Londoners Happy Accidents ink deal and release flurry of music details

London indie-punk trio Happy Accidents have got a rather big summer planned, announcing their signing to Alcopop! Records and the forthcoming release of their debut album "You Might Be Right", which will be revealed to the world on 1st July. This accompanies a rather enviable string of tour dates in mainland Europe and a run of UK festivals. Drawing influence from The Thermals, The Pixies, as well as their peers in the UK’s thriving DIY scene, they kick off with a video from the album’s first cut, Leaving Parties Early - which will be released in early April.
 
If there was one song on the record that could truly define Happy Accidents, this new single would be the one. With sugar-coated choruses and ‘four to the floor’ disco drums, the band’s sonic urgency may speak volumes on its own; but the disparity between the music and the lyrics showcases the great dichotomy of Happy Accidents. Dealing with matters such as anxiety and societal pressures, the song raises questions of identity within the context of attending parties where 'you don’t quite know if you fit in'. This contrast runs throughout the record, with the band pairing introspective lyrics with the biggest hooks they can muster. Rich from the band elaborates on the track:-

“Leaving Parties Early is about the coping mechanisms I go through when put into situations where I’m not completely comfortable. I wrote it after coming home from another terrible club night, trying my best to have a great time, while simultaneously never entertaining the idea that it might just not be for me. It was all part of learning that it’s okay to have a different idea of fun to those who surround us, and that personal preference is a wonderful thing!”
 
Formed by brothers Rich and Neil Mandell and Phoebe Cross back in 2014, Happy Accidents craft the kind of earworms that will be rattling round your head for months to come – fusing their deep-seated love of 90s punk and indie, whilst still managing to sound as fresh as any of their contemporaries. Quickly making a name for themselves in DIY punk circles, they’ve shared stages with the likes of The Front Bottoms, Martha, Muncie Girls, and countless others.
 
Following the positive reception to their self-released EP, the band took the collective decision to move beyond the home recording equipment and travelled to Leeds’ Greenmount Studios to record their all-important first album. The result is 30 minutes that neatly encapsulates what the band is all about. Packed with effervescent hook-laden melodies, bouncing bass lines and choruses to live for - this is intelligent, immediate pop. But dig a little deeper into Rich’s self-effacing lyrics and you’ll see there’s a more intensely personal edge to their output.
 
Though intensely personal, the album’s charismatic delivery and witty turn of phrase effortlessly turns these tales of personal struggle into a triumphant affair. With Rich noting that “It’s a record about overcoming the times where uncertainty is too much to handle, which is why we called it ‘You Might Be Right, there’s still a bit of ambiguity there, but optimism wins out in the end”.
 
It’s in this fine balance where Happy Accidents find their strength. By interweaving day-to-day difficulties with addictive pop hits, the album truly comes alive – transcending an undeniably exceptional pop record, to become something a little bit more special. You Might be Right will sneak into your consciousness from the first listen, like it or not!
 

TOUR DATES -

April:

13th - Lille, FR - L’Imposture
14th - Diest, BE - JH Tijl
15th - Castricum, NL - De Bakkerij
16th - El Topo Goes Loco Festival, BE
30th - Leicester - Handmade Fest
 
Summer:

14th May - Sheffield - Hagglers Corner
8th July – Cheltenham - 2000 Trees Festival
17th July – Oxfordshire – Truck Festival
13th Aug - Scene Better Days Fest (Leeds)