EP Walkthrough: Stuck Out dissect their new EP, Lie Through Your Teeth

For those unfamiliar with Melbourne-based punk outfit Stuck Out, they're an act that seemingly - and simply - can be described with just the word 'heavy'. Musically, they embrace the mania of punk-rock with the slickness of pop, merging them together to make classy, modern-day pop-punk that, as shown through releases such as their 2018 EP You Won't Come Home, move with a pace that demands your attention. Go underneath that, and you'd find the true reason why we plucked the word 'heavy' out of the cloud; the four-piece using their work to dissect the world around them with an often darker lens, detailing everything that may bring.

For instance, take their fresh-arriving new EP Lie Through Your Teeth. Arriving last week at the cusp of the year's end, Lie Through Your Teeth seems to channel the dystopia of the past twelve months into hard-hitting punk music that really moves into the inner workings of both the group and those around them, diving into things that are actually quite complex and layered with the nuance and thinking that you wouldn't really expect in short, less-than-three-minute bursts, but ones that really find a home nestled amongst Lie Through Your Teeth.

On Inverse, for example, the band look at self-destructive behaviour but in a way that goes beyond the usual confines and breaks down where that behaviour comes from; Hollow is a menacing reflection on addiction that again, goes further to break down the stigmatism with the potency that comes from such intimate songwriting. The EP's Mikaila Delgado-featuring final track, meanwhile, taps into the Yours Truly leader for a wider grasp of the world around them, and the many problems that define people's relationships with the world.

They're conveyed with an energy that makes you feel like the EP's meanings cross into its musicality too; the energetic punk of their live show moving as they channel fury, anger, pain and reflection into moments that ease off just as you become comfortable with them. As the group explain, this energy comes from their live show, which they attempted to translate into the backbone of their recorded work. "When we approached this EP, we wanted to create something that translated into our high energy live performances," the band's vocalist Josh Walker explains.

"This has resulted in an aggressive, powerful yet polished sound that we believe is our best release to date."

It's one hell of a release, and you can take a dive into it below, alongside a track-by-track walkthrough that sees Josh Walker dissect the record's themes one song at a time.

Inverse

This song looks at self-destructive behaviour and the lies we tell ourselves to excuse harmful choices. It’s very easy to shift and project blame onto things around us when we’re facing a problem and ignore our own negative contribution to the issue. I’ve had an on-and-off problem with alcohol and this song voices the struggle between my own self-awareness and blissful ignorance.

False Promise

This song's about the end of a romantic relationship, when you know there’s nothing you can do to save it but you’re still clinging onto any sort of hope you can. Loving someone who no longer loves you back is a difficult thing to accept, especially when they continue to string you along with false affection.

Hollow

This song deals with the effects of addiction and the stranglehold it has on its victims. Some people become experts at concealing their addiction and the trauma they’re facing by continually lying to those closest to them. Nevertheless, the claws are still hooked in below the surface, often leading to the worst outcome possible.

Mindless Feat. Mikaila Delgado

This song is based around conversations I’ve had with people close to me regarding racism, sexism and a range of humanitarian issues. Mindless is about calling your friends out for their shitty comments and rebuking the excuses they use to justify the vitriol that comes out of their mouth. Everyone has a choice to either speak up against injustice or let it pass without reply.

The end of the song is to illustrate that nobody’s perfect, myself in particular, but the important thing is that you continue to educate yourself and work to become a better ally for every person on this planet.

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