Have a Nice Life-The Unnatural World

For Fans of: GY!BE and Post-hardcore, thinking that lo-fi necessarily makes an album more emotional, liking black metal enough to understand its importance but not enough to listen to it, having Goth dance parties by yourself

Rating: Buy this album, it's only 5$ on their bandcamp

Have a Nice Life are a CT based duo that, like so many other acts that I write about, continually defy strict genre labels. Their 2008 debut Deathconsciousness is a spectacular album that combines drone and doom with shoegaze and occasionally used industrial elements as well. In addition, the lo-fi recording and melodic post-hardcore vocals really made that album stand out. Not quite metal, punk or post-punk, not quite anything else, it remains an experimental benchmark. Now, after 6 years the band put out a new album and the critics are asking if it lives up to the debut. It doesn't, but it's still a fucking great album.

Firstly, this album is a cuss of a lot shorter than Deathconciousness so anyone expect another 80 minute opus is going to be disappointed. Secondly, the band doesn't seem to have evolved much in 6 years. This album has a slightly larger focus on post-punk than the last one did, but overall it still sounds like a lot of the same ideas that were played with on Deathconciousness. All the songs are couched in waves of lo-fi distortion and reverb, and it starts to feel a little formulaic after a while. In addition, the album does not seem as grand, in fact it seems less focused. All that being said, this HANL are still one of the most unique bands out there. An album that sounds like more of their old work is essentially fine with me since their old work is fucking amazing.

The first half of the album is particularly stunning. Guggenheim Wax Museum is a goth industrial track that quickly sets the melancholy, lonely basement dwelling mood that HANL always present. Defenestration Song is a classic post-punk dance number. Burial Society is another spot on goth track and Music Will Untune the Sky sounds like a lost Boris track. The second half of the album loses some momentum by having an obnoxious two minute sample at the start of the track Corpsey, but is able to recover with another memorable post-punk track, "Dan and Tim, Reunited by Fate." This track takes their experimentation to the next level by making what at first seems like a standard goth song into something much more dramatic by adding reverb laced guitars and organs over the faithful bassline. It's like being in a sad vampire's castle. The final track is slow, ambient number which is disappointing in the face of how energetic most of the album is, especially the track immediately preceding this one.

Overall, The Unnatural World is certainly worth purchasing. It is not without it's flaws, but the repeated willingness of this band to experiment with genre leads me to recommend this album with little reservation. The album is out now on Enemies List Home Recordings and can be purchased off the band's bandcamp for only 5$.

http://haveanicelife.bandcamp.com/album/the-unnatural-world