Image credit: Martin Landl
Little Lies’ new single, Roadblocks, opens with a Euro-disco style pulsating synth and bassline, but is quickly met with a steely Americana-inspired guitar riff. Layered with the opening line, “I had a dream, driving in a Cadillac,” this is a song with a gloriously mixed identity.
The bridge into the song’s chorus is pure-ABBA, yet it manifests here with a dreamy, Californian aesthetic. The result is the kind of beautiful, determined adult rock of Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk-era, with a dash of dance-floor mystique. The chorus itself is pure Stevie Nicks, but it’s the version that might have wheeled into the studio at the end of a night, rather than focused and purposeful, during the daytime.
New single Roadblocks is the latest release from Swedish duo Little Lies, following on from their recent debut EP, Us Against The World. Both come ahead of a full concept album, set to be released before the end of the year. Describing the track, the artists say:
“Roadblocks is about breaking free, going for the life you want and crushing whatever is standing in the way. Musically, it’s a fusion of spaced-out rock, inspired by giants like Bowie and Fleetwood Mac, mixed with the pulsating disco grooves of pioneers like Giorgio Moroder & Chic. This, together with a spooky Twin Peaks vibe, makes Roadblocks a track for the dance floor as well as a night drive through the city.”
Little Lies, a self-described passion project, comprises musicians and friends Mikael Nordgren and Anna Maria Espinosa. Both have established successful careers separately, Espinosa as a singer, and collaborator with the likes of Neneh Cherry, Billy Paul, and Dexy’s Midnight Runners frontman, Kevin Rowland. Nordgren is himself the established DJ, producer and remix artist, Tiger Stripes. Together, the pair refuse to be defined by specific genre constraints, and instead pursue a range of emotions and soundscapes.
The combination of Fleetwood Mac, Moroder, Chic and David Lynch ticks plenty of boxes for me, and I can’t wait to hear that debut.