{"id":39464,"date":"2018-03-09T17:00:27","date_gmt":"2018-03-09T17:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/interview-shiny-happy-people-happy-accidents\/"},"modified":"2018-04-02T12:51:28","modified_gmt":"2018-04-02T12:51:28","slug":"interview-shiny-happy-people-happy-accidents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/interview-shiny-happy-people-happy-accidents\/","title":{"rendered":"Shiny Happy People &#8211; Happy Accidents"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-57843\" src=\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HappyAccidents.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HappyAccidents.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HappyAccidents-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HappyAccidents-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HappyAccidents-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HappyAccidents-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HappyAccidents-465x310.jpg 465w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HappyAccidents-695x463.jpg 695w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Time, when you think about it, is really a rather strange concept.<\/p>\n<p>All that really exists is the here and now; the very moment that you live in; the past is everything that has taken us to this point, the future an unsketched blank canvas. It may seem an abstract leap, but much of <i>\u2018Everything But The Here And Now\u2019<\/i>, the second album from London indie-punks <b>Happy Accidents<\/b>, is somehow, linked to the passing of time.<\/p>\n<p>Chronicling the journey into adulthood by three twenty-somethings, it\u2019s an album of growing pains and tough decisions; the desire for more free time but also the wish to do more with life. It\u2019s an album that wants to leave a lasting impression on the world \u2013 a legacy that stands the test of time \u2013 and succeeds thanks to its strength of character and the very different voices of Rich Mandell and Phoebe Cross.<\/p>\n<p>Emerging from the rehearsal space after a bladder-busting four-hour practice to talk to Already Heard \u2013 shoehorned in around day jobs to ensure they bring their \u2018A\u2019 game to their upcoming UK tour \u2013 <i>\u2018Everything But The Here And Now\u2019<\/i> is a different album than the one they intended to make, considers Rich:<\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cI think I anticipated in making a much weirder record than the one that actually came out,\u201d<\/i> he says. <i>\u201cEvery time, I think I aim for something that is somewhat unrealistic \u2013 and as a result we always end up sounding like \u2018us\u2019 \u2013 but it\u2019s an \u2018us\u2019 that\u2019s pushed two levels beyond what we would have done if I hadn\u2019t aimed for six levels beyond what we wanted to do.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Happy Accidents - Text Me When You&#039;re Home\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7VI2Jn9y7Q0?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!-- more --><\/p>\n<p>And he\u2019s on the money. For the most part, <i>\u2018Everything But The Here And Now\u2019<\/i> is unmistakably <b>Happy Accidents<\/b>, characterised by Rich\u2019s matter-of-fact delivery and some wonderfully infectious indie-pop tunes.<\/p>\n<p>Yet it also successfully avoids being a remake of their first album thanks to some ambitious and striking songwriting and a much larger vocal presence by Phoebe. The result is an album that was collaborative, rather than a singular vision \u2013 and this tells on cuts such as the outstanding <i>\u2018Wait It Out\u2019<\/i> and epic <i>\u2018Text Me When You\u2019re Home\u2019<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cIt\u2019s been fun,\u201d<\/i> says Rich, when asked about this collaborative process. <i>\u201cI feel it\u2019s taken the pressure off me. I don\u2019t feel like I have to make something from start to finish. This time around, I guess I had chords, and we collaborated on the words for all of the songs. It felt like much more of a band process \u2013 even Neil [Mandell] had more of an input \u2013 and I think as a result it\u2019s a lot more engaging and there\u2019s a lot more variation as well.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cAlso, personally, I don\u2019t think I\u2019m that interesting, so it\u2019s quite nice to have other perspectives on the record!\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>This can be seen clearly on the likes of <i>\u2018Different Views\u2019<\/i> and <i>\u2018Float\u2019<\/i>, which feature Phoebe on lead vocals. Rich half-jokes that his favourite part of the last record was the 40 seconds Phoebe sang \u2013 but here, given prominence, Phoebe\u2019s voice provides plenty of light to off-set Rich\u2019s rat-a-tat delivery. The result is an album filled with textures and subtle, shifting styles. This marries nicely with the broad plan with which they set out \u2013 <i>\u201ccombining what worked on the last one with more textural stuff,\u201d<\/i> says Rich. <i>\u201cIt was all about taking what we usually do, and what our natural instincts are, and adding more texture to it.