What are the lies that you are currently living? Perhaps they have come from others. Perhaps they come from within. Whatever the origin, modern pop/rock icon in the making Grave Jones – who has previously earned unanimous acclaim from all of us here at Rhythm Radar – is here to confront them with sharp songwriting and heavy riffage with the release of his new single, ‘Lies’.
A move towards a Grunge-inspired direction for the normally pop-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, ‘Lies’ was written and produced against the vicious backdrop of humanitarian crisis and political turmoil in Lebanon. Steeped in raw anger both inside and out, ‘Lies’ clearly marks an ambitious departure from Grave Jones’ previously pop-focused sound and catchy songwriting strategies for a more powerful if vaguely less hard-edged driven approach. The resulting track is a relatable anthem for the betrayed or the broken, rounded off by classic rock-style solo’s and a spirited grunge attitude where the quirky vulnerability of Bjork meets the bold anarchy of Nirvana.
The new anthem is a third in a series of a long single run leading up to the eventual release of his upcoming album’ ‘Heritage Hotel’ that is currently being developed. The LP will be first full-length record to be released under the current moniker of Grave Jones but it marks a long-awaited return to the world of music for the artist. Under his real name of Rabih Salloum, he fronted the critically acclaimed indie sleaze electro-pop band Slutterhouse. During his time as part of that project, he shared the stage with more well-known acts like Sleigh Bells and the Mercury Prize-winning Art Rock group The Klaxons, as well as earning sync deals across MTV 2 and EA Sports.
Built upon a start-and-stop structure where anger bubbles underneath a vibrant soundscape of steady drum kit beats and husky vocals, swaying with time signature switches and lurching velocity, ‘Lies’ is a rather theatrical but chilling piece about the hauntings of the past and their present impact on an individual mind set. Notable for its darker subject matter than previous singles like ‘Smithereens’ and ‘Heaven Only Knows’, ‘Lies’ rips through the cracks with signature raw vocals and an almost monochrome music video. Enhancing the effect of the intense track with the Karl Hadife-dircted music video created by clips of real people recalling the real lies they’ve been handling in their lives – set to the tune of Grave and his backing band delivering some choral blasts of fury and hurt while donning all black Post-Punk attire – Grave Jones has created an engaging single about the internal and inherent power of loyalty brutally going astray.
Sonically Black Sabbath-inspired with a push-and-pull format while visually David Fincher-esque in its mental health themes, the single and the associated music video for ‘Lies’ is a potent mix of classic Grunge influences and emotionally moving filmmaking. This is yet another reason to feel excited for the upcoming release of Grave Jones’ highly anticipated new LP ‘Heritage Hotel’.
Words by Jacob Braybrooke
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