{"id":44391,"date":"2026-02-16T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=44391"},"modified":"2026-02-16T06:50:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T11:50:39","slug":"life-are-back-new-album-abstract-natural-marks-a-bold-new-chapter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=44391","title":{"rendered":"LIFE are back: New album\u00a0\u2018ABSTRACT \/ NATURAL\u2019\u00a0marks a bold new chapter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>After four years of quiet graft and creative wandering,&nbsp;<strong>LIFE<\/strong>&nbsp;are back \u2014 and they\u2019re sounding more open, curious, and fired-up than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Hull alternative collective have announced their fourth studio album,\u00a0\u2018<strong>ABSTRACT \/ NATURAL<\/strong>,\u2019 landing on\u00a0<strong>19 June 2026<\/strong>\u00a0via\u00a0<strong>Launchpad+<\/strong>\u00a0in partnership with\u00a0<strong>EMI North<\/strong>. Alongside the announcement comes the record\u2019s lead single\u00a0<strong><em>The Dollywaggon<\/em><\/strong>, a bold, restless reintroduction that feels like a band stepping into fresh air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A journey song, in every sense<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Dollywaggon<\/em> crackles with razor-edged guitars, swirling synths, and hyper-precise drumming, while frontman Mez Sanders-Green delivers vivid, near stream-of-consciousness reflections on movement, escape, and self-reckoning. Lines like\u00a0<em>\u201cI never wanted to leave myself, but I\u2019m leaving now\u201d<\/em>\u00a0land with quiet weight, driven by a restless pull towards the unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The track was written while Mez walked the full&nbsp;<strong>193-mile UK coast-to-coast route<\/strong>, tracing a physical and emotional path from the West Coast, through the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, across the moors, and finally back home to the East Coast. You can hear that landscape baked into the song \u2014 it moves, climbs, pauses, and pushes forward again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8CM4pN8UG4o?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-CA&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201c<em>The universal theme is about letting go and moving on \u2014 new adventures and beginnings,<\/em>\u201d Mez explains. <em>\u201cI like to think it sounds like a pulpy Northern-based western\u2026 Mother Earth always winning. In many ways, the track became the blueprint for the whole record.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An album shaped by landscape and instinct<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>That sense of motion runs right through\u00a0\u2018<strong>ABSTRACT \/ NATURAL<\/strong>\u2019. Folklore-tinged characters and place-names sit alongside reflections on fatherhood, freedom, and personal evolution. The album began life as a poetry book Mez had been quietly writing \u2014 meditations on nature, love, acceptance, and release \u2014 before melodies started to surface inside the words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These fragments arrived at the band as what Mez calls \u201cwonky lullabies,\u201d turning hills, ridges, and landmarks into characters:&nbsp;<strong>Hen Comb, Pavey Arc, Sergeant Man, The Grey Friar, The Dollywaggon<\/strong>. From there, Stewart Baxter, Lydia Palmeira, and Mick Sanders shaped the music instinctively, building a vivid, interconnected world that feels both intimate and wide-open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Built at home, shared outward<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Produced by Stewart Baxter and Oliver Varga, mixed by James Kenosha and mastered by Stephen Kerrison, the album was recorded at LIFE\u2019s own Hull studio,&nbsp;<strong>The Moon Factory<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2014 a DIY space the band built themselves and now run as a creative hub for emerging Northern artists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The result is LIFE\u2019s most expansive and exploratory record to date: story-rich, emotionally grounded, and deeply rooted in place, without ever feeling boxed in by it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_7113.jpeg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"518\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_7113.jpeg?resize=518%2C518&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"LIFE ABSTRACT \/ NATURAL cover artwork\" class=\"wp-image-44395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_7113.jpeg?w=518&amp;ssl=1 518w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_7113.jpeg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_7113.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 518px) 100vw, 518px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018ABSTRACT \/ NATURAL\u2019 track list<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wild Grasses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Dollywaggon<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Turning In<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thistles Kiss<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mermaid Feet<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>My Yan<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drinking Games<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sun In Nancy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Buried Giant<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Morning Fog<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>With praise already stacking up \u2014 from&nbsp;<em>\u201craggedly brilliant tunes\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;(The Guardian) to&nbsp;<em>\u201cone of the essential bands of the moment\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;(Dork) \u2014 LIFE\u2019s return feels less like a comeback and more like a confident stride into their next chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New ground. Same fire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>After four years of quiet graft and creative wandering,&nbsp;LIFE&nbsp;are back \u2014 and they\u2019re sounding more open, curious, and fired-up than ever. The Hull alternative collective <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=44391\" title=\"LIFE are back: New album\u00a0\u2018ABSTRACT \/ NATURAL\u2019\u00a0marks a bold new chapter\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[22,23,28,29,30,1907],"tags":[13139,8038,13140],"class_list":["post-44391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guitar-rock","category-indie","category-music","category-music-video","category-new-release","category-news","tag-abstract-natural","tag-life","tag-the-dollywaggon"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_7112.