[Review] Beautiful Life – Xdinary Heroes

Aside from their previous single, Night Before The End, I know I have yet to review any of their singles from their Open ♭eta series, which are featured on their 5th mini-album Live and Fall from October last year. I will get to them eventually ahead of a future album review post for Live and Fall. But more recently (end of March), Xdinary Heroes returned with their 6th mini-album, Beautiful Mind. Today’s review focuses on the lead single Beautiful Life.

Beautiful Life is a bold track from Xdinary Heroes. Right from the start (and throughout various moments of the song), Xdinary Heroes draws inspiration from the legendary rock band Queen. This in itself is an ambitious direction. And yet, they nailed it! Xdinary Heroes’ take on rock opera is infused with contemporary and modern rock influences, giving the nostalgic aspect of Beautiful Life a fresh spin. I quite liked the combination, and it feels very cohesive. I really like it when the song picks up and intensifies, it takes the song up a notch. And that is what I call an amazing rock song. Even the Queen-inspired moments of Beautiful Life were really stunning, and the vocals during those parts were really nice. Talking about the vocals, Xdinary Heroes were consistently strong throughout the song and I liked the raspy touch they add to the song. More prolific melodies and hooks in Beautiful Life would have benefited the song. While I appreciate Beautiful Life musically, I don’t recall much beyond the surface of the song. It is only when I really focus on the song, such as when writing this review, do I notice these elements. They do sound good, but they are not the exact stand outs Beautiful Life calls for.

The music video depicts a dystopian reality where Xdinary Heroes are hunted down for playing music. They go on the run, but are tracked down by the masked man and completely bashed up by them. Xdinary Heroes put up a fight, but they don’t win. Towards the end of the video, the masked men are revealed to be Xdinary Heroes themselves, and the ones playing music or being bashed are virtual forms of themselves. I am not entirely sure what this suggests exactly, but it appears they are protecting their right to play music by being part of the forces that are against it. After all, there is that say “if you can’t beat them, join them”. I really liked Xdinary Heroes’ acting and the make-up department for making the injuries appear very real. Definitely a cool video, and the music just makes it more dramatic and impactful at certain points.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9/10