Vancouver is a city that breathes through its rainy streets and its basement shows. It is a place where the salt air of the Pacific meets the grit of the East Hastings pavement. Out of this specific, damp atmosphere, a certain pulse has started to dominate the local frequency. It belongs to The Jins. Their new record, *It’s a Life*, recently dropped via 604 Records, and it feels like a heavy, physical object in a world of digital ephemera.
But this isn't just another indie release destined to be buried in a Friday afternoon playlist. The Jins have managed to grab the throat of rock ‘n’ roll with a sturdy, calloused grip. They are a trio that understands the mechanics of a hook and the necessity of a distorted bridge. They are moving into their next phase not with the wide-eyed innocence of rookies, but with a practiced, cynical professionalism that suggests they’ve seen the inside of enough dive bars to know exactly what they’re doing.
The band consists of Ben Larsen on vocals and guitar, Hudson Partridge holding down the low end on bass, and Jamie Warnock behind the kit and sharing vocal duties. Since they formed in 2015, they have been grinding. This isn't a bedroom project that went viral by accident. They have headlined North American tours and shared sweat-soaked stages with the likes of Hockey Dad, Rare Americans and Buckcherry. You can hear that mileage in the new tracks.
*It’s a Life* represents a definitive line in the sand for the group. It is an attempt to outrun the labels that the internet loves to slap on anything with a fuzzy guitar. Larsen is acutely aware of the box people want to put them in. He is pushing back against the easy categorization that plagues modern rock bands.
"We're more than just a grunge revival band, which is what a lot of people peg us as online," Larsen asserts. "We want to display more influences and styles of music. We've been listening to rock music our whole lives and there's so much to explore in the genre. We want to free ourselves from any preconceptions of what the band should sound like and see where that takes us."
And he’s right to be defensive. The "grunge revival" tag is often a death sentence, implying a band is merely a museum piece. The Jins are trying to build something living. Their 2019 *Death Wish* EP was a sharp, concentrated blast of '90s-inspired guitar rock, but an LP requires more room to breathe. It requires a different kind of stamina.
Larsen understands the technical requirements of the long-form format. He knows that you can’t just redline the engine for 40 minutes and expect the audience to stay strapped in. There has to be a shift in gears.
"The EP was a very concentrated sound that worked great for a five-song tracklist, but LPs get boring if it's just the same song over and over," Larsen notes. He adds that *It’s a Life* offered them the opportunity to challenge themselves and explore new sounds. The result is an album that feels like it has a skeleton and a soul, rather than just a collection of riffs.
But for the fans who fell in love with the angst of their earlier work, The Jins aren't completely abandoning the basement. They know how to pay their debts. Songs like "A Clue" serve as a bridge between the old identity and the new, more complex reality of the band.
Larsen notes, "It felt like there’s been a lot of fans asking for 'A Clue' to be officially released for a while, so it was an easy choice for us. We actually recorded 'A Clue' way back in 2019, so it sounds a lot like our older stuff and it’s a good introduction to the new record if you’re only familiar with our EP."
It is a smart play. By including a track that predates the pandemic, they provide a sense of continuity. But then the record pivots. It stretches out into territories the band hasn't previously charted. You get the softer, acoustic textures of "Clementine" which shows a restraint that wasn't present on *Death Wish*.
And then there is "Jin Sabbath". The name alone tells you where they’re going. It’s heavier, thrashier and leans into the darker corners of the record store. It shows a band that isn't afraid to get their hands dirty with different sub-genres. They are testing the limits of their own chemistry.
Even the introspective moments feel earned. "Crossroads" is a standout in this regard. It’s a contemplative piece of songwriting that looks at the transient nature of human connection. It’s poignant without being precious. It’s the kind of song that only comes from a band that has spent too many hours in a van thinking about the people they left behind.
We’re inviting you into our world, come and hang out, we’re all experiencing this crazy existence together, it’s a life!
A large part of this sonic expansion can be credited to producer Dave Genn. In the studio, the relationship between a band and a producer is everything. You need someone who can translate the noise in your head into something that works on a master track. Genn seems to have been the stabilizing force The Jins needed.
