Alt-Rock Ambition Meets Emotional Wreckage in Culture Wars' "Lies"
Austin-based alt-rock band Culture Wars are no strangers to big feelings—or big stages. Known for crafting emotionally driven anthems with cinematic scope, the band returns with their newest single “Lies”, a soaring, full-throttle heartbreak ballad that just dropped on July 25. Blending vulnerable storytelling with a sound built for arenas, the track pushes their sonic ambition even further, marking a standout moment in what’s already shaping up to be a career-defining year.
“Lies” is raw but expansive, balancing a deeply personal lens with broad emotional resonance. Frontman Alex Dugan leads the charge, channeling the emotional fallout of betrayal through lyrics that ache with clarity and frustration. His performance is equal parts confession and release—guided by a vocal range that easily shifts from restrained reflection to near-anthemic catharsis. The track unfolds like a slow burn, with atmospheric textures that eventually erupt into something massive. It bridges the introspection of early 2000s alt-rock with the widescreen ambition of groups like Coldplay—familiar in scale, but uniquely theirs in execution.
The single follows a breakout stretch for Culture Wars in 2025. Their previous release,, “Typical Ways” has racked up over 5 million streams, while “It Hurts” broke into the Top 20 at U.S. alt radio. On the live side, they’ve earned coveted support slots with acts like Wallows, Keane, and LANY—translating their studio intensity into crowd-shaking performances on some of the country’s biggest stages.
But despite their rising profile, there’s still a rawness at the heart of Culture Wars’ sound—a sense of emotional urgency that keeps each track grounded. “Lies” leans into that balance. It’s thoughtfully produced but personal, bold but sincere, and perhaps most importantly, it never loses its grip on the very real feeling at its core.
As the band gears up for a short run of headlining U.S. dates later this summer, “Lies” sets the tone for what’s next: honest songwriting amplified to widescreen proportions, meant to be felt in your chest—whether you’re listening alone in your car or shouting every word back in a sold-out room.
Your new single “Lies” feels emotionally raw but sonically huge. What was the core idea or feeling you were chasing when writing it?
Alex Dugan: The actual song—not the recording—was written years ago when I went through a pretty bad breakup. It had become so bad that I reached a point of finding it easier to disassociate from what could have happened, as opposed to trying to figure out how I got hurt and who with. I think this recording, this version of the song, appropriately captures how I was feeling at the time, but it’s really just the band doing what they do best. Two guitars, bass, and drums, nothing fancy.
The lyrics in “Lies” also paint a really vivid picture of emotional fallout. How do you usually approach writing something that heavy—do you lean into personal experience, or let the narrative lead?
Alex Dugan: This one was personal, it isn’t always. It’s sometimes third person, but never really narrative or made up. On this one I wasn’t really thinking about anything, it was just a very angry and hurt emotion that came out of me at a very vulnerable time. It still kind of pulls that string for me even live or listening back.
The production walks a tightrope between intimacy and scale. How do you find that balance when you're building out a song?
Alex Dugan: We’re pretty insistent that all songs need a heavy dynamic unless the track just calls for something different (like Miley). The band and our producer—who’s our guitarist Caleb—pretty much have it nailed down on how to work it out to achieve that dynamic. It’s wanky, but I always reference chiaroscuro from Art History class, light and dark.
Your sound has drawn comparisons to early 2000s alt-rock with a modern twist. Are there certain artists or albums that shaped your vision early on?
Alex Dugan: It’s really just the music we grew up on. I think each band member would have a different answer. Mine is probably Oasis, Third Eye Blind’s debut, U2’s All that You Can’t Leave Behind. I’m sure there are like 10 others.
You’ve had a major year—supporting some massive acts, landing a top 20 radio single, and dropping one of your most ambitious tracks yet. How have those big moments shaped your sense of who you are as a band?
Alex Dugan: This business ain’t easy. You scrape and grind, push and pull, just to try and get people to take you seriously. A lot of time writing, in the studio, now on the road away from family. There’s never a big fist pump moment like in the movies, because by the time you reach a goal it’s kind of like “well yeah we’ve been trying to do that for four years.” We all know this is what we’ve wanted since we were kids and we’re going to die trying. We’re incredibly grateful to the bands that have been willing to give us a shot on these big stages, and we just hope we’ve done right by them opening for their shows and crowd.
“Lies” feels like a big leap forward. Do you see it as a turning point creatively, or part of a longer arc you've been building toward?
Alex Dugan: It’s an older song, so from a writing point, not really. However, I think it shows that we’ve finally identified our “sound” as a band. We were able to take something out of the vault, essentially that we knew was a good song, and stand it up in a new light with what we’ve learned now. I think it shows the strength of the song, but also the strength of how much better we’ve gotten at recording and arranging.
With a headlining run coming up, what’s something you’re excited to bring to the stage that feels new or different from past shows?
Alex Dugan: Six new songs from the album, and they’re not the “back six”. We actually just wrote them to replace the original back 6, and these ones are potentially even stronger than the front half. I think we have a very strong album with better and better singles to come.
