When Liam Gallagher shouts “Brace yourself, world, it’s about to blow your mind” on “Shockwave,” the opening track to his new solo album Why Me? Why Not., which was released on Friday, you know he means it.
Produced by Greg Kurstin and Andrew Wyatt in Los Angeles and London, this record has a bit more bite and snarl than Gallagher’s previous record, 2017’s As You Were.
The ex-Oasis vocalist has always been known for his explosive personality, slags thrown in all directions without a care — though they’re usually thrown at his brother and ex band mate, Noel.
Just look at this sequence of lines, from that same song:
You made your bed all pretty
You reap what you sow
Backstabbed all your friends
And yes it’s all about who you know
So don’t you dare look my way
To try to make you cry
I don’t have to do a thing to you
‘Cause it’s coming from the starry sky
is that about Noel? who knows. Probably. Maybe not. Who can say for sure? It doesn’t really matter, honestly, because Liam’s music exists to affront and jab. That’s been the allure of his musical presence for decades, so why change now?
The album was released on Friday. Songs like “One Of Us,” another single released in advance of the record, taps an Oasis vein quite effectively, strings accentuating a sweeping hook delivered by Liam and his unmistakably nasally voice:
As long as Liam and Noel refuse to bury the hatchet and get Oasis back together — which would be perfect right now to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the band’s groundbreaking 1994 debut Definitely Maybe — we’ll see a steady flow of solo albums from the pair.
And that’s fine, really, because this new Liam album is exactly what you’d expect. There’s no Noel, so it’s not Oasis, but there’s enough Oasis-ish elements thrown in alongside LIam’s vision as a solo act of his own to make it an enjoyable listen for anybody pining for the “real thing,” so to speak.
Stream Why Me? Why Not. below, via Spotify:
Liam Gallagher will be a special guest on some of the Who’s upcoming Moving On! tour dates this fall. Catch the show below:
Sept 20 / BB&T Center / Ft. Lauderdale, FL SPECIAL GUEST: Reignwolf
Sept 22 / Amalie Arena / Tampa, FL SPECIAL GUEST: Reignwolf
Sept 25 / Toyota Center / Houston, TX SPECIAL GUEST: Reignwolf
Sept 27 / American Airlines Center / Dallas, TX SPECIAL GUEST: Reignwolf
Sept 29 / Pepsi Center / Denver, CO SPECIAL GUEST: Reignwolf
Oct 9 / Chase Center / San Francisco, CA SPECIAL GUEST: Liam Gallagher
Oct 11 / Hollywood Bowl / Los Angeles, CA SPECIAL GUEST TBA
Oct 13 / Hollywood Bowl / Los Angeles, CA SPECIAL GUEST TBA
Oct 16 / Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl San Diego State University / San Diego, CA SPECIAL GUEST: Liam Gallagher
Oct 19 / T-Mobile Park / Home of the Seattle Mariners / Seattle, WA SPECIAL GUEST: Liam Gallagher
Oct 21 / Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena / Vancouver, BC SPECIAL GUEST: Liam Gallagher
Oct 24 / Hollywood Bowl / Los Angeles, CA SPECIAL GUEST: Liam Gallagher
