Pigeon Club — the project of Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Wayne Whittaker — bares their all too human shortcomings on the playfully melancholic new single “Liar.” It’s also the first preview he’s shared of his forthcoming sophomore album Another Year In The Minors, the follow-up to his 2021 self-titled debut Pigeon Club. The lilting song hinting at the tenderly lucid and self-effacing nature of the introspections that will unveil themselves on the record.
Knocking against its gently rocking melodics “Liar” is a mildly fearful confrontation with one’s tendency for telling half-truths. Be it as a defense mechanism or a misguided desire to shield the people we love from pain, Whittaker gives wearied voice to the unpleasant internal cycle of anxiety and shame that comes with such lies.
“We’ve reached the point where you’ll admit / You don’t know who you’re living with,” he coos sadly between warbling guitars and dreary piano keys. “You could see right through me / If I let you closer to me.” But the courage to let people in and be honest with them is easier said than done — and harder to overcome when the falsehoods keep piling up.
This article may contain affiliate links, and Grimy Goods may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting our independent, fan-powered media network.
Or as Whittaker puts it: “Survival skill for those unfit / To handle what we’re dealing with / Seek a softer landing / The damage notwithstanding.” Yet despite its pitiful reflections “Liar” is not without glints of pacifying beauty, from its earnestly open hearted lyricism to the resonant jaunt of its melody.
The new single also comes with a music video filmed and edited by Jonathan Latona that stars Whittaker as a travelling entertainer/puppeteer. Hired to perform at a backyard dinner between friends, the film follows the artist as he performs magic trick after magic trick for the captive audience. But despite his skill every successful act of subterfuge only brings him more and more anxiety. Which starts to not only affect his act but also his audience’s experience — and not even his furry puppet sidekick can salvage the performance.
ARTISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
RECENT BEST NEW MUSIC
“This was a really hard song to write,” Whittaker recalls, “Structurally, it came together very quickly. But once I read it back, it became clear that this was going to be a particularly exposing three minutes. Thankfully, the touched upon themes are unmistakably human, so at the very least I’ve confirmed that I am indeed only human.”
Words: Steven Ward
Visit Pigeon Club on their website and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Watch the music video for “Liar” the new single from Pigeon Club below!
