Welsh power punk/hardcore newcomers XL LIFE are pleased to return this year with a video for their new single ‘Just Do It’, which is released 21st February 2022 via Gallows’ record label Venn Records.
Alongside the single news, the band are pleased to announce a London headline date at Roundhouse Studio Theatre on 3rd March 2022, along with a handful of festival appearances including 2000 Trees and Burn It Down (see below for full listings).
A motivational positivity anthem inspired by the drive and mentality of elite athletes, it’s another punishing cut from a band who are already being hailed as the future sound of British punk.
Commenting on the new single, frontman Traxx says: “The song to us is a soundtrack to the tenacity of sportspeople. The grit and determination to push your personal boundaries. We all workout in the band—Lew runs up mountains with rocks on his back, Jasper does martial arts, Khaled skates bowls, and Traxx goes boxing. We found ourselves listening to this song as a soundtrack to the push. A push to see what’s on the other side of the pain.”
“It’s only now that I’ve just realised punk music is the perfect soundtrack to sport, whether it’s an Olympic compilation or a Rocky montage. Give me some beating riff underneath and ramped up drums and let’s run faster. The lyrics ‘what am I waiting for…waiting for my time to front’ is a question I often ask myself. Whatever it is you wanna achieve, let’s go get it!”
Fusing a high-energy wall of sound with gut-punching riffs, hard-hitting drums and the inimitable vocals of Traxx, this thrilling purist punk/ hardcore band are proving themselves a force to be reckoned with.
Based in Cardiff, the band sprang to life when ex-Astroid Boys frontman Traxx joined former bandmate Lewis and drummer Jasper at their regular jam sessions in 2020. The boys sensed they were onto something special and in just a few months, XL LIFE went on to play a sell-out headline show at Cardiff venue MADE and released their debut four-track EP Sweet Moves.
Following the release of their 2020 standalone single ‘World Keeps Spinnin’’ (supported by Kerrang! Radio’s Alex Baker, who selected Traxx as the featured artist of the week), XL Life dropped the 2021 follow up ‘Noise’ with a forward thinking and artistic dance-led video starring Tayluh Smith to support from Rock Sound, DSCVRD, BBC Radio One, ASBO Magazine, BUZZ magazine and more.
Meanwhile the bands’ loyal fanbase continues to grow, not just in their home city of Cardiff but across the globe, with a burgeoning following in Malaysia’s hardcore punk scene, and appearances at Upsurge Fest and Turbulence Festival in 2021.
With his previous projects, Traxx has already established himself as one of the alternative scene’s most energetic hype men—his natural ability has seen him command the crowd at hundreds of gigs around the globe, and now XL Life are primed and ready to deliver their high-octane sound to the world.
‘Just Do It’ is released 21st February 2022 via Venn Records
XL LIFE live dates:
02.03.22 – London – Roundhouse, Studio Theatre (UK)
23.04.22 – Lincolnshire Showground – The Epic Centre, Primordial (UK)
02.07.22 – Münster – Vainstream Rockfest (DE)
09.07.22 – Cheltenham – 2000trees Festival (UK)
03.09.22 – Torquay – Burn It Down Festival (UK)
Press:
“About to define what it means to be a British punk band in the ‘20s” – DSCVRD
“What happens when Bad Brains is grafted onto RATM…brilliant” – Adam Walton, BBC Wales
“Absolutely amazing… they’re going places!” – Alex Baker, Kerrang Radio
“A unique and overwhelming slab of 21st-century punk” – Rock Sound
