happyness Archives - Various Small Flames https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/happyness/ New and independent music Sat, 10 Dec 2016 11:52:33 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://i0.wp.com/varioussmallflames.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/cropped-finalwhite-e1490809629909-1.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 happyness Archives - Various Small Flames https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/tag/happyness/ 32 32 88787050 Best of the Rest: Things We Have Missed #6 https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2016/12/09/best-of-the-rest-6/ Fri, 09 Dec 2016 19:52:18 +0000 http://www.wakethedeaf.co.uk/?p=11235 One of the best/worst things about the whole blogging game is the abundance of great music. Unfortunately there are (still!) only twenty-four hours in a day, most of which are consumed with non-WTD things, so even if we get sent ten great albums then chances are we will only be able to cover three or four. While trying to avoid falling into the listicle trap, we thought the best way to remedy this problem would be a semi-regular round-up, ‘Best […]

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]]> One of the best/worst things about the whole blogging game is the abundance of great music. Unfortunately there are (still!) only twenty-four hours in a day, most of which are consumed with non-WTD things, so even if we get sent ten great albums then chances are we will only be able to cover three or four. While trying to avoid falling into the listicle trap, we thought the best way to remedy this problem would be a semi-regular round-up, ‘Best of the Rest’, where we include all the songs we think you should hear but don’t quite have the time to tell you why. Inclusion here is no comment on quality – this isn’t a runner-up prize!

Balto – CA LUV / Born Astray

Portland, Oregon’s Balto are nothing if not busy. Returning from a solo tour of Russia, lead Daniel Sheron has announced the band’s new album will be released next February, and provided two singles to show why we should be excited. ‘CA LUV’ is a peppy folk-pop number with delightfully fluent lyrics, the words following around the fluid bends of the instrumentation with a pleasing trip that will no doubt soundtrack your days once the warmer months return.

If ‘CA LUV’ is made for summer days, then second single ‘Born Astray’ is made for timeless nights, those late hours when regret and alcohol blend into a curious form of joy. Luke Beckel’s vocals capture this perfectly, his soulful croon transitioning to impassioned yells every so often, as though emotions become too urgent to hold in. Get both singles from the Balto Bandcamp page!

Matt Townsend – Came Down From The Mountain

While Matt Townsend has so far peddled solo acoustic music, his forthcoming two-part EP series sees him expand into a wider, more varied sound. Taken from the first EP, The Drifter and the Dream, ‘Come Down From The Mountain’ is folk music that draws upon a number of other elements, with 60s pop, indie rock and orchestral ambient influences all clear and present. You can pre-order the EP now via Bandcamp, and Townsend is currently running a Kickstarter campaign for the release, which you can support here.

Tape Deck Mountain – I Will Break U

Tape Deck Mountain is a recording project led by San Diego’s Travis Trevisan, and ‘I Will Break U’ is the title track of their latest EP. With its harsh sound and ominous vocals, the track lurches forwards like some creeping gas-powered giant, various sharp and jagged noises swirling and combining into a dense, monolithic juggernaut that simply demands your attention.  I Will Break U is out now on Semi-Pro Records and is available via Bandcamp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqY1L6-4Pq4

Swim Team – Are You Forgetting Something?

Swim Team are here to remind you 1) it’s summer somewhere in the world, and 2) Melbourne is a hotbed of garage rock talent. As if to drive home the latter fact, the lineup consists of members of other bands, with Krystal Maynard of Bad Vision, Sammy Wass of The Pink Tiles and Esther Sandler of PAPPY joined by TJ Day on drums to create something of a crunchy pop super group. With debut EP, Holiday, due for release on the 6th January, first single ‘Are You Forgetting Something?’ is our appetite whetter, a warm slice of 90s-style pop-rock that’s simultaneously bright and a little sad.

For those of you lucky enough to live in/near Melbourne, Swim Team have a release show pencilled in for the 14th January at The Old Bar.

Andrew Younker – Pink Slip

Taken from his latest EP, Brainchild, new single ‘Pink Slip’ finds Michigan’s Andrew Younker creating dreamy, nostalgic vibes, his vocals peeking through the lush instrumentation with a cool sense of calm. The lyrics themselves are less magical, painting an indistinct, almost surreal scene involving a businessman on the front lawn and hopes of the titular pink slip. Brainchild is available now via Bandcamp on a pay-what-you-can basis.

Neurotic Fiction – Mediator

Following their snap debut EP earlier this year, Bristol/Cardiff/Exeter band Neurotic Fiction are back with new single, ‘Mediator’. Toeing the line between Buzzcocks-style punk and Brit jangle pop the track races along with an insistent yet upbeat energy, making for an urgent and moreish two minutes that place the band firmly on your radar.

The song is half of an AA single (along with ‘Generals’), being released as part of Art Is Hard Records’ Pin Pal Club. Pre-order yours here.

Happyness – Falling Down

This coming Spring will see Happyness follow-up their excellent debut, Weird Little Birthday, with a new record on Moshi Moshi Records. While the album doesn’t yet have a name, it does have a single. ‘Falling Down’ is a slow-building track mixing retro rock and shoegaze, the opening sequence stretching out over the two minute mark before soft-edged vocals complete the atmosphere of gentle melancholic fondness. Keep an eye on Moshi Moshi Records for pre-order info.