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2B2TV-bxZ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":26046,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=26046","url_meta":{"origin":44391,"position":0},"title":"The Horrors announce fifth album &#8216;V&#8217; + share single &#8216;Machine&#8217;","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"July 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Horrors will release their fifth album '\u0091V\u0092' this fall \u2014 its their first new release in three years. The new album will be out September 22 via\u00a0Wolftone\/Caroline and shows the group at the peak of their powers, exhibiting a freedom and sense of exploration that feels truly liberating. Recorded\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;indie&quot;","block_context":{"text":"indie","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Horrors","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/35200088810_8f849dcde3.jpg?fit=500%2C408&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":39276,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=39276","url_meta":{"origin":44391,"position":1},"title":"Sneakpeek release \u2018Serendipity\u2019 single","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"April 25, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Sneakpeek\u00a0return with new single\u00a0Serendipity,\u00a0to announce their long-awaited sophomore album,\u00a0\u2018Scene Within A Dream,\u2019 for a\u00a0June 2\u00a0release. Discussing, Sneakpeek\u2019s\u00a0Dora Hiller\u00a0noted, \"Inspired by the teachings of Abraham Hicks and Yogananda, \u2018Serendipity' is about the magic of synchronicity and how the universe sends us messages if we are willing to notice the signs.\u201d Watch\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;indie&quot;","block_context":{"text":"indie","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sneakpeek press photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/1FB3B9CA-D2EF-49C7-B2BD-3B5B3ED4CAB9.jpeg?fit=1100%2C872&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/1FB3B9CA-D2EF-49C7-B2BD-3B5B3ED4CAB9.jpeg?fit=1100%2C872&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/1FB3B9CA-D2EF-49C7-B2BD-3B5B3ED4CAB9.jpeg?fit=1100%2C872&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/1FB3B9CA-D2EF-49C7-B2BD-3B5B3ED4CAB9.jpeg?fit=1100%2C872&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/1FB3B9CA-D2EF-49C7-B2BD-3B5B3ED4CAB9.jpeg?fit=1100%2C872&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24377,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=24377","url_meta":{"origin":44391,"position":2},"title":"Post-punk duo N\u00d8MADS share new single &#8216;Achluph\u00f8bia&#8217; + announce new 12-month conceptual album &#8216;PHOBIAC&#8217;","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"February 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"NYC's post-punk duo\u00a0N\u00d8MADS\u00a0have released\u00a0Achluph\u00f8bia, their blistering new single based on the fear of darkness, and are\u00a0re-emerging after taking 2016 off from recording and touring.\u00a0The duo is has also\u00a0announced their new album 'PHOBIAC,'\u00a0which will be released\u00a0in 2018,\u00a0which is the follow-up to their acclaimed debut 'Free My Animal'. Take a listen to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;indie&quot;","block_context":{"text":"indie","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"Achluphobia","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/2d0630369144158f8fe560a8bcbf4673b6d5f9a9-e1486303812557.jpeg?fit=949%2C571&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/2d0630369144158f8fe560a8bcbf4673b6d5f9a9-e1486303812557.jpeg?fit=949%2C571&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/2d0630369144158f8fe560a8bcbf4673b6d5f9a9-e1486303812557.jpeg?fit=949%2C571&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/2d0630369144158f8fe560a8bcbf4673b6d5f9a9-e1486303812557.jpeg?fit=949%2C571&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33125,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=33125","url_meta":{"origin":44391,"position":3},"title":"Inkr\u00e4ktare release &#8216;We Are Not Really Here&#8217; LP + share new video &#8216;Free The World&#8217;","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"December 31, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Electronic maverick producer\u00a0Dean Garcia is back with his new Inkr\u00e4ktare album, together with\u00a0Mark Wallbridge (a.k.a. Vasko The Pig). Garcia was behind the 90s indie rock legends Curve. The new album is titled 'We Are Not Really Here', which presents a collective noise that embodies the collaborative concept. After teasing videos\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;electronic music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"electronic music","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Inkr\u00e4ktare Press photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/3ECC9278-E061-4550-843E-9C2D5593C241.jpeg?fit=800%2C579&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/3ECC9278-E061-4550-843E-9C2D5593C241.jpeg?fit=800%2C579&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/3ECC9278-E061-4550-843E-9C2D5593C241.jpeg?fit=800%2C579&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/3ECC9278-E061-4550-843E-9C2D5593C241.jpeg?fit=800%2C579&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39494,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=39494","url_meta":{"origin":44391,"position":4},"title":"Treeboy &amp; Arc share dark new single \u2018Behind The Curtain\u2019","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"June 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Already releasing tracks Retirement and False Objects,\u00a0Treeboy & Arc have shared new single Behind The Curtain, all lifted from\u00a0debut album\u00a0\u2018Natural Habitat\u2019\u00a0out\u00a0July 7, 2023\u00a0via Clue Records (EMI North Partnership).\u00a0Pre-order here. 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With their latest EP, \u2018The Antelope,\u2019 they take that exploration to bold new heights\u2014merging acoustic instruments with electronic elements and lo-fi beats to craft a hypnotic, introspective soundscape. From their early\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;guitar rock&quot;","block_context":{"text":"guitar rock","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"Koala Bar press photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4188.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4188.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4188.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4188.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4188.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44391"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44398,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44391\/revisions\/44398"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}