Lords and Liars blend jazz and metal on new single and video Love Pocket

North Carolina alternative-metal band Lords and Liars has released “Love Pocket,” a chaotic new single and music video inspired by a strange hospital story and built around a gritty period look. The release tees up the band’s forthcoming album, 21st Century Humors, and shows how the group keeps mixing heavy music with unexpected influences.

Why it matters: - Lords and Liars keeps pushing alternative metal beyond one lane by folding jazz, metal, and dark humor into a single release. - The band’s new work also points to the next phase of 21st Century Humors, the upcoming album that began taking shape during the COVID pandemic.

What happened: - Lords and Liars premiered the music video for “Love Pocket” on Music-News.com. - The North Carolina band released “Love Pocket” as a new single built around a chaotic jazz-metal arrangement. - The song was inspired by an unusual patient story Gray heard through his nursing work about a person with a colostomy. - The band described the track as part of its goal for each song to have its own personality and story.

The details: - Lords and Liars has been together for more than a decade. - Jen and Gray are married nurses, and both work in healthcare. - Kenny plays guitar and works in warehouse trades. - Steve plays drums and works in factory trades. - The band draws on influences that range from Primus and Mr. Bungle to Slayer, Rush, and Tool. - Earlier releases include the EP SPQR and the singles “Abortion Goo” and “Killdozer.” - The band said “Love Pocket” continues its approach of combining styles rather than staying in one genre. - Gray said he avoided explicit lyrics so the song could work in a wider variety of venues. - The music video uses an early 1900s setting inspired by Peaky Blinders. - A local historic building provided the worn look the band wanted, but it needed extensive prep before filming. - Over a month of weekends, the band cleared debris, arranged a structural inspection, and prepared the stairwell and upper floor. - The band treated the wooden floors with vegetable oil to control dust. - Director and videographer Tony Murnahan used battery-powered equipment because the location had no electricity or plumbing. - Bathroom breaks required a trip to Gray’s nearby house. - The production was the band’s first time working with extras, coordinated wardrobe, and an off-property set. - Friends contributed ideas during the process, and the building’s weathered surfaces helped create the final look.

Between the lines: - The song’s hospital-rooted origin fits a broader pattern in the band’s work, where real-life strain and oddball stories become material for heavy music. - The video shoot shows a DIY approach that matches the band’s sound: resourceful, rough-edged, and intentionally unpolished. - The choice to avoid explicit lyrics suggests the band is thinking about where the song can be played, not just how it sounds on a record.

What's next: - Lords and Liars is building toward the release of 21st Century Humors. - The band said it wants to make more elaborate music videos while keeping the organic feel of making music together. - Tony Murnahan joked after the shoot that he proved he could record under those conditions, but would probably not do it again.

The bottom line: - “Love Pocket” is both a new single and a statement of method for Lords and Liars: turn strange real-world material into heavy, genre-bending music with a handmade visual style. - More Lords and Liars at HIP Video Promo, YouTube, and Instagram