Have A Nice Life formed in the early aughts when its two primary members, Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga, were studying at the University of Massachusetts. With the aim of crafting "oddly aggressive acoustic songs," the duo spent five years constructing their debut LP Deathconsciousness, a 2008 release that rippled across the post-punk landscape. Now hailed for its anguished subject matter and unwaveringly lo-fi production, Deathconsciousness is considered an experimental cornerstone.