LIFER
The legend of LIFER; press photo courtesy of the artist.
New York anonymous outfit LIFER works to translate the isolated feeling of being a human alone in the big city at night. The name alludes to a steadfast, loyal & dutiful persistence that can pertain to one’s own occupational routine of employment and/or the dedicated repetitions that reinforce the hobbies & aesthetic practices that help define who we are (and hopefully help to make better sense of the world & ourselves). LIFER’s music too captures these committed struggles, which documents everything from the artist/individual’s connection to their environment, themselves, others, & the world at large. With the debut EP From Kuru available now from Forged Artifacts, we are proud to present LIFER’s self-made video for “Nightlife” that provides a bit of sparse warmth with an intimate view of our masked protagonist holed up making lonely sounds that express earnest sentiments from a humble apartment.
The video takes the listener/viewer to the lair of LIFER where the feeling of evening descends upon the artist & the Spartan comforts of their home digs. “Nightlife” revels in the honesty that nightfall affords, where the catchy chorus hook of “if your love life is killing your nightlife isn’t it time to get untied,” continues as an internal tug of war between affections & focuses. We see LIFER in mask & hood playing guitar by the radiator & pushing keys & feelings on a synthesizer. The torn sentiments between investing interests & energy on outings versus nurturing the causes that are most beloved & close to the heart are pitted against one another. The deductive reasoning suggests the rationale of breaking free from the cycles to entertain more extroverted endeavors & events that exist outside the apartment confines & comforts of staying in one’s shell. LIFER projects a ghostly figure that exhibits the pull between the passions that both drive the entirety of our beings & all the adventures & opportunities that beckon & await the attention & RSVP of our responding call.
Describe for you what brought about the formation LIFER.
LIFER started as a reaction to the way i have always written and recorded music. I wanted to stop over-thinking everything and make the recording process feel more like a reflex.
What significance does the name have for you?
Basically the name refers to a general outlook I’ve tried to develop. I’ve always been focused on the next thing, whether it’s a city, a project, people etc. Moving to NY and the struggle to make it work here taught me how to stop imagining that things would be so much better once i got the next thing and to just embrace what’s around me. It’s a stubbornness that borders on masochism but it’s a mindset that’s really changed my perspective.
A sit down with LIFER; press photo courtesy of the artist.
Tell us about what the making of For Kuru was like, and what sorts of revelations you may have discovered along the way.
I recorded all of From Kuru in my apartment in Greenpoint. Kuru is a rare and fatal brain disease that develops in people that practice cannibalism, specifically when they eat another person’s brain. The irony of that stuck with me. I feel like I’ve definitely hurt other people’s brains without realizing that it was only going to end up damaging mine even worse down the line, which I guess is funny.
The minimalist video for “Nightlife” has a real moody sort of solace at work. Tell us about how the single inspired the masked & hooded visuals.
The songs on this EP were never really supposed to go anywhere. It was the first time that i’ve made music for myself with no intentions. But once I decided to put things on the internet I realized I didn’t want my friends or social circles to
know about it. Also the idea of self-promotion has always really bummed me out. I just wanted it to be my personal thing, which is why I still haven’t told almost anyone about it. The video was just supposed to be an extension of that. I wanted it to feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable. The idea of a person filming themselves alone in an empty apartment with a mask on seemed like it would accomplish that so that’s what I did.
Introducing Lifer.
What have you been listening to, or been watching as of late that has moved you?
There’s always a balance of inspiration and influence I try to be careful about. That also makes it harder for me to fully commit to liking new bands and new things too. I guess the benefit of seeing how a thing will age before you fully commit to it is convenient. But in the last few weeks I saw the band Royal Headache play live, re-watched “Buffalo ’66” and read the manga “Death Note” and those were all really inspiring.
What can we expect next from LIFER?
I genuinely don’t know.
The debut LIFER EP From Kuru is available now from Forged Artifacts.
