L.I.F.T

Rock group L.I.F.T. fuses emo-punk and rap into a boundary-crossing sound that draws from the orbits of nothing, nowhere., Twenty One Pilots, and Brockhampton, with members drawn from both the U.S. and England. Although the band is now based in San Diego, California, its origins trace back to the U.K., where frontman Austin Arthur first connected with drummer Jamaal Smith and guitarist Robert Carter. Their goal was to merge the immediacy of a live band with hip-hop sensibilities, so after returning to the States they added Arthur’s childhood friends guitarist Reuben Pearl and bassist Holden Prine; the early configuration also featured Daimon Black on electronics. The group issued its debut single “Dead Kids” in 2017 and was promptly signed to DCD2—the label founded by Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz—through the efforts of Panic! At the Disco’s Spencer Smith. With Wentz and Smith’s support, L.I.F.T. (“Love In Future Times”) followed with the 2018 singles “Cassette Tapes” and “Locked Up,” then joined Fall Out Boy on the MANIA tour.