Paris, France alternative band Halflives have a statement to make: “We all have half lives.” The profoundness of this sentiment is echoed by their unique blend of alternative, pop, and even trap elements in their entertaining presentation. Making a splash with their 2017 effort Empty Rooms, the act is set to release their EP Resilience this Friday, March 13th, and we got our hands on it early to give you our impressions!
Resilience opens up with “Rockstar Everyday,” exemplifying the pop influences and giving off Pvris and Chvrches vibes as soon as the chorus hits. This is a track that is just as fun to sing to in the verse as it is to dance to in the chorus.
The vocals take the forefront in “Snake,” overlaying the percussive beat with nothing else to get in the way until the pre-chorus. With the lyricism at the forefront, Halflives avoids sounding generic through their mental imagery.
“Time Bomb” features Sleeping with Sirens’ iconic vocalist Kellin Quinn, and stands to be the breakout track on Resilience. While Kellin definitely didn’t phone it in (as he even uses unclean vocals!), the song stands out well enough on its own, with the feature being the icing on the cake.
“One Bad Day” ironically features very upbeat instrumentation to juxtapose the depressive lyrics. This is a nice track to relate to when the listener is down in the dumps. Yes, we hear you, Linda!
We wrap things up with “Hard to Break”, a 180-change in tone from “One Bad Day”. The sing-songy chorus could easily hit radio airwaves, as this song is single-worthy from front to back.
While short in length, Resilience is a fitting title to represent Halflives career, as they pick up even more steam with this great addition to their discography. My only gripe is that I want more from the band! Here’s looking to a sophomore full-length, but in the meantime, you can enjoy Resilience when it hits this Friday, March 13th!
