From WVUD’s Music Director:

I talked at length with the alt-rock trio Happyness at their Boot & Saddle show in Philadelphia. They call South London home, sign ketchup packets as novelty gifts for fans, and are currently touring across the US. They shipped their first full length album, Weird Little Birthday, across the pond in March and have enjoyed an escalating positive response since. Likened to Pavement, Sparklehorse and Weezer, these three guys in baggy t-shirts and white Reeboks produce slacker rock that’s too easy to consume: it’s sedated, it’s smart, and it’s good.

The concept of weirdness permeates their debut album, and manifests itself in the boys’ lo-fi, gauzy guitar riffs and highly charming character quirks. To Happyness, yanking wigs from the Arcade fire frontman, injecting their lives with intoxicating relationships, and consuming cold cut sandwiches are all acts steeped in strangeness.

However, the oddities they pump into their work are not jarring; the music meshes comfortably. There is a blanket of reassurance and validation to accompany the wry unease. “It’s alright” is a lyric that paces the album as much as it soothes and consoles.

– Sara Sajer

The Interview

Happyness (Host, Sara Sajer)
12:24
11.9 MB

The Music

Artist / Song / Album / Date

Happyness / Montreal Rock Band Somewhere / Weird Little Birthday / 2014

Happyness / Lofts / Weird Little Birthday / 2014

Happyness / Anything I Do is All Right / Weird Little Birthday/ 2014

Happyness / Weird Little Birthday Girl / Weird Little Birthday / 2014

Due to copyright considerations, the podcast contains excerpts of the music played when the show aired on September 8, 2015.