Happyness rerelease their self-produced debut album, Weird Little Birthday. The album follows their eponymous debut EP released at the beginning of 2014, to great critical acclaim. The album is not quite a concept album about a boy who shares his birthday with Jesus Christ and eventually is driven insane with jealousy...

I reviewed the original release of Weird Little Birthday last year [2014], which I loved. Nothing has changed, it's still a great album, but now it has been picked up and reissued by Moshi Moshi Records. To keep fans happy (or to make them buy the same album again) they've thrown in some additional tracks. So now, instead of 13 tracks (46 min, 16 sec), we get 17 tracks (1 hr, 04 min, 17 sec).

It's a rarity these days that I totally love an album on the first play through, but that's what happened with Weird Little Birthday. And, on repeat listening, I still found much that hadn't caught my attention on first play through. Listen after listen different tracks became my favourite.

It opens with the beautiful chords of 'Baby, Jesus (Jelly Boy)' and never lets up until the trippy ending of 'A Whole New Shape' - which leaves you wanting more. It's a totally different way to end the album - the original release ended with the mellow 'Monkey In The City'.

Highlights include the infectious 'Naked Patients'; the rock infused (bordering on punk) 'Anything I Do Is All Right'; 'It's On You'; and The Eels-esque 'Regan's Lost Weekend (Porno Queen)'.

This is definitely an album that will be amongst my most played albums of this summer, why don't you join me and put a little Happyness into your life.

10

Nick Smithson