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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