Hei'An - track-by-track guide for new album

Metal Insider first caught Hei’An back in 2023 during their debut appearance at 70000tons of Metal, where the Slovenian modern metal outfit impressed us ever-since. Now, vocalist Matic Blagonič has teamed up with Metal Insider to share a track-by-track guide of their new sophomore album, Kiss Our Ghosts Goodbye, out today (26th) via Blood Blast Distribution.

01) Aberration

‘Aberration’ was one of the final tracks I wrote for this record – I knew I wanted the album to have an electronic, somewhat ambiental and mysterious intro track, and musically, I was really inspired for it by an old Linkin Park live intro, the one that’s based on their song ‘Roads Untraveled’ just with pitch-shifter / formant-shifted vocals and those dark synths.. I wanted the intro to ‘Kiss Our Ghosts Goodbye’ to sort of give off that kind of vibe and be an ever-evolving loop structurally, so that it almost feels like a “musical fade-in” to the entire album. Lyrically, I wanted it to kind of “summarize” the point of the whole record and for it to have a bit of an optimistic note, to balance the slight pessimism of some of the other songs that follow.

02) My Harness

I wrote this one about my ongoing battle with MS which I was diagnosed with about 3 years ago. I’m handling my disease super well, it’s actually in remission right now, but it’s something that’s always kind of at the back of my head, and “tries to slow me down” in a way, and it took a lot of effort for me to learn to focus on fighting through and moving on instead of getting hung up on the fact that “oh no, I’m sick” if you know what I mean. That’s why the song does have a desperate, frustrated and angry vibe going on in a lot of parts, but I also really wanted it to have a somewhat triumphant sound in other parts, especially the chorus and part of the bridge, so that it does have a “silver lining in all the darkness” as well, so to speak.

03) What a Shame

‘What a Shame’ targets those who blindly follow ideological, political, or religious figures without questioning what they truly support. Written during a time of rising hatred in my home country of Slovenia, it tackles a global trend where hard-won societal progress is being rapidly undone, with xenophobia, bigotry, and other forms of intolerance resurfacing. This situation fills me with sadness and anger, as many people are manipulated by influential figures, losing all empathy and compassion for others. This song encourages listeners to think for themselves and reevaluate their values. Sonically, it combines dark electronic drum & bass elements with heavy instrumentation, featuring one of the album’s most massive breakdowns to reflect the frustration, disappointment, and rage contained in the lyrics.

04) To Let You Down

‘To Let You Down’ is one of the heaviest tracks on the record, addressing a painful situation where loved ones rejected me due to their political and religious beliefs about my sexuality. That situation triggered me to feel guilt and shame, although all I did was openly be myself. With its fast pace and dark intensity, this song encapsulates the emotional impact that ordeal had on me. It’s quickly become a band favorite, and we can’t wait to perform it live!

05) Dearest

This one was actually also written at a time when I was really burdened, mentally I mean, by my MS, but it’s from a bit of a different perspective. At the time, I was in a really negative place in my head and was pretty pessimistic about the whole thing, and I was 100% sure this disease would be the end of me and gradually, but probably fairly quickly, ruin my life for sure, and I feared I would become a burden to the people I love because of that. I managed to embrace a substantially more positive outlook on this whole thing, especially since I’m lucky to be fighting the disease extremely successfully, but at the time, I directed these lyrics towards my partner, expressing my concerns regarding all of these things I just mentioned. The instrumental (or at least like 90% of it) for this one was written in a single day by me and Matevž, like a day after we came back from Velenje when we performed at MetalDays, and I remember we were both hungover as hell and just playing around with some ideas, which is pretty ironic considering the fact ‘Dearest’ is definitely the most instrumentally complex song on the album.

06) Beneath the Sinking Moon

I’m a big fan of synthwave and darkwave, I believe everybody in the band is, so I always wanted to write a “darkwave metal” kind of song, and I’m sure we’ll play around with this concept in the future as well. So instrumentally, ‘Beneath the Sinking Moon’ was born from just that – the wish to fuse those two genres and make the ‘product’ sound like Hei’An. Lyrically, it was a really interesting process, because it was the first (and for now, only) time I ever had a big chunk of the lyrics written by Aljaž, and then we finished them together, so it’s really cool to sort of see our two different songwriting styles merged together into one song, and I feel like the combination works very well.

07) Undertow

The first thing I wrote for this one was that first beat you hear when the song kicks in, and it was actually loosely inspired by a part of the beat for ‘How You Like That” by BlackPink, which is a pretty interesting influence for this if you think about it. The chorus is also one of my favorite choruses on the entire album, it’s just so simple yet so catchy and satisfying, I love how it turned out. The breakdown, with the rising synth and the overlaid scream that lasts like 17 seconds (and was actually done in one take – hats off to Aljaž for pulling that off, I could never!) is also one of the most satisfying moments on the album in my opinion.

08) Make Me Want to Leave You

‘Make Me Want to Leave You’ was the first song we finished for this album, marking Aljaž’s recorded debut as a full-time band member with his harsh vocals. The lyrics reflect our shared romantic relationship, emphasizing that no amount of bigotry or hate can make us want to leave each other or change who we are, and that nobody should feel pressured to alter themselves because of others’ misguided opinions on love. Sonically, the song is a significant departure from our previous work, featuring haunting electronics, a heavy metalcore breakdown, and a cinematic chorus that captures our frustration and anger.

09) Liberated

‘Liberated’ was written early during the album’s creation, ironically being a significant departure from our previous sound while incorporating elements reminiscent of our debut album “imago”. It blends electronic pop with post-metal, packaged in a modern rock/metal style. Lyrically, it’s one of the most positive songs on the album, focusing on the cathartic and liberating experience of creating music and art. This process has helped me process emotions and thoughts, transforming from mere self-expression into a vital tool for personal growth. The song captures the moment I realized music’s role in helping me overcome past struggles with depression, and “kiss my ghosts goodbye”.

10) What Do You Have to Save?

‘What Do You Have to Save?’ is the album’s final track, exploring existential questions about the worsening state of our world and whether there’s anything left that’s worth fighting for, without offering a definitive answer. I’ve always loved songs with dark lyrics and an upbeat instrumentation for the thought-provoking contrast they can create. In that vein, “What Do You Have to Save?” blends pop punk, melodic rock, and metalcore elements to convey complex emotions in a powerful way, making it one of the catchiest and most memorable tracks on the album.