I LOVE YOUR LIFESTYLE - No Driver LP (Swirl Vinyl)

Label: Dog Knights

The juxtaposition of depressing, self-loathing lyrics and explosively joyful music has always been a key draw of the emo and punk worlds for me. Hearing bands who produce this type of music for the first time as a middle-schooler felt like discovering another reality that ran counter to the mainstream messaging of how you were supposed to feel and act. On No Driver, I Love Your Lifestyle unabashedly embrace this combination, dwelling deep in the lyrical mires, even as the guitar solos and extended bridges push the music to dazzling heights.

They’re still cooped up and bummed out, but the Swedish emo revivalists’ third album also boasts longer songs with stronger verses and a keener grasp of sequencing and flow, capturing the gloomy, gray dullness that can come from repetitive city life and wrap it up in an ecstatic, joyful soundscape. Despite all the dark, inward-looking lyrics, the record is actually incredibly uplifting and encapsulates everything that is wonderful about the group’s corner of the musical universe.