“Someday” is a track that is intense, emotional, and hard-edged all at the same time. Updating the sound of acts like Yellowcard and The Starting Line, Life After Liftoff craft a mature sound with “Someday”. The track can be enjoyed on a number of levels; while the overall emotive rock style will immediately gain a number of fans for the band, the interplay present between the different elements of the band will a while to unravel. Those that give Life After Liftoff a serious listen will be rewarded handsomely; the arrangements present on the “Memory of You” are simply dynamite. “The Promise” showcases a decidedly different side of Life After Liftoff; where there are bold guitar lines and drum fills to be had in “Someday”, the band opts for a more nuanced sound during “The Promise”. This softer approach allows for more poignant points to be made; the band speaks to anyone that has personally experienced loss in any of life’s aspects. The end of “The Promise” showcases a more positive outcome, something that is also present in “Memory of You”. “Memory of You” has Life After Liftoff coping with life’s challenges but comes forth with a blend of the styles originally present in both “Someday” and “The Promise”. Uniting the different sounds broached during the “Memory of You” EP, Life After Liftoff makes a cohesive and full-sounding effort all in the space of about 10 minutes.
Make it a point to pick up the “Memory of You” EP, warp it, and come back in a few months when Life After Liftoff have released their “Everything Is You” LP. With the germination of the ideas, sounds, and approaches taken during this EP, I have little doubt in my mind that their forthcoming LP will be one of 2011’s best albums. If they happen to be hitting up your stomping grounds, figure out a way to see them live – while there are only brief nods to it, I feel that the raw sound that the band is capable of would only be more brilliant in a live setting.
Top Tracks: Memory of You, Someday
Rating: 8.7/10
Life After Liftoff – Memory of You (CD) / 2011 Self / 3 Tracks / http://www.facebook.com/LifeAfterLiftoff