In their nearly decade and a half long career, the thing Liars have been most associated with is their willingness to wildly change musical style from one release to the next, while always and astonishingly sounding exactly like themselves. Their discography ranges from some of the finest dance-punk ever produced, to tribal noise experiments and, beginning with their last release WIXIW, they‰’ve thrown their guitars out the window and begun experimenting with electronics and EDM rhythms. If WIXIW was them moving into their new place, Mess is Liars calling it home, thriving in their twisted definition of dance music. Throbbing bass synthesizers and relentless dance beats star as the primary instrument in the majority of the tracks here, and Liars wield them as weapons, daring you not to groove, or suffer the consequences. Frontman Angus Andrew is in full lunatic mode throughout the album, ranging from a near toneless moan to piercing falsetto, and while this may be nightmarish in concept, he delivers a number of absolute earworms, with the chorus on lead single “Mess on a Mission‰” being among the stickiest hooks so far on any song this year. This album represents the dark, seedy underbelly to dance music, and although it may seem dangerous, so long as you keep on dancing, you just may be able to ignore the threat. It‰’s a perverse take on one of the most dominant forms of music today, but one that doesn‰’t forget to embrace the fun of it.

RIYL: LCD Soundsystem, Crystal Castles, Suuns, Dan Deacon
Recommended Tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6