Photo Credit: Sonny Malhotra
Having appeared at Reading & Leeds Festival, 2000trees and Truck Festival amongst others over festival season, indie-punk duo Happy Accidents now release their new album Edit Undo.
Releasing their debut album You Might Be Right in 2016, and now onto their fifth, Happy Accidents are no strangers to releasing music. Now, however, the band have challenged the ways in which their music is distributed. Ahead of release, they offered a secret world to their fans through a hidden artist profile on streaming platforms, which was accessed by pre-ordering the album to discover extra tracks and more. The band explain: “This is sort of an experiment in digital liner notes, trying to do something interesting within the streaming space without losing the convenience of how we all listen to music in 2024.”
Lead single and track opener Infinite Possibilities showcases a relatively tame start to proceedings, until the one minute mark, and the indie-punk genre that Happy Accidents are known for takes charge. Guitars become distorted and drums heavier. What struck us the most about Infinite Possibilities was the effortless harmonies from the duo.
Drummer/lead vocalist Phoebe Cross displays her full range of impressive vocal talent on Dog Days which is outstanding. The song is kept simple allowing vocal talent to shine.
Forgive Me is demands attention, and maybe a foot tap, with heavy dance rhythms from the very beginning. Rich Mandell’s indie-style vocals are a perfect match for the upbeat dance grooves on this track.
The trend continues on All Around, where again the harmonies from the duo are effortless and the track almost gives deep-house vibes with the keyboard and drum combinations throughout.
Makes No Difference is perhaps the most stereotypical indie track on the record. Distorted bass and jangling guitars dominate the nearly four minute offering,
Bringing the album to a close is final track Be Afraid, which once again features Mandell’s indie sounding vocals alongside a rather hypnotic keyboard loop, as well as the harmonies between the duo that have been a staple throughout the record.
It is obvious from listening to the record that the band have enjoyed the creative process from start to finish, as Mandell explains of their new creative process: “I guess the difference this time is we recorded it over a longer period of time, going to the studio once a month and just seeing what came out.”
An enjoyable record which experiments with a range of different sounds, and features some exceptional vocal harmonies from the very beginning.
7/10
Standout Tracks: Forgive Me, All Around, Dog Days
For Fans Of: Frank Ocean, Hop Along, Big Thief
Written by: Ben Gilligan
