Chris Ingalls: That beat. The beat kicks things off right away and doesn’t relent, and that’s one of the things that keeps things interesting here. It’s like James Brown’s “Funky Drummer” filtered through a European dance club. Great vocal harmonies and smart hooks wrap around that beat and make for a surprisingly solid single that gets better with each listen. [7/10]
Pryor Stroud: Vocals that are part-air, part-syllable, melodies that are steeped in half-lit gloom, a sense of atmospherics that values space and depth more than dynamic shifts — all are standard descriptors used to characterize the xx’s signature sound and all are, likewise, perfectly applicable to Haelos’ electro-indie, tormented-soul aesthetic.”Separate Lives” smacks of this derivativeness, emanating from your headphones like a slightly accelerated, more unashamedly poppy xx song, but Lonni Benardout’s impassioned vocal keeps the listen from being a complete throwaway. [5/10]
Chad Miller: Won’t leave a big effect on you, but the melody is pretty enjoyable, albeit repetitive. The song seems like it occupies the same tone for a bit too long, making it hard to get much from the song on the first couple of listens, but more and more endearing qualities start to pop up as the number of listens increase. [7/10]
Haelos‘ album Full Circle releases March 18th via Matador.
SCORE: 6.33