Livingston were founded in London, but relocated to Berlin in 2008, where they signed to Universal Music the following year. Their debut album "Sign Language" charted Top 20 in the German sales charts and became the iTunes Newcomer Album of the Year. The band’s tours sold out, and their hit single "Broken" brought them numerous accolades (Top20 airplay single; #1 and #2 in the Rock category for Amazon and iTunes). Two years later, when Livingston went on to record their second album "Fire To Fire" with acclaimed rock producer David Bottrill (Muse, Placebo, Tool), the band ended up making a compromise: Between the album they wanted to make and actually recorded, and what their label told them the market wanted to hear.
Jakob Nebel, the band’s guitarist, explains:
"Our 3-year stint with a major label had somewhat led us in the direction of seeking the more commercial route, always concerned that if we didn’t get it right, our label might not like us as much as they used to. This led to us taking some wrong turns, and we ended up re-writing parts of the second album to tailor the tunes for radio etc. It is something we are not very proud of now, but without this slightly painful experience we might never have stumbled upon this whole new path, our new way of working"
After the album they worked so hard on failed to deliver, the band separated from their label and vowed to never compromise again.
“When ‘Fire to Fire’ didn’t quite elevate us to the place in rock history which we thought it would, it took us a while to get over it. But, as with most moments of crisis, we also learned a lot about ourselves, what we would like from our future and especially what we didn’t want".
The band found a little cottage, a hunter’s cabin in the woods just outside Berlin, and started writing "Animal", their third and latest album. This time around, the band decided to do the whole process themselves: writing, producing, recording & mixing. The result can be heard in songs that flow like a live set, capturing the full range of emotions the band has always been known for, but never encapsulated so successfully. “Animal” is a record from a band who are free from the pressures of success, and open to their own potential.
“During our first writing session at the cottage, we made a pact to not play a single note to anyone until the album was truly finished. This decision resulted in one of the most free and artistically liberating experiences we have ever had. It made us find out who we really are and allowed us to develop a new and different voice. It made us love what we do more than ever before.”
