One of our favourite emerging acts. Half Happy, return with yet another intoxicating single called ‘Slow Down;’ a plea to a friend to take a step back when stress threatens to overwhelm them. It’s perhaps their most straight to the heart and streamlined offering yet remoulding elements of dream pop, indie rock, gaze and post punk into their own image. Frontwoman Rosaelie Miller’s beguiling and heartfelt tone gently offering the empathy of a hand on the shoulder, with an exquisite clarity: her vivid couplets investing swelling guitars and a elegant percussive section. The second half of the song shows just how vast the potential of Half Happy’s musical vistas are, with cooing melodies mingling with spoken word intimacy and fantastic chiming guitar embers, and a widescreen backdrop. It’s another superlative piece of songwriting from this fast emerging group.
Rosalie Miller revealed: “You often see people you love let stress take over to a point where it consumes. It’s hard to tell them to stop or tell yourself to stop. ‘Slow Down’ is a message really. Stop what you’re doing, look around and try and find some joy, shut out external noise, go have a boogie in your room or something.”
Winners of the Welsh Music Prize 2023 (Triskell Award), the group mould their influences with fresh force, creating engaging and melody-stuffed storytelling, with honest observations melting into day-dream lyricism.
Half Happy are primed to release a slew of new material in the coming months. Whilst on the live front, the band’s 10+ years of best-friendship is clearly evident in their stellar performances, with a slew of key support slots ticked off in recent times with the likes of English Teacher, Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard and Pale Blue Eyes.
Happy Happy’s ‘Slow Down’ is out now and available on all digital platforms.
