An Introspective Look At Life & Music With ELI GREEN From LIFE PILOT

Interview by Kris Peters
It's been a long six years between drinks for Adelaide chaotic
hardcore outfit Life Pilot, with their last new music coming in the
form of a stand-alone single back in 2019. After giving fans a
taste of their sonic force with a 2013 Compass split record with
Statues (WA), their debut EP High Noon in 2014 and second EP Too
Hot For Killing in 2017 Life Pilot would release just two more
singles in the ensuing eight years but have more than made up for
their absence with the recent release of their self-titled debut
album.
The album speaks on numerous themes; fear, doubt, frustration,
self-reflection, compulsions, night terrors, societal expectations
and how these all play into personal connections and our
interaction with the world around us. It is a deeply personal
record for the band members and lyrically it is predominantly
introspective with a focus on close relationships. With the benefit
of age and maturity, Life Pilot felt now was the right time to open
up through their music, resulting in a more dynamic and vulnerable
side of their musical psyche to come to the fore.
HEAVY caught up with drummer Eli Green to talk more.
"It's a pretty hectic 12 tracks of chaotic, angular metalcore," he
surmised on the album's musical direction, "but it's got some
beautiful moments tucked within it. We self-recorded and produced
the whole thing, which is pretty cool."
We ask what expectations - if any - the band had considering it was
their first full-length album.
"We really weren't sure because we've taken a long time to put this
together," Green measured. "This whole thing started before COVID
and then obviously that wiped everything out for a while, and we
had band members having kids and all sorts of stuff throughout that
period. So we weren't in any rush to churn out a record. The time
to capitalise and keep momentum had long gone in the pandemic. We
then just wanted to make something that we were really proud of. I
guess what we expected as far as a response was anything from
crickets to what we got, which was in the first couple of days we
ended up at the top of the iTunes charts, which was a first for our
band. That was really quite amazing. We just thought, wow, after
all this time, it seems like there's some people who care about
this as much as we do and want to support it."
In the full interview, Eli introduced Life Pilot's new album in
greater detail, emphasizing its blend of chaotic hardcore and
metalcore which reflects the band's personal growth and significant
life events. HEAVY inquired about the expectations for the album's
release and the selection of singles, to which Green responded that
while they did not extensively analyse their past work, they aimed
to connect with their earlier style while exploring new musical
elements. The emotional depth of the lyrics, especially in the
final track, was noted as a significant shift from previous
themes.
Eli also described the unpredictable nature of Life Pilot's live
performances, comparing them to Southern metalcore shows, and
expressed enthusiasm for their upcoming interstate tour,
highlighting the energy of all-ages shows and the memorable
experiences they create and more.

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