Happy Days is a memorable new album from Seasonal Falls, the project of Switzerland-based songwriter Roman Gabriel (The Kind Hills, The Dentals) and vocalist/producer Andrew Pelletier (Fur Trader). They traverse between folk, pop, and rock realms within, bridging a fondness for ’90s alt-rock/pop nostalgia with affecting original songwriting; the sound reminds fondly of Elliott Smith and Sufjan Stevens at various points.
“Happy Dayz” opens the album with an easy-going intrigue, as lush acoustics and keys complement a ghostly vocal presence with shades of Sufjan Stevens. The serene vocals and instrumentation guide from initial anxieties — aptly so, concerning topics like global warming and hunger — into a more celebratory quality, reveling in the “happy dayz,” that appear. “Used to Be Fun” follows with debonair folk-pop charm, impressing in its “gotta get to my lady,” hook. The previously featured gem “Lie Down” follows. Happy Days wastes no time in impressing in its melodic songwriting, with these three standouts commencing the release.
A dynamic appeal continues thereafter, from the haunting acoustic-set yearning of “Girlfriend” to the twangy briskness within “Half-Moon,” which is especially enthralling in its vibrantly atmospheric build-up to the three-minute mark. “Hey Girl!” concludes the release with comforting immersion, admitting a state of being “fed up,” alongside chiming guitar tones and twinkling piano prances; it’s a lovely send-off to a thoroughly consuming album from Seasonal Falls.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
