PREMIERE | IN LIFE, "Deliverance"
Introducing Oakland’s own IN LIFE; comprised of Nick Noro and Omar Moon. (press photo courtesy of the artists)
Amid all of the struggles, trials and tribulations in life, we are all looking for some form of transcendence. Some kind of carrot at the end of the long and winding road. If for nothing else, a consolatory bronzen participation trophy. We want some sort of reward to make all of our valiant efforts feel a little more worthwhile. We want to be compensated for our labor and time. We want our very proof of life to be our proof of concept. We want the histories of our existence to stand as hours billable. We want to be treated with human decency, equality and respect. We want to build a better world. We want to be better people. We want to rise above. We want a fair and fighting chance to be the best version of ourselves that we can possibly be. Above all….we want deliverance.
Cue the latest from Oakland DIY outfit IN LIFE with the ecstatic and exuberant world debut for the mighty “Deliverance” from their debut album Strawberry Blonde. The duo of Nick Noro and Omar Moon make music that reflects the mayhem, muddle and malaise of modern life with thundering guitars and a psych-tinged presence. They delivery paeans to the fractured states of imperfection that we have found ourselves in on the heels of a global pandemic, a world rebuilding in a state of climate crises, geopolitical tensions and the usual state of less than stellar economic affairs. IN LIFE offers something of a panacea to cope, a dose of instant gratification that feels like a cathartic release of abandon in a universe that spins beyond the grasp of our control as we are just brought along for the ride.
Complete with DIY visuals that features IN LiFE performing at iconic Bay venues from 924 Gilman and The Caravan Lounge — Nick and Omar add in a host of special effects, superimpositions and a barrage of antics and attitude. From spray painting their band name on an old mattress and loitering about the Bay Area rocking balaclavas and sporting a sick throwback Sepultura tee; IN LIFE fuse together a synthesis of styles that feels edgy, exuberant, entertaining, delightfully dangerous with hearts of gold. In hand with the merry pranksters visuals, "Deliverance" delivers something big, bold and immediate for our current times. It interupts business as usual with the unberable blaze of being, with buzzing vocals that drone high above into a plane of new consciousness. Being that this song along with the majority of the record Strawberry Blonde was developed during the pandemic, IN LIFE unbottles the sum of fears into something that feels fresh and re-energizing in a visceral form that feels like unbridled self-actualization unbound. Drawing from a pastiche of your favorite underground underdogs in a manner that some might call post-rock; IN LIFE offers the gift of "Deliverance" to revitalize the spirit, body and mind from the drudgeries that we contend with in a world caught in the iron grip of late capitalism and all of its externalities and other associated side effects.
Nick Noro and Omar Moon shared the following thoughts on the single “Deliverance” and upcoming album Strawberry Blonde:
We wrote “Deliverance” (and most of the album) in the midst of COVID, by emailing instrumentals and vocal tracks back and forth. For us, the song represents the anxiety we felt about the precariousness of life, society, and stability we previously took for granted. That’s probably why we started out the song with those frantic cymbal crashes and building guitars — to convey that weird, frantic feeling so many of us felt at that time.
IN LIFE’s "Deliverance" is available now everywhere.
Strawberry Blonde arrives September 8.
