Rightfully christened as both “The Hottest Band of 2018” and simply “the” group of the year, by the English music press, Canadian fashion-rock trio PALAYE ROYALE is a shot of adrenaline into the modern musical landscape. Summoning a thrilling spirit, with throwback sonic crunch, visual flair, and reckless live performances, PALAYE ROYALE has quickly earned a legion of obsessive cult-like loyalists, lovingly dubbed Soldiers of the Royal Council.

Delivered with relentless urgency, raw power-pop bombast, massive melodies, and grand ambition collide in COUNTERFEIT., a band with a moniker that cleverly subverts their remarkably pure authenticity. There is nothing fake about this transcendent powerhouse of passion and sweat. COUNTERFEIT. combine visceral risk-taking groove with a sizeable theatricality, brilliantly stomping through punchy rhythms with grace.
 
Overflowing with a wit and wonder drawn from a deep well of yearning for genuine connection, the upstart quintet builds community from the bitter ashes of solitude. This band transforms dissatisfaction, depression, and anxiety into empowering new anthems. COUNTERFEIT. is equal parts emotional exorcism and optimistic celebration.
 
Born from the DIY club circuit, driven by ferocity, and hailed as emerging heroes and onstage mischief-makers by the UK rock press before they’d ever crossed the pond, COUNTERFEIT. are newly aligned with Lava Records and ready to conquer the world.
 
Less than four years ago, COUNTERFEIT. sold out London’s 02 Academy Islington with just one EP under their belts, a 3-song musical Molotov cocktail with the fittingly provocative title Come Get Some. Surrounded by his brother Sam Bower (guitar/vocals) and their comrades Roland Johnson (bass/vocals), Tristan Marmont (guitar/vocals), and Jimmy Craig (drums), audiences marveled as frontman Jamie Bower leapt from stage to floor and back again, spending nearly half of the group’s electrifying gigs performing from the crowd.  Meanwhile, the pages of print magazines and the social posts from newly minted fans cast the band as rightful heirs to the UK’s storied rock and punk history.  
 
COUNTERFEIT.’s sweetly savage full-length debut, Together We Are Stronger, was praised by Rock Sound for its “shedload of riffs” and saw the band’s charismatic vocalist/guitarist named one of the 50 Greatest Rock Stars by UK tastemaker Kerrang!.
 
Tours across Europe and North America; buzzed about performances at major festivals like Reading & Leeds, 2000 Trees, and Slam Dunk Festival; a 2016 Kerrang! Award nomination for Best British Newcomer; and a 2017 Best Live Band win at the AIM Awards; that 2017 debut album: it’s all coalesced into a bold new mission statement.
 
If there’s a singular theme throughout the band’s 2019 sophomore record, a chrysalis shattering creature that’s evolved far beyond the teeth-kicking sonic assault of their debut, it is the insistence that we need not suffer in silence. We are not alone. COUNTERFEIT. songs champion resistance to the confusion, isolation, and bewilderment of modern life. This music is the sound of strength made from the throes of adversity.
 
“It Gets Better,” the album’s first single, is a doggedly optimistic melodic battle cry, with Bower delivering the sweet line, “believe me my sister, there is hope for us” as though his very life depends on it. It was partly inspired by someone he met on tour who he describes as his doppelganger. It’s a clarion call to her and all likeminded listeners. “Writing the song ‘It Gets Better’ was a real journey from self-obsession, feeling oppressed by my surroundings and my reaction to my surroundings, to opening myself up to the idea that everything can and does truly get better,” he explains.
 
The stripped down swagger mixed with mellifluous grandeur of “It Gets Better” is the kind of soulful missive that’s virtually part of the band’s DNA. After all, Bower’s parents took him to see the legendary Oasis gig at Knebworth before he’d even reached double digits and he still plays the Gibson Les Paul he’s loved since he was 15.
 
“When I pick up my guitar, I should either want to kiss and hug it or I should want to break its fucking neck.” That juxtaposition is all over their new album. There’s the Placebo-esque sheen of “Paralyzed” and “Getting Over It”; the socio-political determination of “11:44,” a song that’s at once driving and danceable, with an anthemic chorus; the moving and altogether haunting balladry of the dreamy “Lack of Oxygen.”
 
As Bower sees it, COUNTERFEIT.’s second album confronts the bittersweet spite of their first record with expansive sounds and a bigger worldview. “I don’t want to sit and dwell in that angry, pissed off place. I’m pulling myself up and trying to share that hope that none of us have to live there. We don’t have to continually exist in that place. If we build a community out of love, we’ll be okay. It’s a release. It’s catharsis.”
 
COUNTERFEIT. embodies the boundary smashing spirit of Vivienne Westwood; the vivid imagery of the dark romantic poets who clawed against despair; the sweat and spit of vintage punk and hardcore; the radio-ready, confident triumph and bravado of Britpop. Timeless components, assembled into something new, through this generation’s prism.
 
“We hope to inspire people to examine themselves, to talk with their friends about what it is they’re feeling,” Bower says. “Certainly there’s more to life than ‘status’ and success at all costs. I’m looking for as much spiritual connection between people as I can get. I want honest, raw emotion in my interactions. In this world where we are becoming vastly more connected technologically yet more disconnected spiritually and emotionally, we truly believe that music can help to draw us closer.”
 

Charming Liars' evolution began in London’s West End when guitarist Karnig Manoukian and bassist Mike Kruger were still in their teens. Both came from homes with wide ranging and eclectic musical tastes, and that early exposure informed their approach to making music. They started writing and playing together in a series of bands and honed their musicianship with tours up and down the U.K. 

In 2013 they moved to Los Angeles, a decision in part spurred on by an encouraging social media message from songwriter and producer John Feldmann (Panic! At the Disco, Plain White T’s, 5 Seconds of Summer, Blink-182). Shortly after, the two connected with vocalist Kiliyan Maguire through a mutual friend. Those initial conversations led to songwriting and then recording sessions – the 3 realized that they had an organic musical chemistry that would lead to interesting possibilities. 

2019 proved to be a breakout year for the band, who released their debut album, Thought, Flesh and Bone, a follow-up acoustic EP, Bare Bones, and closed the year with a live collection titled Live 2019. They also headlined shows on the West Coast, toured Europe with The Faim, and crossed the U.S. as direct support for Angels & Airwaves. Most recently Charming Liars returned to Europe with Palaye Royale.

Despite the challenges posed by 2020, Charming Liars continued writing and released a series of new singles including “Favorite Show,” “BLAME,” and “Impact.” The new music has caught the attention of listeners around the world, as well as publications such as NPR, Grammy.com, Alternative Press, idobi Radio, and more. They ended the year with their “Live Sounds Of 2020” video series, which captured the energy of live shows that fans had been missing. 

Charming Liars has shared additional videos from their live series over the last few months, and most recently debuted their new EP Sequence 1: Noise Maker. The band looks forward to playing these new songs live for the first time and reconnecting with fans when they hit the road with The Hunna later this year. 

Charming Liars is:
Kiliyan Maguire - Vocals
Karnig Manoukian - Guitar, Production
Mike Kruger - Bass