I listen, and unfortunately I'm still not completely convinced.

GAI’s YOU LIE sits comfortably in the modern deathcore/metalcore world, mixing downtuned guitars, nu-metal grooves, industrial textures, electronic effects, trap-inspired rhythms, and plenty of breakdown-driven aggression. The Vietnam/New Zealand-based band have a pretty clear idea of what they want to sound like, and there’s no shortage of weight throughout this record. At the same time, YOU LIE often feels like a band that has the right ingredients but hasn’t completely figured out how to make all of them their own.

“SAME OLD STORY” sets the tone with eerie sounds, deep chugs, heavy drums, and harsh vocals that move between higher screams and lower gutturals. The production immediately gives the guitars plenty of weight, but the songwriting feels fairly familiar. “GUTTER RAT” adds some squeaky guitar effects, slides, and nasty vocal moments, and those little details give the track more personality. I just wish GAI pushed those ideas further instead of returning so quickly to the expected chug-heavy formula.

“VIVE LA DÉCEPTION” continues down the modern metalcore path with polished production and oversized riffs. Everything sounds tight, but there’s a difference between a riff sounding huge and a riff actually sticking with you. That becomes one of the biggest issues with YOU LIE. GAI clearly know how to make music sound heavy, but several of the songs rely on familiar structures that don't always give the listener much to grab onto.

The title track, “YOU LIE,” works better because it gets straight to the point. The distant djent-style textures, hard-hitting drums, and aggressive vocals give it a sharper identity, while the shorter runtime keeps the song from becoming another extended breakdown exercise. “PHOBETOR” slows things down, but I found some of the slower sections less effective because they don't always build enough tension before the next heavy section arrives.

“FALSE BOY,” featuring Frankie Palmeri of Emmure, is one of the more convincing tracks because the collaboration actually makes sense. The Emmure influence is already pretty obvious across the record, particularly in the bouncing riffs and vocal rhythms, so having Palmeri involved feels natural rather than forced. The song has more energy and movement than some of the surrounding material, and the vocal interplay helps it stand out.

“SNAKE” adds some useful vocal layering, while “KMT” introduces more industrial and electronic sounds. “KMT” is especially frustrating because I kept thinking GAI were about to take the song somewhere stranger. The mechanical textures and digital effects are some of the most interesting sounds on the album, but they mostly work as decoration before the guitars take over again. I wanted those elements to become part of the actual songwriting rather than just another layer in the production.

“FANGS OUT” delivers another dark and heavy performance, but by this point the formula is becoming predictable. The riffs hit hard, the vocals are nasty, and the production does its job, but I wasn't getting enough variation to make the track particularly memorable.

Then “AFTER ALL” changes things up. The slower riffs eventually give way to softer clean vocals, guitars, and deep bass, creating a much-needed contrast. This is one of the strongest moments on the album because GAI finally allow themselves some space. The heaviness becomes more effective because there is something softer pushing against it. It also shows that the band have more range than the rest of the album sometimes suggests.

The Extended Truth edition adds “LADDER CLIMBER,” “NEVER THOUGHT” featuring Past Fiction, and “SHOOK.” “LADDER CLIMBER” stays close to the established GAI formula, while “NEVER THOUGHT” adds some faster drumming and more aggression. Both are solid additions, but neither dramatically changes the overall record.

“SHOOK” is the stranger one, opening with distant synths before bringing in Australian rap vocals. I appreciate GAI trying something different, but as a closing track, I’m not completely sold. “AFTER ALL” feels like a much stronger conclusion because it reveals a more vulnerable side of the band, while “SHOOK” throws the listener back into experimentation without quite developing the idea enough.

The strongest part of YOU LIE is easily the guitar work. The low tuning, palm-muted rhythms, slides, harmonics, and occasional djent influence give the riffs plenty of physical weight. The drums are also tight, with enough faster sections and blast-beat touches to keep things moving. Vocally, GAI have plenty of aggression, although the different screams and gutturals don't always feel distinctive enough to separate them from the wider deathcore scene.

Ultimately, YOU LIE is a record I respect more than I love. There are some genuinely good ideas here, especially when GAI move away from the standard breakdown formula. “YOU LIE,” “FALSE BOY,” “KMT,” and especially “AFTER ALL” show flashes of a more interesting version of this band.

The problem is that those flashes aren't consistent enough.

GAI have the heaviness, the production, the riffs, and the willingness to experiment. What they're missing is a stronger connection between those elements. The industrial sounds need to become more important. The electronic ideas need to affect the songwriting. The quieter moments need to appear more often. Most importantly, GAI need to trust the weird side of their music instead of always returning to the safest possible chug.

YOU LIE is a solid modern deathcore/metalcore record with some nasty riffs and plenty of energy, but it doesn't quite have the identity its presentation promises. There’s definitely something interesting underneath all those breakdowns.

I just want GAI to dig a little deeper and let it out.