The Lucid Liars Song We've Been Writing for 15 Years

It's Monday and you know what that means.

While we get ready to announce our next batch of shows for the tail end of the year, I thought it would be a good idea to offer an update on a song that means a lot to me.

We're making steady work on something that I've been writing in some form since 2013. It'll probably be around 16-17 years continuously improving and changing it before it's released. The song has had various iterations over the years, initially starting as a riff from our friend Dav (under the demo title 'Mega F', which it still holds to this day), with lyrics relating to the decline and subsequent passing of a family member due to dementia. It'll be 15 years since he passed at the end of September.

Just last week I gave a listen to the latest mix, and text Jackto simply - "It's so close"

There's a couple of things I'd like him to punch in, then rework the mix.

I remember first trying to get this song together. We had the riffs, the progression, and only a handful of lyrics. They were scribbled down with no idea where they'd go. Fragments like

"The feelings blur, until it feels like a dream"

"Your memory corrodes, it bleeds as it grows"

"All I want to do is spend another day with you"

Very bare, no nuance.

I'm sure there aren't many people that haven't experienced loss in their life. Sometimes it takes a lot to process, sometimes it's harder then you thought and sometimes moving on just doesn't happen at all. I've been trying to get this song out properly for years. I think we've had at least 3 different arrangements over the years with Lucid Liars, we usually work on it for a month or so before moving on. We've scrapped it completely twice already, and rebuilt it.

Our latest take on the song is the very Lucid Liars approach - get the arrangement to a point where we can jam it, come back with ideas, then get those ideas recorded. The last work we did on the song was back in May, where live drums and brass arrangements were added. It's a difficult song for me to listen to, even when mixing it. I have a very distinct vision of how it needs to sound. It's becoming obsessive, actually. Mixing the song is proving difficult, I'm finding it very hard to listen to it due to the emotional attachment. I fully believe when this song is released that it could sit anywhere on a release and no one would bat an eye, but this is the story behind it.

There's another element to it, however.

If I'm getting this correctly, and due to the length of time it's taken to finish, it'll be the first Lucid Liars song with all members past and present playing on it.

Dav's synthesiser riff and elements of his guitar from 2014.

Craig recorded an organ and synth track in 2023 before he left the band.

Jackwans drums and percussion.

Jackto on bass and brass.

Jo on vocals.

Rig on guitar and vocals.

There probably won't be a Lucid Liars song like this again.

We're currently around the half way point of putting together another group of songs. Whether that's an EP, a series of singles, or even an album next year - we're half way to...something.

One things for sure, this song will debut live when it's ready.

Until next time.