Happyness: International Showcase Fund
Based in London, Happyness were a clear choice for CMJ 2014 after the release of their debut EP. The follow up LP Weird Little Birthday was equally impressive, with the following words written by the team at Rough Trade ahead of the official release:
For fans of Sparklehorse, Pavement, MGMT and Yo La Tengo. Happyness release their self-produced debut album – ‘Weird Little Birthday’. The album follows their critically acclaimed eponymous debut EP released at the beginning of this year. Drawing comparisons with the great college slacker rock bands, ‘Weird Little Birthday’ puts Happyness at the forefront of, wait for it, ‘jangle-gaze’ while displaying a more complex melancholic and introspective nature. The youthful exuberance is still there, but the album expands on that to deal with the morning after as well as the night before. Mixed by Adam Lasus (Yo La Tengo, Daniel Johnston) and featuring Ed Harcourt’s vocals on ‘Pumpkin Noir’, “Weird Little Birthday’ could be this year’s underground success.