Cult Status and Eternal Worms: An Interview with Have A Nice Life

When Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga began crafting “oddly aggressive acoustic songs” as students in early-2000s Massachusetts, they couldn’t have foreseen the legacy they were about to build. But Deathconsciousness, their 2008 debut, would go on to become a defining artifact of underground music — a lo-fi, emotionally gutting opus that continues to haunt and inspire. Revered for its bleak philosophical scope and grainy, homespun sound, the album has transcended its modest origins to become a cult classic, referenced everywhere from Reddit forums to TikTok trends.

Now, with their first-ever UK live appearances underway and a fanbase more devoted than ever, Have A Nice Life reflect on their unlikely rise, the weight of internet mythology, and why they secretly think they’re a hardcore band.

Looking back, did you ever imagine Deathconsciousness—a self-released, lo-fi, sprawling concept album—would become a cult cornerstone of internet-era underground music?

T: No, never. We are in a state of perpetual surprise - the original critical attention, the viral presence through memes and socials, the responses to our live shows - none of it feels like it's supposed to be happening.

Much of your music walks a line between emotional desolation and philosophical depth. What compels you to keep exploring those spaces, and has that drive changed over the years?

T: I was listening to Metalucifer's "Heavy Metal Drill" the other day. It's amazing. Most every song is about enjoying heavy metal or commitment to the aesthetics. It's like the metal version of Run DMC rapping about how cool rapping is. On the one hand, I wish I could express myself exactly that way and feel totally authentic and true. On the other hand, maybe we're already doing that on some level - we like Ligotti, bizarre religious history, pseudo spiritualism etc. - these are songs dreaming on things we enjoy dreaming on. Exploring the ideas, sure, but also simply reflecting "this is the Dan + Tim intellectual life." I suppose the drive has changed because our output has slowed noticeably, though we are still voracious readers.

Fans have played a huge role in preserving and circulating your demos and rarities—how does it feel to watch your work grow and mutate in the hands of your audience?

T: It's flattering, for sure. Also a symptom of how the internet works - everything is everywhere at all times, you can't really control the whole narrative yourself. I admit that I don't always want it to be that way - when a YouTube clip of a live song goes up and I feel I played like shit, I really wish it wasn't there. I've asked people to take things down sometimes. Overall, though, it's easy to be your own biggest critic, and what these fans are doing is paying tribute - always always grateful.

You began playing live in 2017, nearly two decades into your existence. What has translating that deeply layered, often insular sound into a live setting taught you about the music—or yourselves?

T: "Have A Nice Life secretly thinks they are a hardcore band." For real!

You recently covered Low’s “When I Go Deaf” for a Mimi Parker tribute. What drew you to that song, and what role has Low played in shaping your artistic identity?

T: Jonathan (head Flenser) started mapping out the tracklist and, I dunno, that particular song just stuck out because it felt most interesting to interpret the structure in our own way. We joke a bit about a common HANL song approach being quiet quiet quiet quiet loud loud loud loud, but this particular track was fun to work with and toy with the dynamics of. Low's commitment to a super personal mode of expression has always been inspiring - two people with a deep connection on many levels building an emotive body of work over a long period.