Seattle’s industrial-punk trio Haunted Horses doesn’t just compose and play—they construct experiences that edge into the hypnagogic. With their latest intriguing album, Dweller, the band plunges deeper into the psychological trenches, pushing themes of transformation, dread, and the obliteration of the ego.
Recorded by Robert Cheek at ExEx Studios and mastered by Eric Broyhill, the album was released through our beloved California label Three One G Records, marking another chapter in their restless evolution.
It’s an album that manages to be unsettling yet mesmerizing, a collision of haunted, eerie textures and sharp production. Its sound is so intrusive, so deeply unsettling that it’s almost uncomfortable to listen to, yet it transports you into an otherworldly realm—somewhere between grimy, underground hardcore punk and the shadowy smoothness of King Krule. It’s dark, almost diabolical, yet perhaps angelic—a reflection of battling inner demons while embracing fleeting moments of light.
Central to Dweller is the concept of the “Dweller on the Threshold,” a metaphysical manifestation of the shadow self.
This album builds upon meditations and hypnagogic explorations by Colin Dawson, resulting in lyrics and soundscapes birthed in the liminal space between wakefulness and dreaming. The imagery, drawn from abstract visions, frames a journey of dissolution and rebirth—a confrontation with the ego that resists growth.
Today, we’re stoked to dive into this eerie world, with a special commentary offered by the band.
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The album opens with “Dweller on the Threshold,” inspired by a dream of being trapped at the bottom of a well, facing a growing shadow presence. This thematic overture sets the tone, delving into the dilemmas of identity and self-destruction. The band’s invocation of Twin Peaks’ cryptic lore surrounding the Black Lodge adds a potent layer to the narrative—a place where one must face the shadow self with perfect courage, or risk obliteration.
“The Spell” and “Grey Eminence” evoke themes of unseen forces and fractured identities. “Grey Eminence,” a favorite of bassist Brian McClelland, underscores the eerie sensation of becoming someone else in a dreamlike state.
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This thread carries through to “Fucking Hell,” which captures the obliteration of attachments and memories, paraphrasing Jacob’s Ladder: “If you’re frightened of dying and you’re holding on, devils will tear your life away. If you’ve made your peace, the devils are angels freeing your soul.”
On “Temple of Bone” and “Dweller in the Abyss,” the album plunges into its darkest depths. Inspired by Aleister Crowley’s concept of the abyss as the final barrier to enlightenment, the band uses distorted samples and chilling soundscapes to evoke a chaotic space of transition. These moments feel like the sonic embodiment of being unmoored.
Side B shifts toward reforming and rebirth, beginning with “Destroy Each Other,” a track whose origins date back to 2014. It crescendos with “The Seed,” a meditation on identity framed by Marshall McLuhan’s declaration: “Violence is the quest for identity.” The Dweller emerges, roots tearing violently through soil, symbolizing renewal. The album closes with “Fevered Water,” a meditation on cyclical transformation.
Dweller is an odyssey through self-oblivion and back again.
Haunted Horses has provided an exclusive track-by-track commentary that dives deeper into the inspirations, meditative states, and sonic alchemy behind Dweller. Topics range from Twin Peaks references to Crowley’s occult philosophies and beyond.
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I. DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD – The Dwellers Delema
Some believe the Dweller on the Threshold is the shadow self, or the lower self a manifestation of who you have been. The Ego that clings to self identity, which prevents growth. This song is the descent into the record.
The lyrics in this song were inspired by a dream where I was at the bottom of a well with a growing shadow presence.
II. THE SPELL – The Dwellers Invocation
Deputy ‘Hawk’: Cooper, you may be fearless in this world. But there are other worlds. Worlds beyond life and death. Worlds beyond scientific reality.
Special Agent Dale Cooper : Tell me more.
Deputy ‘Hawk’: My people believe that the White Lodge is a place where the spirits that rule man and nature reside. There is also a legend of a place called the Black Lodge. The shadow self of the White Lodge. Legend says that every spirit must pass through there on the way to perfection. There, you will meet your own shadow self. My people call it The Dweller on the Threshold.
Special Agent Dale Cooper: Dweller on the Threshold.
Deputy ‘Hawk’ : But it is said that if you confront the Black Lodge with imperfect courage, it will utterly annihilate your soul.
Almost a year after recording the record, I was rewatching Twin Peaks. My brain exploded when Hawk described the Dweller on the Threshold. How had I missed this before!?
III. Grey Eminence – The Dwellers Possession
The phrase Grey Eminence describes the idea of unseen forces exuding power or influence over something.
On a few occasions when meditating, I would drift off to a dream where I am doing ordinary things, walking down the street going somewhere and realize that I am someone else.
This is Brian’s favorite song on the record.
IV. Fucking Hell – The Dwellers Obliteration
The Dweller, doing some shadow work. This quote from Jacobs Ladder captures the vibe.
“The only thing that burns in hell is the part of you that won’t let go of your life: your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away, but they’re not punishing you, they’re freeing your soul. If you’re frightened of dying and you’re holding on, you’ll see devils tearing your life away. If you’ve made your peace, then the devils are really angels freeing you from the earth.”
V. Temple of Bone – The Dweller In Death
Written in the cold darkness of winter. The song is meant to be the darkest depth of the record. The Dweller is now in a space in between.
VI. Dweller in the Abyss – The Dweller in Chaos
Side B of the record, this side is meant to be the passing through the Abyss.
Inspiration for this comes from Aleister Crowley, where the “Dweller in the Abyss” believed to be the last great obstacle between the adept and enlightenment.
VII. Destroy Each Other – The Dweller Reforming
We started writing this song in 2014.
SNAKEY POSSESSED
VIII. The Seed – The Dweller Revealing
Lyrics of this song were inspired by the phrase from Marshall Mcluhan – “Violence is the quest for identity”.The Dweller, new, with roots violently bursting through the soil emerges. “Out of the dark and into the light”.
IX.. Fevered Water – The Dweller in the Golden Age
See you in another life, yeah?
