American post-punk band
Have a Nice Life is an American rock band founded in Middletown, Connecticut in 2000 by Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga.
The duo is best known for their 2008 debut album Deathconsciousness, which received little attention from professional music publications upon release but rose to "cult classic" status through its spread among online communities. Have a Nice Life began performing with a full band in 2019, with their third album Sea of Worry becoming their first release to feature this setup.
History
Have a Nice Life was formed in 2000 by Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga of Connecticut. The band's earliest demos contained sounds similar to new wave music and the gothic rock band The Sisters of Mercy. At first, both Barrett and Macuga played the acoustic guitar, self-distributing their home recordings on Myspace.[3]
The band recorded their debut album Deathconsciousness on a budget of less than $1000, losing the original master files for the recordings in the process.[4] It initially did not receive much recognition upon its 2008 release but gained traction through discussions on online communities and word of mouth.[5] The band have since developed a cult audience as a result of Deathconsciousness' online popularity.[6]
The band followed up with the extended play Time of Land, released as a free download in 2010.[7]
On January 27, 2014,[8] Have a Nice Life released their second studio album The Unnatural World. According to Metacritic, the album has received generally favorable reviews.[9][10]
The band performed two sets at the 2019 edition of the Dutch metal Roadburn Festival, including one playthrough of Deathconsciousness in full.[11] After receiving the invitation to perform at Roadburn, Have a Nice Life assembled a full band and began touring with the ensemble.[12] On November 8, 2019, Have a Nice Life released their third studio album Sea of Worry, their first album to feature a full band.[12]
The band performed a surprise secret set at the 2023 edition of the Roadburn Festival.[13]
Outside of music, Barrett runs a real estate marketing agency and Macuga is a high school English/History teacher.[14]
Influences
Have a Nice Life have mentioned the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division, New Order, Earth, Sunn O))), Xasthur, Lurker of Chalice, Nine Inch Nails, Swans, Sisters of Mercy, Kraftwerk, and the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche as influences on their music.[15] Barrett said that the duo takes inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering and the 2000 novel House of Leaves.[3]
