Beautiful Liars are a South African-British new wave and art-pop band formed in Cape Town in 2023 by Iron Flat members Ren Simmons and Sofia Phillips. Originally conceived as a studio-based side project, the group evolved into a full collaborative band featuring a rotating lineup of younger South African musicians alongside drummer Graham Broad and frequent contributor Neil Hannon on piano and arrangement work. Known for their polished suburban aesthetic, politically anxious lyricism, and sexually charged stage dynamic between Simmons and Phillips, Beautiful Liars combine elements of new wave, art rock, synth-pop, and post-punk with themes of media culture, post-colonial identity, romance, suburban alienation, mental illness, and modern South African life. Their music has frequently been compared to a more polished and emotionally intimate version of The Boomtown Rats, while critics have also noted influences from late-1970s new wave and sophisticated baroque pop songwriting. Unlike Simmons’ heavily orchestrated production work with Flat Iron, Beautiful Liars recordings are largely performed live in studio with minimal overdubbing, emphasising rhythmic precision, atmosphere, and band interplay. Their debut album, Glass Language (2024), received significant cult acclaim for its blend of political satire, romantic tension, and stylish paranoia, establishing the project as a distinct creative identity separate from Flat Iron. The band’s public image became closely associated with the highly visible relationship between Simmons and Phillips, whose chemistry and fashion-forward visual presentation became central to the project’s appeal. Reviews frequently described Beautiful Liars as “music for beautiful people having nervous breakdowns in wealthy suburbs” and “a politically paranoid new wave romance.”