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]]> 11235 Happyness – ‘A Whole New Shape’ https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2015/02/13/happyness-a-whole-new-shape/ Fri, 13 Feb 2015 20:01:01 +0000 http://www.wakethedeaf.co.uk/?p=38 Just a quick one today, with a heads up that London indie rockers Happyness (who came to our attention via the fantastic 80N7 compilation) have released a new single called ‘A Whole New Shape’. It’s a far more upbeat sound than I’m used to from the band, but their West Coast DIY rock influences are still readily apparent. If you like Pavement, Yo La Tengo et al. than give Happyness a go. Why not listen in the player below? The […]

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]]> Just a quick one today, with a heads up that London indie rockers Happyness (who came to our attention via the fantastic 80N7 compilation) have released a new single called ‘A Whole New Shape’. It’s a far more upbeat sound than I’m used to from the band, but their West Coast DIY rock influences are still readily apparent. If you like Pavement, Yo La Tengo et al. than give Happyness a go. Why not listen in the player below?

The track is the band’s first single for new label, Moshi Moshi,and will appear on the re-release of their debut album, Weird Little Birthday, which will be available to buy from the 30th of March.

The band also have a whole host of upcoming tour dates with Slow Club and JAWS. Here are the dates if you’re interested:

February Tour With Slow Club

5  The Bullingdon, Oxford   18+
6  Arts Centre, Norwich
7  Arts Centre, Colchester
11 Sugarmill, Stoke
13 Arts Centre, Pocklington
14 Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh  14+ / U16 w adult
15  Trades, Hebden Bridge
16 Arts Club, Liverpool    14+ / U16 w adult
23  Wardrobe, Leeds
24 Cookie Jar, Leicester
26 Guildhall, Gloucester    14+
27  Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham  18+
28  Queens Social Club, Sheffield  SOLD OUT

March dates with JAWS

3  Norwich Epic Studios
4  London Heaven
6  Manchester Academy
7  Birmingham Institute

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]]> 38 September 2014 Roundup – A Mixtape https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2014/10/04/september-roundup-a-mixtape/ Sat, 04 Oct 2014 11:26:00 +0000 http://www.wakethedeaf.co.uk/?p=125 We’ve put together a mix of all the acts we covered during September. Why not have a listen? Click the links in the tracklisting to read about each artist in more depth. Tracklisting: 1. Le Sigh – Johnny Foreigner 2. What You Need – Jacques Greene 3. Opinion Piece – Jon Hynes 4. Is What It Is – She Keeps Bees 5. Dead Lamb – King of Cats 6. Full of Minnows – Happyness (from 80n7) 7. Gypsy Dead Girl […]

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]]> We’ve put together a mix of all the acts we covered during September. Why not have a listen? Click the links in the tracklisting to read about each artist in more depth.

Tracklisting:
1. Le Sigh – Johnny Foreigner
2. What You Need – Jacques Greene
3. Opinion Piece – Jon Hynes
4. Is What It Is – She Keeps Bees
5. Dead Lamb – King of Cats
6. Full of Minnows – Happyness (from 80n7)
7. Gypsy Dead Girl – Field Medic
8. Do Girls – Theophilus London
9. Fireworks (Reprise) – Radiator Hospital
10. Garden – Hiatus
11. All the Experts Say – Joyride!
12. 24 – Shipwrecks
13. The Way He Looks at Me – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
14. G – Young Jesus
15. Spring Sheet – Fairweather Currents
16. 925 – Gorgeous Bully (from 80n7)
17. On the Rocks – The Rural Alberta Advantage
18. Never Catch Me – Flying Lotus ft. Kendrick Lamar
19. Seraphine – Peirson
20. Colorado – Noah Young

September Mix from Wake The Deaf on 8tracks Radio.

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]]> 125 80N7 Compilation https://varioussmallflames.co.uk/2014/09/30/80n7-compilation/ Tue, 30 Sep 2014 16:43:00 +0000 http://www.wakethedeaf.co.uk/?p=128 80N7 is a record label run by Emmy Feldman and Hope Silverman (both of whom write for Don’t Need No Melody). They have recently put out their debut compilation, also named 80N7. Released for Cassette Store Day, this is a special compilation of twenty previously unreleased tracks from bands from across the UK and America. Some of the bands are pretty familiar to us here at WTD, including the likes of Gorgeous Bully, Diveliner and The Golden Dregs. Listen to the […]

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]]> 80N7 is a record label run by Emmy Feldman and Hope Silverman (both of whom write for Don’t Need No Melody). They have recently put out their debut compilation, also named 80N7. Released for Cassette Store Day, this is a special compilation of twenty previously unreleased tracks from bands from across the UK and America.

Some of the bands are pretty familiar to us here at WTD, including the likes of Gorgeous Bully, Diveliner and The Golden Dregs. Listen to the shoegazey jangle of Gorgeous Bully’s ‘925’ below:

But there are also lots and lots which are completely new to me. The diversity of sound is impressive, and it’s a thrill to hit play from the beginning and wait to see what comes next. It kicks off with a slick 80s pop tune from Lovepark, before a segue into the easygoing indie pop of Spring King. Moats take things up a notch with their dynamic indie rock before London’s Happyness offer a slice of real subdued beauty with their track ‘Full of Minnows.’

Other stand-outs include the half-pace R&B of Mirror Signal, the short-bu-sweet weird pop of Total Playtime and some really nice bedroom pop melancholia from Don’t Worry.

You can order the compilation on double cassette via Rough Trade, or download it for as much as you like via the 80N7 Bandcamp page.

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