‘None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive’ was not just an unexpected return, it was a stark, sometimes unsettling portrayal of contemporary existence.
A Realistic, Almost Horror-Like Reflection of Modern Life
While The Streets have always been rooted in realism, this mixtape feels darker, more claustrophobic and at times, almost horror-like in its depiction of anxiety, isolation and modern life’s relentless absurdity.
A Mixtape That Mirrors the Chaos of Reality
From the very title, there’s an ominous inevitability to the project. The album immediately sets a bleak tone, not just suggesting mortality but also a sense of entrapment within the cycles of modern existence. Unlike the more structured narratives of Mike Skinner’s past albums, this mixtape feels fragmented, like a collection of short stories where the protagonist is barely in control, stumbling through a world that feels at once hyperreal and surreal.
There’s a jittery, almost paranoid energy that runs throughout the project. The album doesn’t rely on traditional horror themes, there are no monsters or jump scares, but the unease comes from its suffocating realism. In Skinner’s world, horror is found in the constant pings of a phone, in the crushing weight of self-doubt and in the loneliness of a world that’s more connected than ever yet deeply isolating.
The Digital Dread and Social Anxiety
Several tracks dive into the psychological horror of modern life. ‘Phone Is Always in My Hand,’ captures a sense of digital addiction in a way that feels more like an existential crisis than a simple critique of technology. The repetition, the obsessive checking, the inability to escape this nightmarish vision of a world where we are always reachable but never truly present. The track’s production, with its glitchy beats and off-kilter rhythm, mirrors the discomfort of a mind that never shuts off.
‘Call My Phone Thinking I’m Doing Nothing Better’ featuring Tame Impala takes this dread a step further. Skinner’s lyrics depict a world where we are constantly under surveillance, not by the government, but by each other. The track plays out like a ghost story, where an unseen presence (an ex, a friend, a stranger) lingers just out of view, waiting for a response that may never come. Kevin Parker’s airy, psychedelic production only amplifies the feeling of being trapped in limbo, as if floating through a digital purgatory.
Urban Horror: Grit, Decay, and Anxiety
The mixtape also leans into the gritty, decayed aesthetics of urban horror. Where early Streets albums romanticised or at least found humour in the grime of city life, this work paints a far more unsettling picture.
‘I Know Something You Did’ has a creeping paranoia, its title alone evoking blackmail or the fear of past mistakes catching up. Skinner delivers his lines in a way that feels half-muttered, half-spat, like an internal monologue spiraling out of control. The beat is sparse and eerie, like footsteps echoing in an empty alley.
Similarly, ‘You Can’t Afford Me’ plays like a distorted, nightmarish version of a pop song. It satirizes materialism and self-worth, but rather than simply mocking consumer culture, it highlights the existential terror of being unable to keep up. In a world where value is often tied to wealth, being “unaffordable” is both a flex and a death sentence.
The Finality of It All
What makes the mixtape feel almost like horror, is its lack of resolution. In classic horror films, the monster is rarely fully defeated, it always lingers, just off-screen, waiting for its moment to return. Likewise, Skinner doesn’t offer solutions to the problems he presents. There’s no redemption arc, no grand lesson learned. The title itself is a reminder: no matter what we do, None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive.
By the end of the mixtape, we’re left with the unsettling realization that all of these anxieties about digital life, about relationships, about money, about status, aren’t going anywhere. They’re embedded in the world Skinner describes, and by extension, in our own.
Conclusion: A Mixtape That Feels Like a Psychological Thriller
More than just a collection of songs, ‘None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive’ plays out like a psychological thriller, where the horror isn’t supernatural but embedded in reality itself. The mixtape forces us to confront the parts of life we often try to ignore. The endless scrolling, the shallow connections, the creeping sense that something isn’t quite right.
With its disorienting beats, anxious lyricism, and eerie collaborations, The Streets’ 2020 project doesn’t just comment on modern life, it traps us inside it, forcing us to feel its suffocating weight. And just like the title warns, there’s no easy way out.
While my initial intention was to review Skinner’s more recent addition to his body of work, I found myself remembering my unease, but profound respect for delivering such an honest album during our telling time. My review of 2023’s The Darker The Shadow The Brighter The Light will be coming very soon.
