Homelife reside in Lansing, MI which is a place that seemingly paved the way for a lot of Midwestern bands of this ilk. Lumping them with other current bands of their genre would be foolish as ‘Translation’ is a stand alone record with its own merits. It sounds as though the record was written by members of The Casket Lottery and Jawbreaker with the guitar work of Hot Water Music. Now, imagine that and you’re pretty on track. I was surprised at how much progression and ultimately how mature this record was in comparison to their previous work. It just goes to show that if you put in the honest work, you can achieve something better than ever expected.

<a href=“http://homelife.bandcamp.com/album/translation” data-mce-href=“http://homelife.bandcamp.com/album/translation”>Translation by Homelife</a>

Clocking in at 29 minutes, this 10 track record is of the absolute perfect length. I don’t feel until track 3, ‘No Direction’, that they really begin to show their colours as musicians and songwriters though. The first tracks, ‘Shapeless’ and ‘Unsteady Hands’just feel that little bit too familiar. Track 8, “Forms” has to be the absolute highlight track for me. Driving guitars and long sought out vocals go hand in hand to deliver something utterly devestating. In the best possible way.

Homelife are one of the very few current bands that can do this kind of thing justice. With big boots to fill in this Midwestern scene, Homelife prove that they can stand as tall as the greats.

4/5

‘Translation’ by Homelife is available now on Black Numbers / Bermuda Mohawk.

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Words by Rosie Kerr