Live Review: Real Lies 'Black Market Blues' (Official Video)

I’m a sucker for an oxymoron. Fortunately it’s no lie, real or otherwise, when I say that REAL LIES, really are, no lie, really quite good. The youthful British electronica act are set to release their debut full-length album Real Life, and have shared the new single and clip combo for their wistful track, ‘Black Market Blues’.

The London trio have slowly been generating noise for themselves through the old school method of word-of-mouth parties and midweek warehouse nights. We’ve previously seen the videos for their tracks ‘Seven Sisters’ and ‘North Circular’, which took London’s inimitable clogged up transport system for their muse. Seven Sisters is a pretty grimy stop on the Victoria tube line, and the north circular motorway orbits the city, affectionately known as ‘London’s biggest car park’ because once you’re stuck on the north circular, you ain’t going anywhere in a hurry.

The video for ‘Black Market Blues’ once again shines the spotlight on the rougher edges of the capital, as the camera follows lead vocalist Kev Kharas walking down a nameless back street, shuffling into a phone box as night-time cabs drive past. He starts an impassioned rant to someone on the other end of the line before dropping the phone and walking out at dawn to a purple-hued sky. Simple but engaging.

The visuals and the lyrics tap into an attitude, a bleary post-rain realism that is reminiscent of classic UK house and garage, a bit like The Streets meets Faithless by the way of King Krule’s surly annunciation and expansive beats. ‘Black Market Blues’ builds into a dance-y track with synths and bells, blips and washed out reverb.

The band’s buzz cuts, smokes and anoraks signal to an urban edge, a gritty tone and authentic character that they’ve managed to imbibe into their growing back catalogue. Adrift but out for a good time, they sonically summarise the sentiments of twenty-something city dwellers.

The band are supporting Foals on an upcoming tour throughout November to promote the Real Life album, which drops on October 16 on Pod through Inertia.

Words by Katie Rowley

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