Hostage Life Appreciate Wire's Art-Punk

02/22/08 6:00pm

by Cameron Gordon (CHARTattack)

There's something to be said for brevity, especially when you have as much to say as the guys in Toronto's Hostage Life.

The band's new White Jesus seven-inch clocks in at just over eight minutes, but the boys manage to pack a lot into the four-song package, including shouty choruses, guttural yelps and even a Wire cover. Clearly this is a band that mince their words carefully.

"There are a ton of really short songs that I've always really liked," says drummer Paul Miller. "'You Suffer' by Napalm Death, 'Good Intentions' by Gorilla Biscuits, 'What We Do Is Secret' by The Germs… all these songs are less than 45 seconds and all are really awesome. Seriously, there is no need to draw things out if the point has been made."

The opportunity to press some vinyl has long been in the sightlines of Hostage Life. And with this slab available now through punk imprint Black Pint Records, Miller says that the band are more than pleased to finally see their vision finally followed through.

"We had talked and talked about doing a 12-inch for our Walking Papers album, and it got as far as the test presses before it died. We just didn't have the money to finish it, but we talked about Hostage Life on vinyl to anyone who would listen. After we were sure the idea was dead, and got antsy about wanting to put out some new stuff, a seven-inch was the obvious choice. But definitely we're marking to get another full-length recorded before the end of the year, even if it kills us."

Barring death, the band will gig heavily this spring, road-testing new material, dusting off old favourites and bringing the White Jesus experience to life. As for the aforementioned Wire cover, Hostage Life have been burning through "Mr. Suit" on-stage for years and have long admired the cerebral rock snob faves. They like the fact that Wire could come off as both smart and snotty and, who knows, perhaps Hostage Life will employ that template on their next album.

In reference to Wire's most beloved full-length, Miller says, "I think that even Pink Flag is an art rock record. Some of it sounds like fairly traditional punk rock, but their art school side definitely takes the record in some weird and really good places. I never got into the darker, stranger side of the later Wire records. I was pretty put off by Chairs Missing when I first heard it, and actually I haven't gone back yet."

Hostage Life will open for The Vandals at Toronto's Reverb on March 16.