2021 album by X Ambassadors
The Beautiful Liar is the third studio album by American rock band X Ambassadors. It was released on September 24, 2021 by Kidinakorner and Interscope Records. The album follows X Ambassadors' second album, "Orion" (2019) and the band's EP "Belong" (2020). It is concept album, playing similarly to a radio drama.
Background.
Their multi-collaborative series "(Eg)" and "Belong" EP were material largely recorded weeks before the lockdowns as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. All three band members wrote and composed the album's tracks virtually, starting with what they had before the lockdown and expanding upon it.
It expresses themes of insanity, powerlessness, self-doubt, and anxiety. Lead singer Sam and keyboardist Casey Harris say the album was influenced by the radio shows they would listen to as children instead of TV because of Casey's blindness. Sam said "I wanted to make an album that felt as unhinged as I did, and as the whole world felt around me. So Adam [Levin], Casey and I carved ourselves a space where we could all be as ugly, weird, funny, and f'd up as we wanted to be."
Critical reception.
"The Beautiful Liar" received generally positive reviews from critics. Matt Collar of AllMusic gave the album a 4 out of 5 stars and wrote that ""The Beautiful Liar" is a quirky, oddly intriguing experience, whose conceptual elements interrupt the corporate pop flow of the album". He praised the songs "My Own Monster", "Love Is Death", and "Reincarnated". Johan Wippsson from "Melodic" called the album "a strong comeback from one of the best and most exciting bands in the pop genre right now", calling tracks "Somebody Who Knows You" and "Okay" favorites.
Track listing.
All tracks are written and produced by Sam Harris, Casey Harris, and Adam Levin. Additional writers and producers are included below
Podcast.
A nine-episode companion podcast to the album was released on November 3, 2021 on Amazon Music, releasing on all other services November 17, 2021. It is produced and published by QCode Media. It is a superhero origin story, following a blind teenager named Clementine who suddenly loses her father and has to juggle moving to a new school with her new secret friend, Shadow. It stars Rory Anne Dahl as Clementine and Emily Hampshire as the shadow.