DATE: NOVEMBER 19, 2021
FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN
Artwork for the upcoming LOVE BY NUMB3RS EP, COLOURS
By Walter Craven
LOVE BY NUMB3RS
REVEAL INTIMATE VIDEO FOR
NEW SINGLE “CAN’T LIE LIKE THIS”
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
SONG MARKS THE SECOND SINGLE FROM THEIR
NEW EP ‘COLOURS’ OUT NOVEMBER 26
Portland, Maine-based indie trio LOVE BY NUMB3RS–co-vocalists DAN CONNOR and ANNA LOMBARD and multi-instrumentalist JON ROODS–today (November 19) have shared the intimate video for “Can’t Lie Like This.” It marks the second single from the acclaimed group’s six-song EP COLOURS out November 26 (moved from its original November 19 release date due to a production delay).
The video was directed by LOMBARD and ROODS and is based on the vision of CONNOR whose chemo treatments and cancer battle are the subject of the video. He wrote the song and sings lead vocals on it before ANNA joins in on background vocals, giving the song its trademark LOVE BY NUMB3ERS vocal sound. Watch the video here.
The “Can’t Lie Like This” video was premiered yesterday (November 18) by Glide magazine who wrote: “Portland, Maine’s Love By Numb3rs has astounded ears with its eloquent dusty blues and roots rock that has given otherwise placid New England a musical splash of Nashville. The trio–co-vocalist Dan Connor and Anna Lombard joined by her partner and multi-instrumentalist Jon Roods–made a big splash with their independent full-length debut, Parachute yet now are gearing up for the release of a six song EP titled Colours out November 19th…the emotionally explosive ‘Can’t Lie Like This’ swoons, twangs and pacifies with a Tyler Childers meets Tom Petty narrative and soul.”
Coming off the EP’s first single/video “Colours,” which was premiered and praised by Atwood Magazine, “Can’t Lie Like This” is the music of a band who freewheelingly chart a course through eloquent alternative, Americana and roots rock. The song’s unflinching lyrics paint a picture of lives that have unraveled. “The inspiration behind writing this song was based on a dear friend of mine who struggled with substance abuse,” reveals DAN. “This led me down a bit of a rabbit hole as I began reflecting upon my own family history of substance abuse and dysfunction.”
“Jon and I directed the video, but I would be remiss not to mention the vision Jon had for this one,” says ANNA LOMBARD. “While the song in its lyrical content was meant to be about the aforementioned lifelong struggles with alcoholism, Jon began seeing the line ‘can’t lie like this anymore’ as more of a metaphor for Dan’s battle with cancer and monthly chemo cycles.”
The moving video begins by depicting the beauty of nature before focusing on DAN at home in bed with his illness. He is able to breaks free in his mind from his struggles by heading outside with his guitar to enjoy the gorgeous wide-open spaces. Says ANNA: “We keep calling it Dan’s “celebration/party” at the end–to be done with chemo and to have made it through to where he is/we are today.”
The video was shot in various locations in Maine: the band’s house/studio known as South Ranch (bed scene, radiation scene, etc.), Crescent Beach in Cape Elizabeth, and outside of a friend’s house in Cape Elizabeth (drone footage on rocks and dirt road shots).
More quotes about “Can’t Lie Like This” are below, along with the lyrics; the EP’s track listing + credits; and the band’s social media links. The EP will be followed by a full-length album (their second) in 2022 (release date TBA).
QUOTES ABOUT “CAN’T LIE LIKE THIS”
Dan Connor: The inspiration behind writing this song was based on a dear friend of mine who struggled with substance abuse. This led me down a bit of a rabbit hole as I began reflecting upon my own family history of substance abuse and dysfunction. My father had alcoholism and was homeless for many years due to his denial and not wanting to face his disease. The commonality between these two people in my life made me consider how substance abuse–regardless of the substance–causes people to withdraw from life rather than face their demons. Instead, they lie and hide. We’ve all seen it. But the bottom line is that it is a disease like any other. Some find the strength to overcome and some fall victim.
–Dan sings lead vocals on this one, and then is joined by you for background vocals, giving the song that trademark Love By Numb3ers vocal sound. Can you give us your thoughts about this?
Anna Lombard: In terms of the decision Dan singing lead on this one–that’s just what made sense. This was his story to tell. The song in its original arrangement had no outro with doubled choruses. For years, it has just been floating around Dan’s repertoire as a song on an acoustic guitar. So, Jon and I worked on making the song build through the outro. We coupled Dan’s chorus melody with some harmonies overlaid with new rhythmic/melodic sections on top of those. And then Dan was like “Ok, you gotta go off at the end…” so I threw some vamps on the outro and we extended the section along with a slow fade so the outro became a bit of a hook.
–Some thoughts about the musical feel of the song? It has distinctive guitar parts merged with keyboards. Is that a Fender Rhodes?
