New Music: Liars

           

The legendary Manchester post-punk act, The Durutti Column are back and have announced Renascent, their first new studio album in 16 years. The new record, led once again by the unmistakable guitar work of Vini Reilly, is due this summer via London Records, with Bandcamp currently listing the digital release for July 10 and physical editions shipping around July 31. The album follows 2010’s A Paean to Wilson and arrives after the recent expanded reissue campaign surrounding the band’s Factory Records-era catalog. Alongside Reilly, Renascent features longtime Durutti Column percussionist Bruce Mitchell and producer/multi-instrumentalist Keir Stewart. To mark the announcement, The Durutti Column have shared the first single, “Liars,” a graceful return set to a low, downtempo beat with a faint trip-hop sway and a touch of dream-pop atmosphere. Reilly’s smoky, close-miked vocals are counterbalanced by feminine sighs and warm electronic washes, but the center remains that guitar: clean, fluid, and instantly recognizable, with elaborate yet controlled melodic phrases that breathe like poetry.