“Life are everything you could possibly want from an artist – they are politically astute, angry, intelligent, gritty and air-punchingly brilliant…” (God is in the TV)
Life released their second LP - A Picture of Good Health - in September 2019. The album was recorded with Luke Smith (Foals, Everything Everything, Depeche Mode) and mixed by Claudius Mittendorfer (Parquet Courts, Yak, Weezer).
"This raging, unrelenting dose of sonic chaos is a thunderous reminder of why guitar music is mankind's greatest creation" – Dork (4/5)
Earning a reputation for their live performances in 2019, they packed out festival stages and tents across the UK and Europe including Glastonbury, Latitude, Paleo Festival (CH), Rock for the People (CZ), Pukkelpop (BE), Best Kept Secret (NL) and many more. The band played a blistering BBC Maida Vale live session for Jack Saunders, put on a memorable album launch in a Camden kebab shop, supported Idles on a sold out two-week tour before embarking on their own sold out headline tour through the UK and Europe.
“A stand-out record” – The Line of Best Fit (8.5/10)
Internationally, they have showcased at SXSW twice and Reeperbahn (where they signed their publishing deal with Bucks Music) and Nouvelle Prague. In France, they appeared on national TV - Arte - alongside Primal Scream & Idles for Jehnny Beth's Echoes Show, featured in Les Inrocks magazine as part of a 6-page feature, playlisted at Oui FM and amassed hundreds of other radio plays across the country. In the US, the band are represented by UTA live agency and had a debut headline tour planned for March 2020 off the back of a packed week of showcases at SXSW and New Colossus (including a sold-out show with A Place to Bury Strangers at Bowery Ballroom). They were due to support Idles on their September US tour which has now been rescheduled for September 2021. Singles appeared top 10 in college radio charts with support from KEXP, KCRW and many others. Elsewhere, they have seen support from Triple J and Double J in Australia and significant radio play in Germany and across Eastern Europe with hundreds of international plays every day around album release in September 2020.
“Thoroughly satisfying, a tremendously inspiring album.” - Louder Than War
2020 began with a main stage appearance to a packed crowd at Rockaway Beach before a 6 date support slot on Kaiser Chief's UK arena tour. In March, the band flew out to New York for New Colossus Festival before a scheduled 5 date appearance at SXSW...They caught the last plane back to the UK on Monday 17th March due to the pandemic.
Uk & European tours were scheduled for April and May 2020 before an extensive run of festival dates across Europe. These have now been rescheduled for May / June 2021. “A Picture of Good Health” was BBC 6 Music’s Album of the Day, BBC Radio 1’s Album of the Weekend and was one of BBC 6Music's Albums of the Year; all four singles from the album were play-listed at 6Music, and the band were nominated for two Aim Awards 2020 - Best Live Act and Best (Difficult) Second Album.
“This record is indispensable” – DIY (4.5/5)
“A wiry outpouring of internalised frustrations” – The Most Radicalist
The band's focus on community, witty off-centre social commentary and honest, often personal, lyrics underscores their musical output. Their debut album Popular Music (BBC Radio 1's 2017 Album's of the Year) was very much a collage of political outbursts and A Picture of Good Health (BBC 6 Music's 2019 Albums of the Year) was a reflective and internal monologue on mental health, isolation and single parenthood. On their third album, the band have reunited with producer Luke Smith and have been locked in their Hull studio through the summer. They've turned their attention to unity, love and a sense of belonging. This theme underscores both the musical and lyrical narrative of the album but is also reflected in it's craft - the band have used solely locally-based studios, equipment, gear and the community around them to fully achieve their next body of work, the best music they have ever created...
“A group from Hull whose provenance defines them and whose singer moves with itchy energy and plunges himself into the crowd at every opportunity.” - NME