Sign Crushes Motorist - ‘Hurting’ | Album Review
July 31 | Written By Harvey Dibden-Angus
Over the past year or so, Irish musician Liam McCay (AKA Sign Crushes Motorist) and his style of lo-fi/slowcore infused slacker rock, has had a meteoric rise in popularity online, gathering millions of Spotify plays and developing a cult following within the lo-fi music community. He has released music under a variety of aliases, including Birth Day, Take Care, and Manta – all showing us a different version of Liam and his music. His latest project sees the return of 'Sign Crushes Motorist', and if you're a fan of anything Liam has done in the past, it is unlikely his latest album Hurting will disappoint.
For listeners into slowcore/lo-fi artists like Salvia Palth, Horse Jumper of Love or Deathcrash, ‘Hurting’ is definitely worth giving some attention to. For listeners slightly newer to the genre or to Liam’s work in need of a more familiar reference, look towards Radiohead, Duster or Slowdive.
Once again, Liam has delivered an unapologetically gloomy record, perhaps his most heart on sleeve to date. “This album was made while I was going through possibly the worst time of my life mentally” Liam tells, “and it took a lot of self - motivation to even get out of bed, let alone write and record stuff.”
Coming in at just over half an hour, ‘Hurting’ is short, but it’s far from sweet – nor does it intend to be (the album title speaks for itself). It captures all it sets out to in 30 minutes; an unadulterated confession tape from the persuasions of Liam’s inner demons. An album of this nature requires no fancy fillers, no drawn - out emotional power ballads or unnecessary features. Liam recognises this with his latest album, making for a completely honest account of the young artists musical and emotional process.
Listeners looking for a ‘Sign Crushes Motorist’ album they’re familiar with will definitely be satisfied with ‘Hurting’; it’s despondent lyricism and dreary lo – fi beats sound like you could be listening to an extended version of of his earlier release ‘I’ll be okay’, only matured and refined to align with Liam’s progression as a singer/producer over the past year. If it ain’t broke then don’t try and fix it. Track 4 of ‘I’ll be okay’ titled loser monologue acts as a sort of spoken – word interlude about unrequited love, something Liam has done again with ‘Hurting’. With another heartfelt spoken narrative on self – loathing. All tracks that accompany follow in the same nihilistic despair, with some auto-tuning and string experimentation taking place on a couple songs that fail to feature on ‘I’ll be okay’.
Liam has been making a steady ascent to the top of the slowcore/lo-fi scene, attracting well over a million monthly listeners, and it is safe to say that Liam is flying the flag for young DIY artists in Ireland making this kind of music and he is only just finishing school. This young artist has definitely made a stand out start within the scene and his music is nothing short of incredible.
“As they say, the darkest hour comes just before the dawn. I thank all of you for listening to my music and for supporting me, and I hope you like the album.” – Liam
Make sure to check out the incredible Sign Crushes Motorist, and Liam’s latest album ‘Hurting’, which is out now on all major streaming platforms.
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