Brooklyn’s Heavy Halo continues to blur the boundaries between human and machine with their new single, “The Poisoning,” set for release on Thursday, December 19th. The track encapsulates the duo’s signature fusion of alt-rock and industrial elements, marrying jagged guitars, yearning vocals, and raw, electronic beats into a driving concoction. Thematically, it delves deep into existential unrest, self-destruction, and the futile pursuit of escape from the ghosts of the past, and we’re stoked to give you its first listen below.
As McKeever, Heavy Halo’s vocalist and lyricist, explains, “‘The Poisoning’ is about the compulsion to outrun these anxious thoughts and hyper-fixations through the ritual of escapist excess. Self-destruction never truly cures the existential angst, but in the moment, you believe it just might.”
The song also serves as a tribute, with its visualizer featuring photos of friends and supporters who have embraced the band’s identity—most poignantly, the late Sian Austin, described by McKeever as “an unreal musician of rare versatility and champion of DIY culture who lived his life ‘on the edge of the knife.’” Austin’s inclusion underscores the band’s connection to their community and the raw emotional core beneath their high-octane production.
Heavy Halo’s roots lie in contrasts. The pairing of McKeever—a Columbia-educated composer entrenched in Brooklyn’s indie rock scene—and Gosteffects, an Oklahoma-born rave promoter and electronic music producer, is reflected in their music. McKeever describes their sound as “a raw human core encased in a exoskeleton of dense layers of futuristic electronics.”
The duo’s work evokes the heyday of New York’s underground club scene, reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails and KMFDM, but also nods to the melodic introspection of Smashing Pumpkins and The Cure. Despite their reverence for the past, Heavy Halo’s offering feels forward-facing, sharing space with artists like HEALTH and Poppy, who explore the intersection of human emotion and digital chaos.
Following their 2021 self-titled debut, Heavy Halo is gearing up for the release of their sophomore album, Damaged Dream, set to drop in 2025 on Silent Pendulum Records. Recorded entirely in Gosteffects’ Spellsound Studios, located in a historic Brooklyn hospital, the album pushes their sound further into the void.
Describing the concept, McKeever states, “Damaged Dream is what you’re left with when the ideals you hold shatter. Cruel reality brings the hammer down… But while the dream is damaged, it is not completely destroyed.” The album’s narrative progresses from the darkness of their debut into purgatory—a desperate, wounded struggle for meaning in an increasingly chaotic world.
As McKeever and Gosteffects prepare to unveil the next chapter of their story, the question remains: How far will you go to escape the poison?
