GutterPutter

Haldern is essentially fresh straight out of the oven. Coming from Colorado, the seemingly anonymous music artist has next to no background surrounding them. Quite possibly the closest info about them is that they happen to be a dog fan. On their debut album Heaven Knows What and their Bandcamp banner, the Siberian Huskies are mostly just chilling with their fangs bared and their eyes red from the flash camera exposure. For those who would wager that it’s going to be some night-brimmed folk songs like the Microphones’ The Glow (Part 2) back in 2001, you would be right. Only with one or two songs however.

With Heaven Knows What, it feels reminiscent of those failed Midwest Emo experimentations that look towards the depressiveness of slowcore. The technicalities of the album do deserve some credit, mind you, and I want to at least get some of my more positive views out of the way. After all, most “bad” records, subjective or otherwise, do have aspects that enable the artist to be enjoyable which enables them to have  a fanbase. The lo-fi vocals and riffs from ‘The View from Halfway Down’ and ‘Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria’ does at least catch your attention with the melancholia that pervades. If I were to pick one track that is a platonic ideal, then “Self-Inflicted Gunshot” is the one for its use of acoustic guitar that merges well with its lead electric equivalent. There’s certainly a deep sort of anxiety that feels like a reminder of how everyday life can suck which is itself reminiscent of Codeline.

Yet, there are a lot of parts around the album that feel either off-putting or smarmy in its intent. For one, the samples used to portray domestic abuse are often generic to the point of doing its source material a disservice. ‘Tired to Death’ and ‘Intermissions’ contain snippets from drama films about domestic abuse like Revolutionary Road and Hereditary, directed respectively by Sam Mendes and Ari Aster, with some indulgent echoes and distortion. Not only does it sound awfully grating to the ears, but it reeks of bad execution with its exaggerated drama. It fails to conjure up strong emotional reactions like how bands like the Brave Little Abacus would use sitcom samples to subversively make for a relatable piece.

Additionally, with how the album was tagged as “experimental” on the Bandcamp page, some out-of-place events do feel like they’re attempts made to draw attention to other genres. Whether that is for postmodern references or for impact, it doesn’t really work out as well as it could have. “Heaven Knows What I Would Do Without You” caps itself off with an abrupt screamo cacophony with strident drumming, harsh guitar riffs, and desperate vocalising. Such would have been helpful had it not been for the cryptic lyrics that… just goes on about some failed relationship. It’s a tried and true trope in breakup songs, but the mundanity around the song makes for a pretty self-important project to a big fault. 

On the likes of ‘And Our Memories Defeat Us’ and ‘Forever and Always’, the downtempo rhythm goes on to a fault underneath the fumbling remarks on memory and eternity. The guitar does not sound pleasant at all, not even in a thoughtful kind of way, which could boil down to the unremarkable production. It’s one thing to give off the impression that the sound direction is lifeless. It’s another to make it so that you want to switch off from it entirely. That’s how I feel whether I listen to it for a good while.

Clocking in at just under 35 minutes, it is worth remembering that Heaven Knows What is a debut album for Haldern. Its conciseness ensures that while the record might not be up to par compared to the classics, it does last enough to help listeners get a good impression on what kind of music it is. I have previously mentioned that this feels reminiscent of slowcore with a clear drowse of emo with its sampling. It is very likely that there do exist bands or musicians with the same style.

For Haldern however, the effects in the album is to wallow in the aftermaths of being brokenhearted while you have little recollection on what happened. Kind of like young Werther’s tragic obsession. To their credit, I would say that such an effort is worthwhile even if there are a lot that I feel that could be done better. So on the artist go, into what one would have hoped to be a bright future ahead as they sharpen their skills beyond the rustiness that comes with most first instalment. Credit where it’s due, I would say that fans of slowcore would at least enjoy it if vibing to the sound is all that matters.

1.7/5