Dylan Joins Forces With Bastille’s Dan Smith for New Heartbreak Track ‘Liar Liar’

If you haven’t heard of Dylan – one of the UK’s strongest, poppiest, young singers around – then honestly, where have you been? Natasha Woods (better known as Dylan), has been making moves in the music scene since 2019 with the release of her debut extended play ‘Purple’, and has since smashed out hits that can get even the tough-as-nails folk angry over a breakup and bad boy. 

Her latest venture has seen her team up with Bastille’s legendary Dan Smith to create ‘Liar Liar’: the perfect cumulation of heartbreak, resentment, and helplessness, all packaged up in a brilliantly produced track.

‘Liar Liar’ has all the key ingredients to make a perfect heartbreak song: gritty vocals, heavy drums, a pounding tune, and angsty lyrics painting different pictures of the same shattered story. Dylan’s anger and helplessness comes through hot in the fiery chorus, with lyrics like "Can’t keep my heart from cavin’ in / you played your hand again and again / Ooh look what you’ve done / You’re a liar, liar, liar, liar". In case 1000 previous love and heartbreak songs didn’t drill in the message enough: heaven knows no wrath stronger than a woman that’s been done wrong by someone she loved.

Dan’s voice and musical influence adds a grounding element to the song, without stripping away any of the emotion that is key to understanding the other side of the song’s story. His voice, as distinctive as it has been since ‘Pompeii’ all those years ago, reflect his own character’s struggles. "I’ve been blinded by desire / every move I follow you / Build you up like you’re some messiah" shine light on a perspective that harbours as much as pain as the other. The duo’s flowing harmonies towards the end of the track hit exactly where you want them to, and when the song ends, the finality of both the song and the relationship hit hard.

The story is a little predictable, and without great music to back it, it’s no different than songs that have sung of anguish in the past. Thankfully, the song is angsty, but it’s also mature and real; it’s something many of the listeners can relate to. It speaks for itself.

‘Liar Liar’ is definitely one of the strongest songs by Dylan to date. Evidently an artist that is still exploring herself to find her niche, Dylan has been adventurous with her music, perfectly hitting the mark at times with songs like ‘Girl of Your Dreams’, ‘Nineteen’, and now ‘Liar Liar’. Although she can be mistaken as a social media artist, releasing songs like ‘You’re Not Harry Styles’ that gained popularity on TikTok and Instagram, her newfound maturity could be a really positive avenue for her to explore.

 

Sasha Semjonova

Image: ‘Liar Liar’ Official Single Cover