14th April 2024

Review: “Self Titled” by Life’s Question

Having spent the past nine years honing a sound that blends crushing hardcore with classic rock riffs while citing influences as far apart as Faith No More and Fats Domino, it’s fair to say that eclectic and eccentric are two words that spring to mind when thinking about Life’s Question. Blending the gruff vocals of Josh Haynes with lush ones from guitarist Abby Rhine the band seek to create serenity in chaos with producer Jon Markson (Regulate, Jivebomb) left trying to make sense of it all… Who else could write an EP titled “A Tale of Sudden Love and Unforgettable Heartbreak” and survive to tell the tale?

A band for whom borders and boundaries don’t exist, Life’s Question are happy to throw away any blueprint and improvise, dealing with the consequences later. In evidence of that they bring an eclectic off kilter extended solo with a Thrash inspired whammy bar moment to a 90’s Hardcore style groove laden introduction as opening cut “Light Me Up” takes shape; the elements shouldn’t work together but somehow satisfy and grow on you once you get your head around how they fit together. Fleeting clean vocals and bouncy bass from AJ Hoenings add another dimension but this is still a heavy track with plenty of bark and bite before a bass solo ushers in “I Can Still Hear My Mama Pray” with a little more down tuned menace. A tale that will resonate with anyone who has been on the wrong side of the tracks, the main riff makes it a mighty fine time and if the band chose to re-imagine this acoustically it would work. Just when you think you’ve got it all worked out, another song comes in and throws your theories in the air like exam papers on graduation day. Funky and driven “Brass Coffin” is fearfully additive and bass heavy, Hoenings earning that appearance fee before a clean vocal bridge and Van Halen inspired extended solo flips the script entirety. It’s Hardcore Punk Jim but not as you know it.

Increasing the intensity “When I Meet God” has that real grit and integrity about it lyrically, the lush clean vocal moment from Abby Rhine making way for the kind of breakdowns that end with broken noses and bloody knuckles in the mosh pit. Driven by mental anguish it feels like a cut above, the breakneck pace of the opening half matching lines like “Permanent damage irreversible, No memory of simplicity” blow for blow before another Thrash inspired solo into a breakdown section that hits like a concrete slab to the face. As if that wasn’t enough to trigger a heart attack, “10 Years” gallops in like a knight in shinning armour, it’s almost ambient bass driven mid section moment of clarity before the line that sticks “fuck what happens today, tomorrow, tomorrow is just a dream away“. It’s a classic and you know it’s going to be chanted back to them live. There is even time for one more in “Something Out There“, another that makes wonderful use of Rhine’s clean vocals in the chorus while being punchy and aggressive in the verse. They beauty of this record is that it’s refreshing, honest and addictive with the potential to be a guilty pleasure… [7/10]

Track Listing