by Jason Nickey
Love Life formed in the spring of 1999 when two members of Jaks, vocalist Katrina Ford and guitarist Sean Antanaitis, relocated to Baltimore from Ann Arbor. Teaming up with Anthony Malat, former bassist for Great Unraveling, the trio embarked on an extensive search for a suitable drummer. After six different players auditioned, the band found its man in Dave Bergander, former member of Universal Order of Armageddon. Holing up in a Baltimore home/studio/rehearsal space, the band lived together communally and honed their craft, practicing for several months before their live debut. In the process, the band shed a good deal of their inherited post-punk roots, retaining only the macabre flair of Jaks and a primal, churning intensity reminiscent of the Birthday Party, the Jesus Lizard, and contemporaries such as Get Hustle. Love Life's sound is marked by Antanaitis' distinctive guitar sound, which is filtered through an organ effect, and Ford's harrowing, almost disturbing singing style. Love Life signed to the New Jersey-based Troubleman Records and embarked on two extensive U.S. tours before releasing their debut full-length album, The Rose He Lied By, in early 2001