Rush co-founder Alex Lifeson has given fans a preview of his new project, Envy of None, with the band’s first single, “Liar”. The track will appear on the group’s debut, self-titled album due out on April 8th.
This new project sees Lifeson join forces with bassist Andy Curran (Coney Hatch), singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne, and producer Alfio Annibalini for an 11-track album that strays from the heavy/prog-rock heard on a typical Rush album. Though this project has been years in the making for the guitarist, he credits Wynne for breathing life into this forthcoming collection of songs.
“Maiah became my muse,” said Lifeson in a press release. “She was able to bring this whole new ethereal thing through her sense of melody on tracks like ‘Liar’ and ‘Look Inside’… I’ve never had that kind of inspiration working with another musician. When we say she’s special, it’s because she’s really f*cking special!
In addition to “Liar” and “Look Inside”, Envy of None will contain two songs that Lifeson released as instrumentals last summer in promotion of his Epiphone Les Paul signature model guitar, “Kabul Blues” and “Spy House”. The final track on Envy of None’s debut LP, “Western Sunset”, serves as a tribute to Neil Peart, the longtime Rush drummer who passed away on January 10th, 2020.
“I visited Neil when he was ill,” Lifeson explained in the press release. “I was on his balcony watching the sunset and found inspiration. There’s a finality about a sunset that kinda stayed with me throughout the whole process. It had meaning. It was the perfect mood to decompress after all these different textures… a nice way to close the book.”
“I can’t tell you how nervous and excited I am,” Wynne wrote on a post to Instagram on Wednesday. “The whole record is very eclectic and has such a huge variety of sounds and dimension. All I can say is I know that everyone will find a song they love on this record.”
Listen to the debut single from Envy of None, “Liar”, via the player below. The album is available to pre-order/pre-save now on a variety of formats, including CD, vinyl, and all major streaming services. Furthermore, scroll down for a full tracklist and album art.
Envy of None – “Liar” (Official Lyric Video)
[H/TÂ Rolling Stone]