Happyness have made a compelling and equally charming mark on slacker rock since their rise to fame in 2014. The trio produce idiosyncratic US college rock with a British twinge that likens itself to Sparklehorse and Wilco all the while maintaining dark, grungey undertones.
South London’s Melancholic slacker rock trio Happyness made their way onto NME’s Best Newcomer’s list in 2014 and have been making tracks ever since. The band have garnered an impressive reputation for their lazy vocals, dreamy guitars and eccentric lyricism.
Their first album Weird Little Birthday was a not-quite concept album about a boy who shares his birthday with Jesus Christ and eventually is driven insane with jealousy. The album had a naive-yet-intelligently charming characteristic that saw it be well received, with Uncut calling it an “Affectionate homage to the post-Grunge era”. Three years later the trio are back and armed with Write In, an album self-produced in the same space (their own affectionately named “Jelly Boy Studios” above a now-abandoned bookshop) with the same gear and the same mixer.
Laced with their deeply English sense of awkwardness and self-effacement, Write In is an ode to US college rock with Teenage Fanclub and Velvet Underground lurking in there too. The album’s opening track and single release, ‘Falling Down’ certainly sets the scene for Write In. Punchy percussion, expansive guitars and airy harmonies demonstrate that the band have certainly stayed true to their original sound, however the instrumentation and arrangements are fuller and more developed. While the teenage-slacker vibe is what makes Happyness so irresistibly charismatic, they have truly proved their development with this track. It is more mature as a whole, slow burning and delicately under-produced in what singer and guitarist Jon EE Allan has called “an anti-overthinking song”.
Instrumentally, the band have definitely branched out with this release. ‘Through Windows’ opens with classic piano chords chiming in a melody that serves its influences from Mac DeMarco, who the band toured with in 2015. This is maintained throughout the album, and the fuzzy guitar riffs that were prominent on previous releases have been swapped for well crafted riffs and improved production. Equally new for Happyness, Allan’s vocals sit at the forefront of the tracks for the majority of the album. While it is more usual for Happyness to weave half whispered lyrics into mellow guitar interplay, this development only works in their favour. Allan’s voice is unique to say the least, but equally provocative and acts as a major strength to the band.
On a whole Write In lacks lyrically in comparison to Weird Little Birthday. The quietly outlandish and somewhat ironic lyrics dispersed chillingly in the background of Weird Little Birthday is what made the release so compelling, and, why it won the NME Award for Best Lyrics in 2015. ‘Baby Jesus (Jelly Boy)’ from the 2014 release famously saw Allan whispering “I’m the motherfucking birthday boy/don’t steal my thunder Baby Jesus” behind lo-fi guitars, gaining Happyness a unique reputation for their songwriting. Contrastingly, Write In doesn’t follow suit, and instead stays rather reserved in the lyrics department. While this is marginally disappointing, it doesn’t take away from the overall progression displayed from Happyness on this release.
‘Write In’ is the perfect demonstration that less is more. Happyness have struck a perfect balance in their musical progression while maintaining a breezy, chilled vibe. ‘Tunnel Vision On Your Part’ closes the album in a jangling guitar melody that sums up the trio’s ethos as a whole: it is day dreamingly breezy, with lyrics hushed through a crooked smile that leaves you longing for a long boozy summer.
Sian Blewitt
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