Larsen lauds his contributions, stating, "Dave has been really important to the band since we joined 604 Records. He’s a real get-the-job-done kind of guy in the studio, which is great because I am typically a really disorganized person."
And let’s talk about the mix. Having Adam Kasper involved is a massive flex. This is a man who has worked with the Holy Trinity of Seattle: Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. His involvement gives the record a certain weight and a distinctive flair that elevates it above the standard indie fare.
According to Larsen, Kasper was contacted by Jonathan Simkin, their record label owner. The band was instantly blown away by his preliminary mixes. It was a validation of their sound from someone who helped define the very genre they are often compared to.
But the reality of the pandemic meant that this collaboration happened through a screen. There was no sitting in a dimly lit control room sharing a bottle of whiskey. It was all digital files and emails. Larsen, however, is still a fan at heart and wants to pick Kasper’s brain about the legends he’s worked with.
"Those would be the first things I would love to talk to him about," Larsen admits. "Hopefully in the future we’ll all get a beer together or something."
Despite the desire to evolve, Larsen is honest about why they lean into that '90s aesthetic. It isn't a gimmick. It isn't a costume. It’s a functional choice. There is a utility to that sound that makes it timeless, even as the trends of the week flicker and die on social media.
"I think we just sound like the '90s not because we’re trying to, but because it is a very basic, easy to learn/easy reward kind of rock music," Larsen acknowledges. "But that pop/grunge style will always be at the heart of the band."
This is the crux of *It’s a Life*. It is an authentic balance between honouring their origins and embracing a necessary progression. It’s a record made under the shadow of global uncertainty, recorded in the middle of a pandemic that threatened to derail the entire industry.
Recording in that environment meant navigating a labyrinth of shifting rules and constant anxiety. But adversity has a way of sharpening a band's resolve. The Jins emerged from the process more resilient and arguably more excited for what comes next.
The process itself was a mix of high-end polish and raw experimentation. They started at Hipposonic, a massive studio space that allowed them to capture a big, room-filling sound. Later, they moved to Dave Genn's personal space, which was a different beast altogether.
Surrounded by a treasury of vintage guitars, the band let their guard down. They experimented. They played with tones. They built an expansive sonic landscape that feels much larger than a three-piece band should be able to produce.
"It’s really where we had the most fun making the record," Larsen shares. "Mostly we were just having fun and hanging out, trying to make the songs sound as cool as they could be."
And then there is the TikTok factor. The song "Metro" has been catching fire, thanks in part to a new audience on the platform. It’s a raw, robust track that was written just three weeks before they hit the studio. It captures that specific electricity of a song that hasn't been overthought.
The lyrics on the album feel like a purge. Larsen reveals that the writing process was cathartic, driven by personal frustrations and a desperate need for authenticity. Since 2015, the band has grown up, and that maturity is reflected in the willingness to be vulnerable.
"It’s pretty scary pouring your heart out over your lyrics and putting it all out on a record," Larsen candidly states. It is that courage to expose the emotional core that makes the record resonate. It’s not just noise; it’s a confession.
But they haven't lost their sense of humour. When asked about hidden "easter eggs" on the record, Larsen doesn't miss a beat with a dry, classic rock-style joke.
"If you play the record backwards, it plays *It’s a Life* in reverse," he jests.
The visual identity of the album is just as deliberate as the sound. The artwork is a collective effort by Larsen and Partridge. It’s a whimsical, Sim City-style representation of North America that illustrates their life on the road. It captures the frantic, pixelated energy of touring.
Looking ahead, the band is already thinking about the next move. Larsen wants to spend more time on the songwriting process for the follow-up. He knows that while the urgency of "Metro" worked, there is a different kind of power in a more calculated, architectural approach to composition.
Ultimately, *It’s a Life* isn't trying to be a manifesto. It isn't trying to solve the world's problems or lecture the listener. It is simply an invitation into a specific world, one built on loud guitars and honest emotions.
"We’re inviting you into our world, come and hang out, we’re all experiencing this crazy existence together, it’s a life!" Larsen says. It’s a simple sentiment, but in a world this fractured, it’s exactly what a rock record should do.
Visit The Jins online at thejins.ca.
