Every now and then in music, you find your comfort food. The band who always fill the exact hunger you have; who play off each taste bud and it always goes down smooth. I started to sound a bit weird there so let’s revert back to the food metaphor. Happyness are my comfort food, and they should be yours too.
Happyness’ second studio album Write In was announced with the single ‘Falling Down’. Even though the album came quite soon after last year’s wonderful ‘SB’s Truck’ EP, the first taste of LP2 was already in a very different vein, with it’s long building intro, trademark soft harmonies and delicate descending lead guitar line.
Write In features two tracks from the EP, but that’s no bad thing – ‘Anna, Lisa Calls’ is a bit like if Teenage Fanclub covered George Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’ (yes it’s really that good), while the final track ‘Tunnel Vision On Your Part’ is how every album ever should end: staring at a sunset as the end credits roll.
Just as the end credits have rolled however, you’ll want to go right back to the start with album opener ‘The Reel Starts Again’ (see what I did there?). It’s a sweet, lovelorn track with Smith Westerns style guitars and an infectious, piano lead outro. ‘Anytime’ feels similar to some of the more lo-fi tracks on their debut album, whereas ‘Bigger Glass Less Full’ is a perfect pop tune – yes, perfect. Happyness are the masters of short tracks designed for long summer drives, like ‘SB’s Truck’ and ‘It’s On You’ from previous releases.
Happyness also excel when it comes to finding a groove and riding it into the sunset. ‘Uptrend’ exemplifies this: a sprawling track with a guitar line and tone to kill for. It’s a methodical beauty of a track that wouldn’t go amiss on an Ultimate Painting record. This calmer, more reserved side to Happyness is demonstrated in their beautiful live shows, and in tracks like ‘Through Windows’ and ‘Victor Lazarro’s Heart’. In a music scene where it’s assumed you need to be loud to be heard, Happyness are a refreshing breeze.
Write In is a step up from their debut, it’s a concise, tight pop album, with enough variation and heart to give you more joy from every listen. Consume as much of them as you can, they’re worth every bite. 4/5
