Life in Vacuum is what would happen if Comadre met ATDI met The Mars Volta. Their energy is fucking astounding and as concise as their noisy perfection gets, there’s so much narrative sparking here that you DEFINITELY need to peer into their lyrics and the story behind the curtains. 5 is one of the most hard-hitting, vibrant and ballistic records this year and chances are it’ll fly under the radar, so get in on this and thank me later.
“You Did It To Yourself” is chock-full of pounding hooks and thrashing cymbals, which compound the distorted guitar-effect, quite phenomenally. No, it’s not praise being heaped for shits and giggles. The screeching guitars and boisterous nature of the band are elements that you should be cognitive about because there’s a lot that seeps in in just under half-hour but do yourself a favor and take it in. The start-stop post-hardcore vibe on “The Edge of Boredom” complements everything that’s good about this trio as screamo influences, slap-bass, rapid kit-work and dual vocals all juggle to mark the band’s territory.
“Seven” is intricate in its mathy ambition that highlights the diversity on tap. It’s fucking catchy and hipster in its deep, sharp and cutting riffs. Hipster, spoken-word and swoon-ish all come to the fore here and with their reckless abandon, Life In Vacuum grabs you by the lapels, throwing caution to the wind, in such an experimental style and musical bravado. Their value is unabashed in a genre where many fall short due to feckless imagination, weak innovation and a lack of creativity. But this band knows how to make those flaws seem non-existent. The indie-beach vibe of “Van Life” is catchy as it plays off summer riffs and musical discord. The latter’s brought about by conflicting interplay on the guitars to add a drowning effect. So smooth, so subtle and so harmonious.
There’s immense melody in their chaos and “Passenger Mr. Funstash” ends on a cleaner take of Comadre, which reminds you that if you’re missing the latter, fear not because Life In Vacuum has the makings of something bigger and just as settling. This record hits and hits very hard so grasp its essence because there’s something unique and crafty here that plays off every fiber of you.
5/5 Stars