In Review: Lande Hekt - Going to Hell

Hekt's full-length solo debut packs together grungy riffs with hard-hitting questions about her own sexuality and identity which enabled her to be relentlessly authentic and, essentially, find happiness.

Posted: 20 January 2021 Words: Verity Vincent

Going to Hell is the first full-length solo project from Muncie Girls vocalist, Lande Hekt, following her debut EP Gigantic Disappointment in 2019. The album forms a personal arc of self-discovery, realisations, and addressing issues that cannot, and should not, be ignored.

‘Whiskey’, the first taster of the album we got back in November opens with the theme of sexuality and coming out, a relatable theme that transcends age or gender. It's a period in life packed with stomach twisting questions to find an answer that enables yourself to be happy, essentially. With the previous songs found on Muncie Girls’ albums, the lyrical content was relevant, hard-hitting and unforgiving, and while this album doesn’t deviate from those qualities, it seems like Lande has sliced out pieces of her heart, brain, and psyche to offer something much more personal.

Environmental concerns are another prevalent topic of conversation, present on ’80 Days of Rain’, inspired by just that. A day in the UK which saw 80 days of pure rainfall, sparking climate crisis talks and the realisation that changes must be made; in Hekt’s personal life and further afield. The head-fuck that she is going through lyrically, mixed with the ridiculously infectious hooks make this one of the strongest on the album.

‘Winter Coat’ is gorgeously tender, and propels a purity in Lande’s voice, as words like “hang my worries around my neck, it gets harder to walk with every step” float amongst subtly stacked harmonies and acoustic riffs. It conjures a similar emotion to the track ‘Heaven’ by Moonpools & Caterpillars. There’s the hint of 90’s grunge still there, but stripped back in its most delicate form.

Going to Hell flickers with the influences of artists like The Raincoats, and I can’t help but make a (possibly tenuous, but also very present) link to 10 Things I Hate About You. A film whose soundtrack this album would’ve sat quite nicely on, amongst artists like Letters to Cleo and The Cardigans. What Hekt manages to construct with her music is so relevant, taking splashes of different influences and experiences to form her own pool of identity.

The title track revisits a slightly softer sound, a percussion-fuelled anthem that will no doubt unite listeners and erase any trace of feeling like a misfit: ‘I’ve always been scared of what people might say / Can you help me feel another way." There are lessons learned and lessons to be learnt on Going to Hell - to question with conviction and relentlessly be yourself, carving out nice path for the future.