Have a Nice Life

History

Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga formed Have a Nice Life in Connecticut in 2000. Early demos drew from new wave and the gothic rock of The Sisters of Mercy. Both members initially played acoustic guitar and self-distributed home recordings on Myspace. The debut album Deathconsciousness was recorded for under $1000, and the original master files were lost.

It received little recognition upon its 2008 release but gained traction through online communities and word of mouth, building a cult audience. The EP Time of Land was released as a free download in 2010. The second album The Unnatural World came out on January 27, 2014, and received generally favorable reviews according to Metacritic. In 2017, the band performed at the Strange Day Festival in Olympia, Washington alongside the Chameleons.

Barrett and Macuga recruited Myke Cameron, Ian Gustafson, and Rich Otero for that live show, playing warm-up dates and ending the year with a sold-out performance at Brooklyn Bazaar in New York City. At the 2019 Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands, the band played two sets, including Deathconsciousness in full. Their third album Sea of Worry was released on November 8, 2019, and was the first to feature a full band. At the 2023 Roadburn Festival, Have a Nice Life performed a surprise secret set the day before a scheduled Giles Corey performance.

They also played at Sick New World in Las Vegas on April 27, 2024. In April 2024, the band released a cover of Low's "When I Go Deaf" for the tribute album Your Voice Is Not Enough. In October 2024, they appeared on the song "Car Wreck" by Bear Hands; Barrett had been bandmates with Bear Hands bassist Val Loper in the band In Pieces before Have a Nice Life. Outside music, Barrett runs a real estate marketing agency and Macuga teaches high school English and history.

Discography

Have a Nice Life's studio albums are Deathconsciousness (2008), The Unnatural World (2014), and Sea of Worry (2019). Other releases include the live album Live at The Stone NYC (2010), the EPs Voids (2009), Time of Land (2010), Have a Nice Life vs. You (2002), Demos 06 (2006), and Powers of Ten (2006), as well as promotional singles "The Big Gloom" (2006), "Bloodhail" (2008), and "I Don't Love" (2008) released as free downloads on Myspace. A demo of "Sisyphus" appeared in 2023, and the Low cover "When I Go Deaf" was released in 2024.