Heinali & Matt Finney Get Creepy On "How We Lived"

In ambience you can typically find peace, but some artists don't want you to feel comfortable. Heinali and Matt Finney get creepy on How We Lived, a collaborative album that speaks more horrors than it does dreams.

The first thing that strikes you about How We Lived is how barren it is. A scratchy and swallowing synth introduces opening track 'Relationship Goals,' the sound being really the only thing you have beyond the extra noises to experience for quite awhile. It's a wretched sound, making you feel as if you're slowly being scraped away or torn apart in some horrible hole. Spoken word appears at the end unsettlingly, putting you off more. This is how you create horror.

How We Lived is a scary album, but the sound is only part of it. The few spoken word bits add some context to it, such as the almost murderous tale told at the end of 'Relationship Goals.' It just throws everything off so its not just an album that rips you apart; it's the inner workings of someone falling apart mentally. It's chaos as much as it is clarity, but a wicked clarity nonetheless. As you listen you become more and more invested in seeing where the story takes you, almost wanting to take part in this murderous ode.

Heinali & Matt Finney get creepy on How We Lived and do a spectacular job at making your skin crawl. How We Lived is the sound of empathy fading and an empty anger filling the holes. As you slowly get swallowed into the story, perhaps you'll come to realize if you feel any similar way.

Favorite Track: Relationship Goals

Least Favorite Track: Wilderness

Rating: 60 / 100