Sweden’s I Love Your Lifestyle has an interesting mixture of styles in their arsenal. The band is primarily influenced by midwest emo, which shows by the heartfelt honesty and vulnerability in their lyrics. Despite this, their songs have a much more lively aspect to it, especially in their latest release No Driver.
This 11-track record is filled with sing-your-lungs-out pop and indie rock. Each song is carried by their own interesting hooks. Compared to their contemporaries in the genre, their use of melodies exhibit a lighter mood (although there’s plenty of melancholy in the lyrics.). These songs remind me of the early 2000’s, when punk shifted to a pop direction and was everywhere on the radio. A time when each chorus had a great backing harmony, and could be sung like an anthem in and of itself. Simply put, these songs are fun and lend themselves well to an audience sing-along.
Opener “Stupid” is nothing short of youthful catharsis. It’s blistering tempo perfectly captures the restlessness of youth, while the lyrics illustrate teenage angst in such a relatable way. “So put your hands down / Don’t try to sing along / We’re nothing but wet clowns / And we will never write history”, sings the chorus, but with a catchy hook such as this, it’s hard to oblige. Follow up “Cars” has great math rock elements in its stellar guitars. The lyrics follow a narrator slowly getting jaded by their young adult life The song shares the rebellious pop-punk anger reminiscent of Sum 41, with a wistful guitar solo to round things out.
I Love Your Lifestyle also shares a lot of influences from the local indie scene of their locale. Especially in “Shilly-Shally”, which seems more in line with contemporary rock and feels almost twee with its lovely vocal harmonies and subdued mood.
One highlight throughout the album is the solid rhythm section, especially for the drums. “Well, That’s Not Ideal” burns for only less than a minute. Yet it goes through a myriad tempo shifts and explosive build-ups that would be impossible for a less skilled drummer. The record ends with “Making Nothing out of Something”, one that could go toe to toe with the giants of midwest emo while being a great mosh-pit banger in and of itself. The kind of song you’d want to put on when you’re feeling down and want to remember the good old days.
No Driver is a knockout album. It’s like that friend who’s insanely fun but will gladly sit down with you when you’re feeling down. Fans wanting a unique taste of the genre should not miss this.