Life at These Speeds were a band from the largely unrecognized emocore revival that happened in the early to mid-2000s. Bands like Sinaloa, Wolves, Ampere, Dead Letter Auction, and The Pine were unearthing sounds from the early 90s years before the emo revival hit full swing. Life at These Speeds refined their sound over the course of their frustratingly short career. Their self-titled debut album at times verges on screamo, while their second experiments with sounds from post-punk and indie rock. Regardless of the changes, what never changed was rock solid songwriting. LaTS was just so damn good, no matter what they were aiming for.
I first came across Life at These Speeds on Epitonic, and they were an extremely influential band for me. Their second album, To Your Health, will always sit high on my list of favorite albums. "Blocking Out the Stars" is a personal highlight, but it's fantastic from front to back. The first album is more raw, featuring the amazing "Blindfold King." "Writing Love Letters to an Industrialized Nation" is a harbinger of the sound they would fully embrace on the second album. The split with Science of Yabra came between the two full-lengths, and showcases a band in the process of experimenting in the lead up to the second LP.
Their first release was a compilation track on the Wayfarers All compilation, which would end up being the first song on the subsequent self-titled album, both released in 2004. This was followed by three splits in 2005. Their second album, To Your Health, was released in 2006. In 2007 they contributed a track to another compilation, and then their last release was another split in 2008.
I'd buy a remastered discography in a heartbeat, but until then, this unofficial collection will have to do.
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