Weird Little Birthday

The London trio Happyness are frequently compared to Pavement and Sparklehorse, and for good reason. Most of the songs feel as if they’re from *Slanted and Enchanted* with the late Mark Linkous occasionally whispering the lyrics. When Happyness slightly vary the approach on “Refrigerate Her,” it sounds like early Pavement doing their imitation of The Fall. Nineties–style indie rock still lives, and it races out the gate with four opening tracks that are perfectly amusing. “Anything I Do Is All Right” forces you to hum along. Pavement should be flattered and everyone else can play along for fun. After all, it’s only rock ’n’ roll, Gen X–style. 

Happyness' debut album - Weird Little Birthday, expanded to include 4 new bonus tracks the album follows a whirlwind 2014, which ultimately saw the South London trio make NME’s Best Newcomers list, as well as The Sunday Times Best Albums of The Year. Weird Little Birthday is not quite a concept album about a boy who shares his birthday with Jesus Christ and eventually is driven insane with jealousy. It was largely recorded in the band’s own Jelly Boy Studios, and was mixed by Adam Lasus (Yo La Tengo, Daniel Johnston). It also features Ed Harcourt with vocals on Pumpkin Noir. The album showcases the band’s more melancholic, introspective nature alongside their youthful exuberance, dealing with the morning after the night before, and how, alas, not everything can invoke a dream house party soundtracked by Pavement. The limited edition 12" vinyl does not include the 4 extra bonus tracks (tracks 14-17) but does include a copy of the album on CD.

South London slacker rock/'jangle-gaze' peddlers drop their debut, a strange semi-concept record that largely hits, but could do with a tad more energy.

Utterly lacking in rock star pretense, Britain's Happyness are a roil of contradictions on their pretty great 2015 full-length debut, Weird Little Birthday, a fact that only makes them all the more intriguing.

For a band hailing from South London, Happyness' debut Weird Little Birthday is the sort of music perfect for hazy, morning-after walks down sun-drenched American streets.

Review of Happyness' reissued album 'A Weird Little Birthday' the full-length is out on Bar None/Moshi Moshi. Happyness play 3/26 at treefort fest in Boise.

Following the likes of Mazes and Yuck, here's another British band making a fuzzy, US-indebted indie-rock racket really rather well, writes <strong>Michael Hann</strong>