Happyness release their self-produced debut album – “Weird Little Birthday” – on March 30th through Moshi Moshi Records. 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 (later going on to win Best Lyric at the NME Awards) 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, after a brief session recording first track “Baby, Jesus (Jelly Boy)” in an abandoned church was cut short by the bitter cold and an unconvinced congregation of the dead. The record was mixed by Adam Lasus (Yo La Tengo, Daniel Johnston) and features Ed Harcourt with vocals on “Pumpkin Noir”.
The youthful exuberance of singles like “It’s On You” and “Great Minds Think Alike, All Brains Taste The Same” is still there, but the album showcases the band’s more melancholic, introspective nature too, dealing with the morning after the night before, and how, alas, not everything can invoke a dream house party soundtracked by Pavement.
Happyness’ first single of 2015 has been named as new song ‘A Whole New Shape’, to be released on March 30th and comes as part of the album re-pack, released the same day.
Happyness will be on tour through the US during March and April, returning in May for more headline UK shows.
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