Co-written with Dave Grohl, Liam's new song is a majestic, swagger-filled highlight of his solo career to date.
On Thursday (3 February) excitement was palpable amongst the cult-like Liam Gallagher fanbase due to a clip the Oasis singer had posted on TikTok. It featured a typically parka’d and shaded Liam nodding along to the sound of a new song in the back seat of a car. Filled with attitude and bravado, his loyal devotees were quick to boldly proclaim the song’s greatness despite only hearing a 24-second segment...and I must confess I was one of them!
By midnight, the cat was out of the bag and ‘Everything’s Electric’ had fully arrived, the word majestic immediately coming to mind to describe its quality. The song features the ploughing roughness of Beastie Boys' ‘Sabotage’ together with the classic rock groove of The Rolling Stones' ‘Gimme Shelter’, all the while pouring a layer of our kid’s swagger.
Whilst it can be easy to mock the formulaic nature of the Oasis singers solo music – and he certainly seems to rub people up the wrong way as much as he evokes fanboy acclaim – this is Liam at his best.
Produced by Greg Kurstin, who worked with the 49-year-old singer on his first two albums, there’s also a notable appearance from Dave Grohl. The Nirvana and Foo Fighters man co-wrote the song and drummed on it. This is something you’ll notice immediately for the prominence of the drums over the track provides an extra oomph to its impact. News that the two were working together did raise eyebrows a couple of weeks back due to their statuses within the Grunge and Britpop movements, two 90s genres that, at the time, felt worlds apart. And yet, somehow, its a winning formula and you're left wondering why it never happened sooner!
With an aura of swagger carrying the track, Liam takes a left turn in the chorus to provide a sense of vulnerability (“I don't hate you / But I despise that feeling / There's nothing left for me here / You won't know if you don't go”), before then upping the tempo and packing in the punch once again. By the end your chest will be puffed out and you'll be feeling that extra level of brazen-ness.
Speaking on Chris Moyles Radio X Breakfast Show on release day, the Manchester singer was quick to state the new song “kicks the doors open to what’s next”. What’s next is third album C’Mon You Know set to drop on 27 May where, according to Liam Gallagher, 80% is “a bit peculiar”. Whether this is true, or simply words to raise intrigue remains to be seen, but 'Everything's Electric' is a fantastic start. It probably won't win over the haters, but it'll be interesting to see where he goes from here and if he's taken a leaf out of his brother Noel's book and reinvented his sound three albums in.
When Liam Gallagher began touring and playing the festival circuit back in 2017, there was a feeling that folk were only congregating to hear the Oasis hits, dashing off to refill their pints when his most recent tunes were given an airing (definite flashbacks to doing exactly that at the Benicassim Festival in Spain!). Whilst some of his solo work has been patchy to date, the more he produces songs like ‘Everything’s Electric’ the more he’ll be appreciated as an artist in his own right.
Dare I say it, it’s his best song yet and the freshest his voice has sounded in two decades. Absolutely…”mega”!