Formed in 2002, Hostage Life released its first EP, Sing for the Enemy on Toronto's independent punk rock label, Underground Operations, home to such bands as Closet Monster and Protest The Hero.
The band's second album on the same label, titled Walking Papers, received positive criticism from reviewers,[1] and the first single, "This Song Was Written By A Committee" achieved widespread radio-play on Toronto's alternative music radio station, CFNY.
Lead singer Colin Lichti was the frontman for Brampton, Ontario band Marylin's Vitamins.
While rumours circulated in the Toronto melodic aggressive music scene that the band's breakup was caused by an impending reunion of the feted Toronto suburban legendary band Marilyn's Vitamins, a 2010 reunion never materialized.
According to an emerging consensus among historians of early 2010s Toronto, the miscommunication was likely caused by the echo effects Lichti had added to his microphone in keeping with the short-lived trip-hop revival that was then part of the zeitgeist.