. Our main goal when working with covers is to reimagine the songs, not necessarily just re-record them.
SSR: if you were going to give someone a two sentence explanation on who Charming Liars are as a group, what would you tell them?
CL: Life happens to all of us uniquely. Come watch ours unfurl on stage.
SSR: When writing new music, what do you draw inspiration from? Do you find yourselves writing tracks based in your own realities or in fiction?
CL: Both reality and fiction dip their hands into our songs. Sometimes it’s a core memory or an unresolved emotion that serves as our songs catalyst and from there fiction may fill in the gaps. Other times fiction compares drab in comparison to the real experience. I guess what I’m trying to say in this long-winded answer is we use both!
SSR: Are there other artists that inspire you- either musically or career wise- or that you hope to be like one day? If yes, who?
CL: To name a few I’d have to say Jackson Browne, The Doors, Depeche Mode, Frank Sinatra ,Third Eye Blind and of course Elvis.
SSR: When the music industry re-opens in full, and bands are allowed to tour and record again as normal, do you have any plans or hopes for what that time will bring for Charming Liars?
CL: I’m hoping for another beautiful year spent touring around the world.
SSR: I know this year has been particularly difficult for everyone, but if you could give any advice to fans who are having an especially difficult time this year, what would you tell them?
CL: Take it one day at a time. Even if you feel alone just remember we’re all in this together.
SSR: Is there anything we haven’t asked yet that you’d like to share?
CL: You’ve pretty much covered it all! Just be sure to check us out on Instagram and Spotify!
SSR: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us, we look forward to hearing more new music in the future!
You can stream Charming Liars new single “Losers,” out now, and be sure to follow them on social media to stay up to date on all things new music.
Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / YouTube
Leave a Reply