Sacramento Post-Punk Duo Life Without Love Pay Homage to Columbo in Their Video for “Goodbye”

Amid the shadows cast by a global pandemic, the duo Life Without Love emerged from Sacramento, California, as if summoned by the distilled bleakness of times themselves. Comprising the enigmatic talents of David Garcia and Dawn Hillis, they craft a musical narrative steeped in emotion and a distinctly unique style. Garcia’s deep, resonant vocals and rhythmic mastery intertwine seamlessly with Hillis’s masterful guitar play. Together, they adorn their sound with the brooding depth of 80s post-punk and early 90s alternative rock with trace folk and ethereal accents, conjuring an ambiance that is at once hauntingly romantic and razor-edge-sharp. Their music is breathtaking and cinematic. Picture Wind Kissed Pictures and Atrocities era Christian Death embarking on a moonlit drive with early Dead Can Dance in the passenger seat, and The Shangri-las and the Cocteau Twins sitting in the back.

This partnership has its roots in Sacramento’s vibrant early ’90s scene. Garcia, formerly of the alt-rock outfit Phallucy alongside Deftones’ Abe Cunningham, brings a seasoned intensity to the duo. Hillis honed her skills in the San Francisco Bay Area with stints in bands like dark post-punk outfit ESSES.

Life Without Love has just released their second music video, Goodbye, which seems to have channeled some serious Columbo vibes. Except in this version, our protagonist isn’t just trying to solve a mystery; he’s tangled in the cords of his own emotional crime scene. Our main man is caught in a farewell more complex than one of Columbo’s long-winded, just-one-more-thing questions. He’s not ducking out because of a stint in the slammer, but rather due to the spectres of his own psyche. There’s a bitter twinge of relief as he escapes, yet the emotional strings are as knotted as ever. By the end, he’s remorseful, acknowledging the emotional havoc he’s wreaked.

Life Without Love took to the tranquil Sacramento suburbs to shoot the video, turning two sleek custom homes into scenes of a not-so-sleek crime.  Dawn Hillis rocks the role of a grifter driven to bump off her insufferable step-sibling, played with suitable arrogance by Joe Contreras. David Garcia steps in as the unflappable, cigar-chomping detective, whose entrance stirs up more than just ash, as if he swapped his Peugeot for a keyboard. As the tensions hit a high note, expect the kind of confrontational crescendo that could only end in one more chorus.

Behind the scenes, Rizz from VOWWS takes the director’s chair behind the editing desk—minus the rumpled trench coat. promising a film noir vibe that’s as moody as a dimly lit alley in a detective flick.

Oh, and just one more thing…watch below:

Listen to Life Without Love’s “Goodbye” below and order here:

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