Have a Nice Life Announce New Album Sea of Worry, Share Lead Single

The five-year silence from Have a Nice Life has ended, and filling its place is the gothic bliss of “Sea of Worry.” The Connecticut duo’s new single arrived Tuesday along with the announcement of their third album, Sea of Worry, and if the song gives any indication of the project it’s part of, then more cathartic darkness lies ahead.

The track opens with an upbeat, surf-rock tempo—uncharacteristic for Have a Nice Life, who’ve crafted their music around slow burners—but the first wave of swirling guitars brings back the bleary haze of their familiar sound.

Across the arid soundscape of “Sea of Worry,” singer Dan Barrett’s sharp vocals pierce through the layers of noise with the confession, “I’m still my father’s son, only ever looking out for number one,” followed by a few howls of desperation for good measure.

The new record is expected to be more disciplined and straightforward than Have a Nice Life’s past releases—breaking from the “dark ambient” approach established in their acclaimed apocalyptic debut, Deathconsciousness, which has since become a cult classic in goth-rock. “Sea of Worry” indicates a more conventional songwriting direction, with a shorter run time than past songs allowing less room for ambient dabbling.

Sea of Worry will be released via the experimental label The Flenser on Nov. 8—just in time for the seasonal throes of late-autumn alongside what’s shaping up to be a devastating record.

Listen the lead single from Sea of Worry below, and find the album’s details further down. You can preorder it on The Flenser’s website here.