‘Haunted’ moves slowly, like it’s feeling its way forward in the dark.
The new single from Crooked Fingers, featuring Sharon Van Etten, is built around repetition, restraint, and a quiet sense of inevitability. The song unfolds in small, deliberate motions. A steady pulse. A melody that barely shifts. Lyrics that circle the same emotional centre until it starts to feel unavoidable.
A Slow Build That Knows Exactly What It’s Doing
Eric Bachmann’s voice sets the tone early, low and measured, carrying the weight of someone speaking carefully because every word matters. When Van Etten enters, she doesn’t change the direction of the song. She settles into it. Her vocal feels like a second perspective in the same room, sharing the same memory, approaching it from a slightly different angle.
The power of ‘Haunted‘ comes from that shared space.
The Aftermath Is the Point
The lyrics focus on the aftermath. Things said too late. Actions that keep echoing long after the moment has passed. Lines repeat, not for emphasis, but because they won’t loosen their grip.
The phrase “every action and reaction coming after is haunted” becomes a refrain that sinks deeper each time it returns, less like a lyric and more like a realisation you can’t shake.
Silence That Pulls You Closer
Musically, the track stays sparse. Nothing rushes in to fill the gaps. The arrangement leaves room for breath, for tension, for the discomfort that comes with sitting inside unresolved feelings.
It’s a song that trusts silence as much as sound.
A Collaboration Built on Patience
That trust extends to the collaboration itself. Van Etten recorded her vocals remotely, sending takes back and forth with Bachmann until something clicked. You can hear that care in the final version. The performance feels patient. Intentional. Both artists were listening closely to what the song wanted.
Where to Hear It Next
‘Haunted‘ appears on Crooked Fingers’ upcoming album Swet Deth, due February 27 via Merge Records. If this track is any indication, the record is concerned with emotional residue: what lingers, what repeats, and what refuses to settle.
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TLDR;
- Crooked Fingers release ‘Haunted‘ featuring Sharon Van Etten
- The song centres on repetition, emotional fallout, and quiet tension
- Appears on Swet Deth, out February 27 via Merge Records
- A slow, focused listen that rewards attention
Stay unruly.
