 With the departure of Mark Olson, Gary Louris becomes the principal songwriter for "Sound of Lies" with an occasional co-write with bassist Marc Perlman.New drummer Tim O'Reagan also contributes "Bottomless Cup".Sara Scribner of the "Los Angeles Times" felt that "Sound of Lies" was the work of the band "still reaching to discover what it is" in the wake of Mark Olson's departure, though noting that "despite battling emotions, muddled messages and elusive experimentation, this is still a brave album."