Four Letter Lie: More than Even the Average Minnesotan Expects

Some might label them as hardcore for their influx of screamo. Some might label them as an overrated band unable to choose merely one genre (how dare they not be mainstream!). Then again, some might label them as an upstart band that’s an ill-bred product of the punk-rock alliance. Personally, I call them my first introduction to the Minnesota music scene.
It was the end of my freshman year in college, and looming before me was the deadline for a twenty-page paper on the Napoleonic Code. Sounds fun, right? So, what’s a girl to do when desperately trying to avoid the word document glaring at her from the screen? Well, I’ll tell you what I did. I began listening to an online radio service and came across Four Letter Lie . With the now-minimized document still on my mind, I became instantly intrigued. At this point, I did what any other product of this generation does: I looked them up on Myspace. Unexpectedly, their geographical locale was listed as Minneapolis/St. Paul. Cliché as it sounds, they had me hook, line, and sinker.
Four Letter Lie’s sound consists of a distinct, infectious blend of the punk-rock (post-hardcore, if you will) and emo genres with a subtle screamo influence I had yet to come across in my own musical journeys. Unlike most bands, they place a special emphasis on each instrument within the musical composition, treating each instrument’s part as if it’s the most significant to the overall quality of the piece. With devotion like this, how could anyone not be at least marginally excited?
At last, here is where I reach the actual purpose in writing this article (yeah, I know, it took me long enough). Those of you who are taking the time to read this (i.e.: the friends to whom I sent the link) may be thinking, “Hey! Four Letter Lie isn’t new! And they’re signed to freakin’ Victory Records!” Well, I can’t argue with you there; however, I will point out that Four Letter Lie is just the sort of overlooked, often mislabeled band that can remain under the radar to those living within their own hometown while making headlines in the indie-world across the nation. For this reason, I hope to hit upon someone, somewhere within the vastness of Minnesota who is unfamiliar with not only Four Letter Lie, but the richness that is the Minnesota music scene and become, like me, irrevocably addicted. As Brian Nagan, co-vocalist of Four Letter Lie says, “We embrace everything and…never forget where we came from.”

UPDATE: Four Letter Lie recently finished recording their sophomore release for Victory Records, entitled What A Terrible Thing To Say. It hits stores 2-19-2008.