“Everything is fucked”, pronounces Shelf Lives’ Jonny Hillyard on the duo’s latest single ‘All Grown Up’, which should give you a pretty clear image of them and the song. Completed by vocalist Sabrina Di Giulio, they mix dark humour and disappointment into an electro-punk sound.
On ‘All Grown Up’, they run headlong into a Le Tigre-esque verse before pulling back to something more soulful, sedate and, well, grown up in the chorus. Following reminders to “take your meds”, they rip straight back into it, gleefully lamenting the reality of adult life.
“With ‘All Grown Up’ we’re offering listeners a relatable journey that explores the nature of personal growth, self-acceptance and the complexities of navigating societal expectations”, they say. “‘Growing up’ is challenging, no matter the specifics”.
“You can’t escape the societal pressures that inevitably shape your identity”, they go on. “You can end up being on auto-pilot, where you may feel like you're going through the motions without truly being present or connected to your own desires and passions. You get pushed into an internal and external battle of pursuing your authenticity vs conforming. It gets crowded when you step in line but we’ve been socialised to believe that it gets lonely standing out from the crowd”.
There’s more where this came from on Shelf Lives’ electrifying new EP ‘You Okay?’, which is out on 26 Oct. Currently supporting Snayx on a UK tour, the duo will play their own headline show at the Sebright Arms in London on the day of the EP release.
