Have a Nice Life – The Unnatural World
Written by: Max Szyc
It’s amazing how easily musicians can establish themselves thanks to the internet. Decades ago, bands had to rigorously tour in order to develop anything that resembled a dedicated following. Today, artists can try their luck at recording a few solid songs, posting them online, and then see how the internet hype machine will respond. It’ll often go nowhere, but sometimes—as in the case of Canadian synth poppers Purity Ring—bands can get a record deal this way. These situations still aren’t quite the norm, but it’s a heck of a lot easier to self-promote via online music exchanges instead of trading tapes with those weird dudes you see at sketchy concert venues. Post-punk act Have a Nice Life is an example of a band that didn’t have to put up with too many of said dudes, as the Connecticut-based duo developed an online following despite few releases and even fewer concerts. After a six-year wait, the duo’s sophomore effort is finally here—but does it fulfill the ridiculously high expectations that fans have no doubt placed on it? The answer is: somewhat, yes.
Formed by Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga in the early 2000’s, the duo originally performed “oddly aggressive acoustic songs” at coffee houses and open mics. After years of self-recording, the band produced 100 copies of their debut, Deathconsciousness, in 2008. A sprawling double record containing 85-minutes of music, the LP combined so many genres that simple classification was nigh impossible. Extended promotion was never really necessary: once the internet’s taste-makers caught wind of the album,Deathconsciousness quickly sold out and attained major critical praise on websites like Rate Your Music. With acclaim and a loyal fan-base in place, Have a Nice Life’s future looked very bright.
Yet the group almost disappeared. Despite playing a few shows in 2010, Barrett focused more on his company, Enemies List Home Recordings. While the label released solo efforts by the duo’s members, they also expanded their palette by releasing works by black metal musician Xasthur, shoegaze outfit Planning for Burial, and experimental rocker Sleep In. Barrett’s job as label boss ultimately became a full-time gig, leaving fans to ponder the future of Have a Nice Life. The duo kept fans in the dark until the label’s 2012 Christmas compilation, The Haunting Presents, confirmed a forthcoming second album. Their lives may have changed considerably since 2008, but The Unnatural World isn’t that different from where Have a Nice Life left off.
Even though their influences are plentiful, Have a Nice Life’s sound could be described via cooking recipe: take post-punk pioneers Joy Division and place their bleak overtones in a bowl, pour some My Bloody Valentine-esque noise on top, stir while adding black metal aesthetics every five minutes, and top it off with primitive electronic effects. With a mix like this, it’s no surprise that “varied” best described Deathconsciousness as an LP that featured some of the most memorable tracks of the last decade. Unfortunately, its length resulted in a few filler tracks and a nagging feeling that it was too long. Now it seems that Have a Nice Life wanted ‘consistent’ to be its new descriptor word, as The Unnatural World’s 47-minute runtime makes for a more digestible listen.
The album reveals how far Barrett and Macuga have come as musicians. Each song is polished, but still sports the lo-fi flair that made the group’s brand of post-punk so attractive in the first place. From upbeat rockers (“Unholy Life”) to creepy brood-fests (“Cropsey”), The Unnatural World will please listeners that have a hard time understanding why groups like The Killers get labeled as “post-punk revival”, even though their musical output hardly implies musicians who obsessed over The Cure and Bauhaus in their youth. Thankfully, the duo still wears their dark influences on their sleeves, as the LP gives off the same retro-yet-authentic feeling that Deathconsciousness had. The record may be shorter, but the band still overcomes the dreaded sophomore slump by crafting an album that shows how post-punk should sound today.
But as good as the band’s second outing is, none of its songs make as powerful an impression as Deathconsciousness at its best. Although the aforementioned (and shockingly uplifting) “Unholy Life” ranks among the group’s finest works, the remainder of the album doesn’t sound anywhere as immediate as powerful cuts like “I Don’t Love” and “Bloodhail.” However, The Unnatural World benefits from featuring absolutely zero filler tracks, resulting in a more rounded and pleasant listening experience. Have a Nice Life at its best proves that a five-star record is possible, so hopefully they continue writing new music, as opposed to immediately going on another lengthy hiatus.
Despite little promotion, Have a Nice Life was still able to make their mark on the indie music landscape. If the internet didn’t exist, Barrett and Macuga would’ve had to do all of this the old fashioned way: play lots of concerts and aggressively network like nobody’s business. But who knows if an off-kilter act like Have a Nice Life would’ve had any success in the old music world, as music this dark rarely escaped from the underground. Say what you will about the internet, but our ears would be blessed with far less offbeat music without it.