HEAVEN’S CLUB confronts the illusion of freedom on “Free World”

There’s a certain irony in a project called Heaven’s Club releasing an EP called Free World. The name suggests utopia, but the music tells a different story—one where freedom is a mirage and systemic collapse is just background noise. The duo of Shiv Mehra (Deafheaven) and Chris Natividad (Marbled Eye) build on the tension between idealism and decay, crafting a three-track release that’s both expansive and claustrophobic. Out February 28th via Born Losers Records, Free World is a tightly wound exploration of contradiction. It’s motorik urgency tangled with shoegaze haze. It’s shimmering melancholy rubbing against sharp-edged realism. It’s the pursuit