Akram Hajj Crafts a Fever Dream on ‘My Life is a Party I Cannot Leave’

Akram Hajj is a force behind the kit - whether leading the charge in Lebanese post-rock band Kinematik or crafting intricate compositions for film and television. His latest solo endeavor, ‘My Life is a Party I Cannot Leave’, is an immersive, high-intensity sonic journey that feels like stepping into a psychological thriller. With roots in electro-acoustic drumming and an unmistakable touch of the industrial and the avant-garde, Hajj’s work pulses with an urgency that is both hypnotic and unsettling.

Too Much Fun Will Kill You

The glitchy electronic beats on this track feel like a warning siren - a controlled chaos that builds into something almost cinematic. It’s eerie, sharp, and relentless, the kind of track that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Black Mirror episode or a psychological horror film. The way it escalates to a breaking point and then fades out leaves you on edge, as if you’ve just witnessed something irreversible.

For One to Flourish, Another Shall Perish

This track is pure digital dystopia. From the opening, you’re thrown into a cybernetic void, a high-speed chase in a collapsing virtual world. It’s like being trapped in an arcade game that refuses to let you win - every time you think you’re making progress, you’re pulled right back to the start. The ending suggests a shift, almost as if you’re leveling up into something darker, more intense.

My Life Is a Party I Cannot Leave

The title track throws you into the thick of it - imagine walking into a hidden underground club, where the air is thick with sound, the rhythm syncing directly to your pulse. The drumming feels ritualistic, almost transcendental, like you’ve stumbled into a sonic cult where escape isn’t an option. It’s an immersive experience that pulls you deeper with every beat.

Beasts Do Cry

Here, Hajj takes drumming into the realm of horror. The experimental percussion is layered with unsettling, almost squeaky distortions that add a raw eeriness. It’s a track that doesn’t just demand your attention - it unsettles you, gnaws at you. Not for the faint-hearted, this one leans fully into the grotesque and the surreal.

They Left and Never Came Back

Starting with a muffled, almost misleadingly upbeat energy, this track quickly spirals into chaos. The drumming is relentless, the tempo shifts are unpredictable, and just when you think you’ve caught your breath, the track glitches into a slower, heavier pace. The soundscape towards the end is suffocating - like suddenly losing all sound and sensation, a moment of complete sensory deprivation. It’s an electrifying, breath-stealing way to close the EP.

Final Thoughts

Akram Hajj has created something deeply visceral with ‘My Life is a Party I Cannot Leave’. The EP feels like an extended sequence from a psychological thriller - relentless, gripping and unpredictable. His background in composition and film scoring is unmistakable; every track feels like a scene, a moment of tension, build-up, and release. More than just an exploration of electronic and industrial drumming, this project showcases Hajj’s ability to craft a narrative through sound. It’s raw, unfiltered and impossible to ignore.