We first featured London’s See You At Home last June, when we described their previous EP as “a dreamy foray into the depths of a worried and emotionally overloaded mind”. Now the duo are back with Be Happy, a collection of five new songs that further explores the melancholic tones of the previous release.
Opener ‘Summer is a Long Way Off’ confirms from the beginning that See You At Home haven’t had some bright epiphany in the last year. The track undulates with emotion, a slice of downbeat nostalgia-pop in the vein of Dawn Golden.
“I want to go out,
I want to feel alive again.
And I crave for spring to
be finally warm again”
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But it soon becomes apparent that this isn’t just self-indulgent navel gazing. The Be Happy deals with some pretty difficult personal troubles, what the band describe as “a journey to get better”. ‘Prescription’ plays like a plea to a loved one, someone who once offered support in a time of need and now needs support of their own. “Don’t jump”, the narrator sings, “not when you saved me from falling”, as steady percussive drums beat over a blue-grey haze.
The final track, as its title suggests, is the most hopeful on the record. It’s a reminder that even the worst of times can’t last forever, that people are more resilient than they realise, that hope and healing are very real. It’s again from the perspective of someone watching struggle second hand, and makes a vow to help no matter what.
“I won’t let you drown,
I won’t let you drown
like me”
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With Be Happy, See You At Home have made a small but perfectly formed little release that’s heavy on the emotion without ever sounding trite or overdone. You can get it on a name-your-price basis from the See You at Home Bandcamp page.