Lowlives run off their love for music, and the feelings that it can bring. Their attachment is what created the band, and it shows with each song they release. Using the memories of what music has done for themselves and others, Lowlives don’t hold anything back in their art, putting out into the world what can only be described as selfless, meaningful, and of course, thrashing music. This is exactly what they did with their new album, ‘Freaking Out’.
Rough and ragged guitar brings in ‘Freaking Out’, showing off Lowlives’ talent in all its glory. Its fast pace and incredibly catchy beat create nothing short of an adrenaline rush, one that is not let down through the entirety of the song. With a perfect combination of each instrument, topped off with the energetic vocals, there really is no better way to start an album.
‘Liar’ takes a slightly softer approach than ‘Freaking Out’, using the light, yet coarse vocals over heavier music that are similar to the likes of Three Days Grace and The Pretty Reckless. ‘Getting High on Being Low’ follows suit with the same, intoxicating atmosphere, throwing out yet another captivating melody. Three songs into the album, and it’s impossible to find a single thing out of place.
Five minutes of heavy riffs and vocal excellence take track four, ‘Swan Song’. A steady beat heads into vocals of the same tempo, creating what sounds like a more rough version of a Deftones track. Two repetitions of the chorus later, vocalist, Lee Downer, holds an incredible note that brings all attention back to the beauty of this song. To really show off their talent, Lowlives takes a turn in the music just after three minutes in, presenting their listeners with a mellow tune that is quite different, yet so fitting to the rest of ‘Swan Song’.
‘Loser’, the last of the pre-releases (along with ‘Freaking Out’ and ‘Liar’), comes next, taking the flow of the album back to the usual intensity, bringing back the strong and powerful feeling after the ending sequence of ‘Swan Song’. Changing up the atmosphere yet again, ‘You Don’t Care’ introduces a faster approach to their music, laced with grunge-esque guitars that build to their standard, ripping riffs quickly. It feels as though Lowlives has released their angst through this track, throwing their feelings so clearly into every word and every note.
‘Out of Step’ and ‘Closer Than You Know’ come in with a rush, despite their differences in the aggressive lyrics of the former to the heartfelt words of the latter. The thrashing guitars keep both tracks running together, working incredibly well with both. Lowlives has mastered the art of making unique tracks that still remain similar enough to each other to establish their own, authentic signatures in their music – the kind of skill that only the best musicians manage to do so well.
Coming close to the end of the album, ‘Damien’ keeps the fire going, the energy levels just as high as when ‘Freaking Out’ began nine tracks ago. With drums setting a fast pace for the track, the vocals keep up and don’t drop behind, only making ‘Damien’ one of the most intense numbers on the album.
‘Vertigo’ is the tenth, and last track on ‘Freaking Out’, closing it off with another dulcet track. The previously-established vigour has been left with ‘Damien’, as we’re given a pure heartfelt tune to see us to the end of the record. Beautiful as every other song Lowlives creates, ‘Vertigo’ is generated by passion, and leaves a peaceful feeling as it finishes.
Lowlives has shown their talent, and passion for music throughout this rollercoaster of an album, displaying what they can do in so many different ways. Regardless of the atmosphere of the track, each song remains authentic to the band, and gives the best representation of what they’re capable of. Lowlives truly have something special, and I, for one, can’t wait for more of their work.
