A personal, introspective and emotional charged record featuring some great collaborations.
After a 15 year break, Eric Bachmann has resurrected the moniker Crooked Fingers, a name taken from his grandfather’s CB radio handle, to release a new album of original material. The recordings span the past five years, although Bachmann has noted that “many early versions of these songs were scrapped, lost, and reworked due to my capricious mood swings and psychological traumas.” This lengthy process was also driven by his initial concept: to include two versions of each track on the album (for example, electric versus acoustic or electronic). Ultimately, he abandoned the idea in favour of creating a more cohesive body of work. With the exception of drums (Jeremy Wheatley), pedal steel (Jon Rauhouse), and some guest vocals, Bachmann performed and mixed everything himself, another reason the album took so long to complete.
The album’s title was taken from a slightly morbid drawing that Bachmann’s young son brought home from school one day. It shows a tombstone marked “RIP Eric Bachmann” beneath a green tree containing the words “SWET DETH,” surrounded by crows and shadowy scythe‑bearing figures. A more optimistic interpretation is one of rebirth, making it a fitting emblem for the return of Crooked Fingers.
One of the defining features of previous Crooked Fingers’ albums has been the musical collaborations, of which there are plenty on this new release. Opener ‘Cold Waves’ features Mac McCaughan, the founder of Superchunk and of the label releasing the record, on backing vocals. It’s one of the album’s more rock‑leaning tracks. Matt Berninger of The National provides the striking low‑baritone counterpoint on the chorus of ‘From All Ways.’ Bachmann met Berninger while playing in Neko Case’s band, and their voices complement each other superbly; the song also boasts an excellent mid‑track guitar break from Bachmann.
The best song title on the album has to go to ‘Spray Tan Speed Queen (In a German Car)’, it also has some very pleasing chiming guitar riffs on it. In October 2025, Bachman had a heart attack which doctors attributed to sleep deprivation owing to him suffering from insomnia. The song ‘Insomnia’ was actually written before this event, but it documents his nightly travails as his mind whirs “like a Ferris wheel”, whilst there’s a “killer creeping in the night.”
‘Haunted’ features the gorgeous voice of Sharon Van Etten who contributes to a tale of the death of a relationship and the difficulties of letting go. The slightly cold, synth‑laden music which underlies the song deepens the feeling of tragedy as Van Etten sings “your life never changes.” ‘(I’m Your) Bodhisattva’ is the only cover version on the album. Written by New Zealander Renee-Louise Carafice, Bachmann transforms the song into something multi-layered and beautiful.
The record closes with ‘Steady Now’, a tender acoustic guitar-based number with some aching pedal steel and poignant lyrics. It’s a fitting way to end Swet Deth which deals with death, transitions, and personal reflections using a broad musical palette.
