Austin native rock outfit Culture Wars have shared their emotional 90s-tinged alt ballad “Lies,” available to stream now on all DSPs worldwide. The track comes in the midst of a banner 2025, which has included arena dates with Wallows, Keane, and LANY, a breakout single in “Typical Ways” (over 5 million streams), and charting in the top 20 at US alt radio with “It Hurts.” Listen HERE.
A searing anthem about the emotional wreckage of infidelity, “Lies” showcases frontman Alex Dugan’s dynamic vocal range and honest lyricism. Sonically, the track strikes a balance between intimate confession and arena-sized ambition, nodding to influences like Coldplay and Kings of Leon while pushing the band’s sound further into widescreen territory.
“After seeing New Order live for the first time, it was at that moment that I realized I had it all wrong. Everything I was trying to do musically at that time was wrong,” says vocalist Alex Dugan. “That concert inspired what would become the song Lies and shortly after, the band Culture Wars. Lies was the inceptual song of the band and after that, I knew the direction we were headed in. Finally seeing it materialize in the style of the album is a dream come true and a full circle moment. Written at the beginning after a long drawn out break up (before I met my wife), Lies is the story of trying to rebuild when you’ve lost all trust in intimacy. Trying to figure out how to build up not only your own confidence, but gain the ability to trust others as well. Written initially on synthesizers and now finished as a full band record, Lies has always been the big ending to every show. David used to joke that he can’t wait until we can end a show with something other than Lies, but now with the final version, it simply feels weird ending a show any other way.”
Slated for 2026, Culture Wars’ forthcoming album arrives ready to connect with a generation starved for authenticity and provocation in their rock bands. The group’s energizing and unapologetically moving record a breath of fresh air full of ambition and pure intentions. As the band’s name implies, seemingly disparate passions battle within the songs, somehow beautifully making peace.
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