LISTEN: The Lied To’s, “Winter of the Winter”

Artist: The Lied To’s
Hometown: Newburyport, Massachusetts
Song: “Winter of the Winter”
Album: The Worst Kind of New
Release Date: March 11, 2022
Label: Hollow Body Records

In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Winter of the Winter’ almost exactly a year ago. Winter in New England can feel endless and bleak in the best of times, but during the COVID lockdown it felt brutal. People were either terribly isolated and lonely, or climbing the walls trying to balance kids, spouses, working from home, and remote school. There was a sense of collective grief, but there also was a real meanness out there given the political divide. I wrote ‘Winter of the Winter’ to try to process all of it. I really wanted the whole ordeal to mean something. I wanted us to learn something from the experience, for us to end up a little kinder, a little better as a society. The song asks: ‘When the spring comes and everything is growing/Will we remember how it was snowing/And will we be better for the knowing?’ I think, unfortunately, the verdict is still out.” — Susan Levine


Photo Credit: Doug Kwartler

LISTEN: The Lied To’s, ‘Cruel World’

Artist: The Lied To’s
Hometown: Boston, MA
Song: “Cruel World”
Album: The Lesser of Two Evils
Release Date: May 11, 2018

In Their Words: “‘Cruel World’ is a full-fledged ‘F-U’ to life and its misfortunes. It’s more than just angry in its lyrics; it’s downright ornery. Musically, it borrows from country music’s original angry songwriter — Johnny Cash. We spit out lines together, like, ‘Now I’m staring out the window to see what’s coming next, popping pills to ease my troubles, then go dealin’ with my ex’ in a raw blues harmony that sounds like a three-minute fiery exorcism.” — Doug Kwartler


Photo credit: Doug Kwartler