Despite residing in L.A, one of the world’s most prominent hubs of music and pop culture, PLEXXAGLASS have faced little trouble standing out as of late. Consisting of members Alexa Joan Rae (vocals, keys), Lauren Stockner (bass, guitar), Ken Oak (Cello) and Sarah Luffred (drums), the bands unique brand of emotive songwriting initially captured a more widespread audience through their single ‘Lament en Route’ released five months ago, gaining critical acclaim from independent bloggers across the globe. It was a powerful, emotive and commercial release, but how does their newest single shape up in comparison?
Perhaps the greatest asset found in PLEXXAGLASS’s newest single ‘Liar’ is Joan Rae’s breath-taking vocal performance. It’s not simply the vast harmonic range delivered in this song that makes it so special, but the way these notes flow into each in such a seamless, almost effortless fashion. The power of the vocals is further heightened by the quality of the double tracking which increases the impact of the song considerably, particularly in the song’s climax.
Regardless of the quality of the vocals throughout, this song lacks the commerciality of their previous number and feels more like an album track as opposed to a single release. ‘Liar’ builds on simple melodic ideas throughout with not only the vocals, but also the instrumentation- which effectively builds throughout in intensity but always remains restrained and background to the vocal performance.
The sparring lead guitar riffs that meander in and out occasionally along with the delicate piano lines add to the song’s overall ambience. They evolve throughout, but sadly result in poor pacing. Even though the vocal performance is commendable, the melody itself doesn’t feel strong enough to fill out the first three minutes. Perhaps this wouldn’t be an issue, but the final minute of the song is so captivating that it makes you wish that moments such as these with more chorus- like elements could have occurred earlier.
