poppedmusic

Beautiful Liar EP

Released 12th May

Words: Nick Jacques

This duo hail from LA with their first EP Beautiful Liar. They are already being nominated for best new band competitions in their native LA which can only be a positive thing too. Imagine the Cardigans and INXS canoodling together with a hint of The Velvet Underground watching over them and you get the picture.

It’s a duo combo that works effortlessly, particularly on their latest single Beautiful Liar – Sami Akbari’s sultry Nina Persson’s-style vocals intertwine with Aaron Mort’s wailing guitar workouts. It had me interested from the start. The stripped down recording and vocal interplay is enticing.
The chemistry continues to impress on 2nd track Pieces – again Sami’s vocals are laid-back and hypnotising. Languid guitar jibes complement her vocals well. The Bad Years definitely have a lot charm in their songs – they seem to be content and indulgent in their laid back sound which lets the listener soak them up for all their worth.

Giving Up showcases a different side to The Bad Years‘ musical make-up. It comprises of soothing violins which support the harmonies of the Sami’s vocal range beautifully – whilst Aaron’s squelches of guitar licks offer up a suitable climax to the proceedings. This makes for compelling listening – my highlight on their EP
They finish up on a positive note with a rousing track called After Me. A confident, strutting number which has both band members singing and again the interplay between Sami and Aaron is pleasing to hear. Their talents lie in the fact that they know what to do with a song when it reaches a certain counterpoint. They build up their tracks with an unnerving cool and when a chorus kicks in they take the song by the scruff of the neck and let the music do the talking – this is particularly evident on the first and last tracks Beautiful Liar and After Me.

Their EP has enough ideas to suggest that these guys have anything but bad years ahead of them!

Listen to Beautiful Liar EP here: