Billy Liar’s Twitter profile describes him as being a ‘Scottish punk band of one, most of the time’. Having recently seen Billy Liar live (at Booze Cruise Festival in Hamburg), where he performed solo armed with an acoustic guitar, some incredible stories and the undeniable energetic passion of a whole band, I think that summary makes sense. On the 21st of June, Billy Liar released his debut album titled Some Legacy on Red Scare Industries. Produced by Joe McMahon (of Smoke Or Fire) who also adds extra guitar and vocals to the album, this is not only Billy’s debut album, it is also his debut full band release. Tim Van Dorn, on bass, and Robin Guy, on drums, complete the Billy Liar full band perfectly.
Some Legacy is an album that has been a long time coming. Billy Liar is certainly no stranger in the DIY punk scene, having toured relentlessly in the UK, Europe and across the pond in the USA (hence the American label) for over ten years. Some songs on the album will be familiar to fans of his live show but, I promise, they sound all the more special recorded with a full band. There were understandably a lot of people eagerly awaiting this album and I very much doubt anyone has been disappointed by it!
The album kicks off in a bold way with The View From Here. Not in the least bit acoustic, the album’s opening track is a fast paced and infectious foot stomper from the outset. The song is about how things always seem to end up the same, even when you try to change – ‘All my feelings have been exposed, I’m waking up in unwashed clothes, And I don’t like the view from here’. In true punk rock style, The View From Here is all over in less than two minutes and it leaves you wanting more. Which is not a problem because the next track is quite simply a ‘tune’. The Righteous & The Rats was released ahead of Some Legacy as the album’s lead single and it’s easy to see why. It has a slightly slower pace than the album’s opening track but is packed with some huge melodic guitar parts. Musically it actually reminds me a lot of Joe McMahon’s solo material – funny that. But lyrically this is trademark Billy Liar. The song is a prime example of Billy’s incredible storytelling ability as he talks us through a meeting with a man in a bar – ‘He said “Do you know any songs we all can sing?, Do you know any songs, the kind that mean something? Do you know any protest songs?”’ You can’t help but picture the story unfolding in your head. Also, I think this is a protest song in itself really.
Third track, I Still Struggle, wastes no time in getting going with the opening line ‘When you met me I was a mess’ immediately setting the tone. This is a short, mid-tempo song that is both incredibly honest and relatable as Billy lays bare his feelings of self-doubt and anxiety. More specifically, (I think) the song is about finding someone that wants to be with you despite all your self-perceived faults and mental health problems – ‘Someone that made me forget what a mess I was.’ Stina Tweeddale (of Honeyblood) adds some lovely subtle backing vocals throughout the song which emphasise this theme. Next up is maybe the catchiest song on the album, Pills. It’s one I distinctly remember from hearing it live and I love it even more with a full band – basically, it’s my favourite song on Some Legacy. You can probably tell from the title that the song is about taking medication on regular basis to deal with [mental] illness – ‘You don’t have to be ill, To take these pills, But it helps, But it helps.’ Joe McMahon offers up some great harmonies here which add another layer to an already huge sounding song. After the relentless energy of Pills, Independent People slows the pace down considerably and completely strips things back. Soft acoustic guitar playing accompanies some of the most passionate and emotion-fuelled vocals of the whole album – which is really saying something. Independent People truly displays what an excellent wordsmith Billy is with his brutally direct words about the state of modern Britain. It’s bleak and it hits hard because it’s all true – ‘Unemployment is at an all time high, We’re all depressed and we stay inside, We’ll block out reality with reality television.’
Noose is the name of the sixth song of Some Legacy and its mid-tempo, full band introduction immediately seemingly picks up the mood – or does it? I guess, with a title like ‘Noose’, this was never going to be a cheery song but the upbeat nature of the melodies and heartfelt delivery of the vocals almost has you thinking otherwise. Noose is a deeply personal song dealing with grief – ‘We had no history of mental illness in our family, Or at least no more than anyone, The doctor said it could have happened anytime, None of us could have seen it coming… Some legacy you left behind.’ – although it doesn’t feel sombre in its delivery. In fact the song feels almost cathartic, particularly as the vocals turn to frantic yells at the end of the track. Change amps things up further. Fast-paced from the get go, this is possibly the most punk rock sounding song of the album – and I know it’s already a fan favourite when played live. I’d even go as far as to say this is a pure punk rock anthem. It’s not just the music that feels ‘punk’ here, the lyrics about wanting change in the world do a pretty good job of conveying that vibe too. ‘I want to see your blood spilt on the stage, I want to hear your heart beat through the PA, I want to hear true adolescent rage, I want to be inspired, I want to see something change.’ If ever there was a Billy Liar song to induce a mosh pit, this is it. Following on from Change is Neither Are You. This is a bitter-sounding song that packs a punch with more stark honesty on display. Neither Are You is a song about friendship or rather the demise in a friendship (or relationship). It’s about not living up to your own expectations for yourself but then neither have those around you. ‘I’m not half the man I thought I’d be by now… but neither are you.’
Billy Liar is not one to shy away from hard-hitting and direct lyrics which is the case with the opening lines of Cold Turkey – ‘It’s been a little while since I cared about myself, It’s been a little while since I cared about my mental health.’ This track, mid-tempo in its delivery, is about how you can love someone else so much while not being able to love yourself. Ultimately, Cold Turkey is about trying to stop yourself from loving someone – or going cold turkey – because you believe they might be better off without you. The song hits you right in the feels, that’s for sure. As we near the end of Some Legacy, penultimate song 27 Montague offers up one last burst of energy. A furious opening will have heads nodding in no time and, although the vocals are not quite so fast, urgent drums keep the pace throughout the duration of the track. With lyrics like ‘Life is so short’ and ‘None of us are going to live forever.’ you could perceive this as being a pessimistic song but I think it’s actually pretty optimistic. You’ve got to live your life to the fullest of your ability because we’re all going to die one day – and there is no afterlife. Sometimes you just need reminding that – thanks Billy! I was not expecting a piano-led ballad on this album so when I first heard closing track Less Vegas, wow, it really blew me away. I thought Independent People was packed with emotion but this final song damn near brought tears to my eyes. You try listening to lines like ‘Glasgow is a lonely place to die.’ and not want to bawl your eyes out! Less Vegas is about a late night epiphany, in this instance whilst playing slot machines, that makes you reevaluate your life. Stina Tweeddale returns on the track with her additional vocals making the song almost feel like a duet. A truly beautiful end to a quite frankly stunning debut album.
In summary, Some Legacy is a masterpiece of brutally honest songwriting. The full band delivery for much of the album simply amplifies everything we already loved about Billy Liar while the few stripped back tracks pack more emotion into the album than I ever thought would be possible. I suppose the only negative thing I have to say about the album is that, at under half an hour in length, it is a bit short. It's all about quality not quantity however – and the length does mean I’ve listened to it on repeat a lot over the last month and have probably learnt nearly all the words! I love Some Legacy! It is definitely in my top five albums I’ve heard so far this year and I highly encourage you to check it out if you haven’t already.
You can download Some Legacy now from Bandcamp and pick up physical copies here in the UK (and Europe) and here from Red Scare in the USA.
This review was written by Emma Prew.
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