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Key to this was the work of producer Matthew \u2018MJ\u2019 Johnson (of Hookworms fame), seeing the trio relocate to Leeds for 10 days to work at his Suburban Home studio. Having already worked with the likes of Martha, Doe and Trust Fund \u2013 peers and friends of <b>Happy Accidents<\/b> \u2013 it was an ideal fit and one that clearly got the best out of the group, as Rich explains:<\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cWe made it clear from the off that we wanted input \u2013 that we didn\u2019t just want someone who was just going to set up some microphones and press record and not say anything.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cHe\u2019s someone that is involved in soundscapes [with Hookworms], and he was able to tailor how we brought the textures out. He had a big effect on the feel of the record. He got involved in some small arrangement things too on the record, which really benefitted us.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cWe went up to Leeds, lived in a very damp-smelling AirBnB that was pretty cheap. It felt like a holiday. A really intense, semi-stressful, but ultimately productive, holiday.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<h1 align=\"center\">\u201cI\u2019ve come to terms with what it is, and I think I needed that time to know that I really like it\u201d<\/h1>\n<p>The results speak for themselves, and <i>\u2018Everything But The Here And Now\u2019<\/i> is a clear step up on the group\u2019s previous output \u2013 bolder and broader, but no less immediate. Recorded 12 months ago though, Rich feels like he\u2019s needed to \u2018sit\u2019 with it to fully appreciate the intricacies and quirks of a very personal record. <i>\u201cI\u2019ve come to terms with what it is, and I think I needed that time to know that I really like it,\u201d<\/i> he says.<\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cWhen you hear something back through speakers for the first time it can be completely different to what you thought. Like, I\u2019ll have an idea of what I think it would sound like from the excitement of being in the rehearsal room, and sometimes hearing things back through speakers and not hearing what you expected can cloud over something that is actually really great anyway.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cThere\u2019s always so many doubts when you get it back \u2013 that idea that expectations cloud it \u2013 so having had that time with it, and going through emotions with it \u2013 I\u2019ve had all the time I need to know what it is and be proud of what it is and now I\u2019m ready to show people.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Happy Accidents - Wait It Out \/ A Better Plan\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/acHRycUCCn0?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The beauty of recorded music is it that it proves, unequivocally, the sound of a group at a certain point in time. Twelve months is a long time to sit on songs, meaning that <i>\u2018Everything But The Here And Now\u2019<\/i> is, in some sense a time capsule, showing us the <b>Happy Accidents<\/b> of March 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Yet it\u2019s also allowed the group to grow into this ambitious sound, ready to unveil it to a live audience, having only teased early demos over the last 18 months. <i>\u201cThere a lot more stuff on this record, so learning the songs to play live has given it a new fresh perspective,\u201d<\/i> considers Rich.<\/p>\n<p>The point is, this tour is probably the last chance to catch <b>Happy Accidents<\/b> at this moment in time. In a further 12 months \u2013 if their ambitions continue to match their eye-catching musical growth \u2013 expect a much different experience from the one guaranteed around the UK over the next few months.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018Everything But The Here And Now\u2019<\/em> by <b> Happy Accidents <\/b> is out now on <b>Alcopop! Records<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><b>Happy Accidents<\/b> links: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.happyaccidents.band\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Website<\/a>|<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/happyaccidentsuk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>|<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/happyaccidentzz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a>|<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/happyaccidentsuk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>|<a href=\"http:\/\/happyaccidentsuk.bandcamp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bandcamp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Words by Rob Mair (<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/BobNightMair\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@BobNightMair<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Time, when you think about it, is really a rather strange concept. All that really exists is the here and now; the very moment that you live in; the past is everything that has taken us to this point, the future an unsketched blank canvas. It may seem an abstract leap, but much of \u2018Everything [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":57843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[306,15002,98,5878],"class_list":["post-39464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","tag-alcopop-records","tag-everything-but-the-here-and-now","tag-happy-accidents","tag-interviews"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Shiny Happy People - Happy Accidents - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Time, when you think about it, is really a rather strange concept. 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