Posts Tagged ‘Ash Kenazi’

HAPPYNESS – ” Floatr “

Posted: May 3, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Now a two-piece led by founding members Jonny Allan (vocals) and Ash Kenazi (drums), London outfit Happyness have shared their third album Floatr, which follows 2015’s Weird Little Birthday and 2017’s Write In. They describe the years since Write In as “the best and worst years of our lives,” which included the departure of original member Benji Compston and an unannounced hiatus. The band’s return was marked by Kenazi’s onstage emergence as a drag queen and a new five-piece lineup featuring Max Bloom (Yuck), Anna Vincent (Heavy Heart) and Scott Booker Roach (Social Contract). Floatr sees them rev up their slacker rock engines once more, but as usual, their idiosyncratic touches keep things fresh and their heartfelt yearning still cuts deep. “Bothsidesing” features Allan’s heavenly whispers, “Seeing Eye Dog” is powered by gorgeous guitar bluster and “Milk Float” melds snug lo-fi with a vague aura of mystery.

Hey everybody, it’s been a loooong time coming, but we are over the moon to share Floatr with you guys: We recorded it in a lot of random places over a few years when things seemed very crazy and unsure in our lives. It’s been our way of making sense of that feeling, so in a way it’s an appropriately messed up time for it to be coming out.

There are loads of people we want to thank, in particular a massive shout out to Richie Walsh and Nicky Ber2 for helping us kintsugi ourselves back together too many times to count. Also Max “Impact” Bloom, Anna “Bolic” Vincent and Scott “iesPanties” Roach for helping us realise the songs in real life and just generally being massive babes. And to all our friends who have supported us and made us feel hell yeah instead of hell no.

ALSO most of the album was mixed by the living legend that is Mark Nevers. We are massive fans of the Lambchop/Silver Jews/Vic Chesnutt records he’s made and we were super star-struck when we Skyped him (although maybe he won’t know that until he reads this) thank you Mark, big up! ALSO Max Bloom who mixed “Ouch (yup)” with us, double shoutout for you Max Bloom!

It’s weird to not be playing these songs to actual people in actual places, we can’t wait to see y’all later this year and do this thing properly. Ash Kenazi is hungry for fresh focus to pull, so prepare yourselves. Enjoy listening, keep sane, keep safe, love yourselves, support the NHS and each other

Band Members
Ash Kenazi
Jonny Allan

HAPPYNESS – ” Ouch (yup) “

Posted: April 3, 2020 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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British lo-fi rockers Happyness have shared a new single, “Ouch (yup),” from their forthcoming third album Floatr, out on May 1st. Following previous singles “Vegetable” and “Seeing Eye Dog,” “Ouch (yup)” also maintains their lo-fi roots, but it’s not an empty pastiche. It grapples with the personal and political defeatism that’s so easy to slip into these days—wondering how long we can (and should) tread water and marveling at how we convince ourselves that things are set in stone when they really aren’t. But it’s not overly bleak, thanks in part to their enlivening guitar passages and Jonny Allan’s trustworthy vocals

Listen to ‘Ouch (Yup)’, the third single off Happyness upcoming record ‘Floatr’ taken from their forthcoming third album Floatr, out on May 1st. Floatr follows 2017’s Write In and 2015’s self-recorded debut Weird Little Birthday. The band began as a three-piece of Jonny Allan, Ash Kenazi and Benji Compston back in 2013 and now boasts a core lineup of Allan and Kenazi (who has recently come out and often performs in drag on stage) alongside live members Max Bloom (Yuck), Anna Vincent (Heavy Heart) and Scott Booker Roach (Social Contract).

Following previous singles “Vegetable” and “Seeing Eye Dog,” “Ouch (yup)” also maintains their lo-fi roots, but it’s not an empty pastiche. It grapples with the personal and political defeatism that’s so easy to slip into these days—wondering how long we can (and should) tread water and marvelling at how we convince ourselves that things are set in stone when they really aren’t. But it’s not overly bleak, thanks in part to their enlivening guitar passages and Jonny Allan’s trustworthy vocals.

“It’s about processing the stuff you leave behind, and not getting complacent and not assuming anything,” the band says. “We were going through some massive life changes around the time we wrote this song, and Brexit was happening (remember that!). It’s about disbelief I guess. And the slow excruciating dawning of reality. Reality is a weird rush, the truth sets you free. Those kinds of things.”