Anna: Dan’s acoustic and vocals on this song were done in one single take. Then, Jon and I built instrumentation and changed the arrangement around Dan’s single take recording. Our guitarist Josh Duym then laid down some guitar. Our friend Nigel Hall happened to be in Maine at the perfect time and was staying with us so we had him track his keyboard parts on a Fender Rhodes.
–Who directed the video, where was it filmed, and some general thoughts about the it?
Anna: Jon and I directed the video. Jon envisioned the video being less literal to the lyrics of the song about avoidance and denial and lying to other people and lying to yourself…and instead, the hopes of simultaneously portraying all of these instances where through craniotomies, radiation, MRIs, fatigue, nausea, etc, Dan has been literally lying down. For the past seven months, we’ve had to work through Dan being really sick from his treatment. We would more or less only be able to count on maybe 10-14 days a month where Dan was feeling OK enough to write, or track, or be part of a video. It’s been so tough, the toughest for him, but he’s been a warrior. He’s sick and tired of being sick and tired. With scenes where he’s in bed with forty bottles of prescriptions on the bedside table…You know, you get to this point where you’ve got to ask yourself about the reality of your quality of life. He has been isolated from making music alongside us and from some of the creative process throughout the last year because of treatment. And when you’re a musician and a writer and music is the one thing that gets you out of bed in the morning…but even that is something you don’t even have the physical energy or capacity to do… you find yourself asking, “what gives?” So the vision for the video coupled with the original context of the song became a double entendre. “I can’t lie like this anymore. I can’t not make music. I can’t deal with feeling like this anymore. I’m tired of it.”
Lyrics to “Can’t Lie Like This”:
“Can’t Lie Like This”
(Dan Connor)
Wake up in the mornin’
Even if you’ve been out with the devil the night before
Drink your strong coffee
Make all your plans
Don’t think about it anymore
Til’ the night become crazy
And life gettin’ hazy
You’re showin’ up at my door
The mornin’ don’t matter
Ain’t nothin’ gonna shatter, it won’t
Can’t lie like this anymore
Couple days later
I was on a train with her
Hadn’t slept in seventy-four
Got my blood shot eyes, begin to realize
Pressed down against the floor
I guess I wasn’t listening
Just another man missin’ the life that he never saw
The mornin’ don’t matter
Ain’t nothin gonna shatter, it won’t
Can’t lie like this anymore
Whoa
Can’t lie like this anymore
Go and see my mama
But my papa gonna be there
With his boots kickin’ down the door
He got them bloodshot eyes, begin to realize
Pressed down against the floor
I guess he wasn’t listenin’
Just another man missin’ the life that he never saw
The mornin’ don’t matter
Ain’t nothin’ gonna shatter, it won’t
Can’t lie like this anymore
Can’t lie like this anymore
Can’t lie like this anymore
Can’t lie like this any more
I can’t lie anymore
COLOURS EP track listing
1. Colours
2. Can’t Lie Like This
3. Oak Tree
4. All Falls Down
5. The Beat Goes On
6. Summertime
Credits: ‘COLOURS’ EP by LOVE BY NUMB3RS
–All songs written by LBN (Anna Lombard, Jonathan Roods & Dan Connor) with additional guitar line writing by Zach Jones on track #1 “Colours” and Josh Duym on track #4 “All Falls Down”
–All songs engineered by Jonathan Roods & Anna Lombard
–All songs produced by Jonathan Roods & Anna Lombard
–Mastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering
–All songs recorded at South Ranch.
–Guest appearances by Nigel Hall, Zach Jones, Gary Gemmeti, Josh Duym
Players on each song:
Colours: Jon Roods (drums, bass, guitar), Zach Jones (electric guitar), Nigel Hall (hammond organ, rhodes piano)
Can’t Lie Like This: Anna Lombard (vocals), Jon Roods (drum, add’l percussion, bass, guitar), Josh Duym (electric guitar), Dan Connor (acoustic guitar, vocals), Nigel Hall (Wurlitzer piano)
Oak Tree: Anna Lombard (vocals), Dan Connor (vocals), Jon Roods (drums, bass, all guitars, Moog synth, Hammond organ, percussion, pedal steel)
All Falls Down: Anna Lombard (vocals), Jon Roods (Moog Synth), Josh Duym (guitar)
The Beat Goes On: Jon Roods (drums, bass, moog synth, pedal steel), Dan Connor (vocals, acoustic guitar), Josh Duym (electric guitar), Anna Lombard (vocals, rhodes piano), Nigel Hall (rhodes piano)
Summertime: Jon Roods (bass, pedal steel, guitar), Gary Gemmeti (drums), Nigel Hall (rhodes piano), Anna Lombard (vocals), Dan Connor (vocals), June & Haisel McGeachey (Anna’s daughters on backing vocals)
LOVE BY NUMB3RS
Pictured (L to R): DAN CONNOR, ANNA LOMBARD, JON ROODS
Photo Credit: Cam Jones
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