Liars
Never Looked Back

The The Liars return, one of the cornerstones of the mythical Pisa scene of the psychedelic revival which, even in Italy, had its “zeitgeist” in the mid-'80s. Under the tower at that time there was a great ferment – but as we see, something from that season continues to bear fruit. Everything originated thanks to the Useless Boys, authors of Dream’s Dust factory, a space demo of garage-punk that, over time, has become sought after and legendary. Among the Useless Boys were Maurizio Curadi (Birdmen Of Alkatraz, Steeplejack) and Daniele Caputo (Birdmen Of Alkatraz, Standarte, London Underground and also The Liars), along with bassist and singer Alessandro Ansani who then founded the Liars with guitarist Pier Paolo Morini. Their best album is surely Mindscrewer from 1988, characterized by neo-psychedelic sounds. Now the much-awaited return titled Never Looked Back is released: despite the title, it's a work that continues to look to the past and, in particular, to the '60s. In addition to the aforementioned Ansani and Morini, we find the historical drummer Andrea “Vipera” Salani. I must say right away that we are facing a convincing album: time has not altered the attitude and inspiration of the Liars: throughout the 8 tracks of Never Looked Back we can take a real journey back in time to glide into a parallel dimension made of sounds and colors. The initial and powerful “What Have You Learned?” immediately brings us into the “vintage” atmosphere of the album with its strong melodies and rough guitars. The sound is very energetic and resembles what the group proposes in their live performances, namely a solid and compelling garage and rock 'n' roll. Perhaps some of the psychedelia of a small masterpiece like Mindscrewer has been lost, but the music is compelling and has the right feeling: it is impossible to remain indifferent to tracks like the energetic “Dark Skin,” the beautiful typically '60s ballad “Like A Whistle,” the powerful “Judge Your Way” – with the incisive and gritty guitar sounds prominently featured – or the concluding and seductive “Absolutely Scared.” Lately, there has been a resurgence of these garage-psychedelic revival groups which, at the time, I listened to and collected with devotion. The No Strange and Sick Rose are still in the game as are the Steeplejack and the Strange Flowers: this means they were substantial artists who played for passion and not just fleeting stars who jumped on the bandwagon for mere fashion and imitation. Congratulations to Area Pirata for still believing in this great group. Available on Bandcamp: https://areapiratarec.bandcamp.com/album/never-looked-back.