For the past several years, North Carolina’s Sarah Shook and The Disarmers have been building a steady, loyal following thanks to their brilliant modern take on Country music. Nowhere is that more apparent than on Nightroamer, released earlier this year.
But Shook’s latest effort Cruel Liars, billed under the moniker Mightmare, sounds unlike anything the artist has released before. Though there are still elements of Country across the eight tracks that make up Cruel Liars, and Shook’s distinctively riveting vocal timber is still present, this collection also mixes in electronic elements and indie pop throughout.
Newly sober and grounded due to Covid shutdowns, Shook attempted to make a completely individual record from start to finish, composing, arranging, and producing the album in its entirety. “I created my solo project Mightmare and leaned into it obsessively for the first year of the pandemic and out of that manic fixation came Cruel Liars,” Shook said. “I put every cell and strand of my being in this album, I’m proud of it for its brightest moments and its glaring imperfections, for its darkness and its quiet hand guiding me to zeniths of personal truths.”
There are some deeply personal moments here dealing with relationships throughout Cruel Liars, like on the moody “Enemy” about the animosity around break-ups, or the self-explanatory title track. “Make It Work” finds the singer exasperated and close to giving up on a partnership where they seem to be the only one putting in an effort.
But there are lighter moments here as well, like on the catchy, breezy “Easy,” about being so at ease with someone you don’t need to say a thing; or the album closer, “Sure Thing,” a much less sunny topic about ending a chapter and moving on, but a song that is just as satisfying, thanks to the hypnotic music that carries Shook’s voice along. Cruel Liars manages to be an impressive step outside of the music Shook has already built a solid career around, certain to bring along a new audience while keeping longtime fans happy as well.
