Some songs just land at the right time. “Happier,” the new single from Cincinnati’s The Silkies, is one of those — drop it on a Friday afternoon and suddenly the week doesn’t feel so heavy. There’s a looseness to it, something pleasantly unhurried but never sloppy. A lot of bands in this dreamy, mellow space let things get too shapeless, too sprawling. The Silkies don’t. Everything here breathes, but it also holds together.
The band is also announcing they’ve signed with a label, which should open some doors.
They’re heading out on tour with Mike Viola (who’s worked with Andrew Bird, Madison Cunningham, Dawes) starting February 20 — Club Cafe in Pittsburgh, then 20 Front Street in Lake Orion, Michigan on February 21 (already past 40 presale), and Off Broadway in St. Louis on February 24.
But back to the song. Joe Pruitt, singer and guitarist, says “Happier” came from a pretty tangled place. “It’s about trying to fight the feeling of being detached from the normalcy of society and destroying yourself in the process,” he explains.
He was putting work and relationships that didn’t really matter ahead of making music. “It left me feeling isolated and very lost. There’s a real struggle to being an artist and it’s unfortunately not one we choose but something we have to live with.”
There’s a second thread running through it too — something about giving too much of yourself to people who don’t return it. Pruitt calls it “overextending empathy and eventually getting taken advantage of, or walked over because of your good intentions.”
So you’ve got this song that sounds warm and easy on the surface, but underneath it’s about burning out in two directions at once.
Production-wise, they were chasing the feeling of Yo La Tengo, The Cure, and The Replacements. “Those artists often capture melancholy, raw, and bittersweet feelings in such a great way,” Pruitt says.
That tracks — “Happier” sits right in that zone where things feel sad and comforting at the same time, without tipping too far either way.
The press so far backs it up. The Line of Best Fit described their sound as “woozy and passionate… the perfect companion for a summer day of languishing in the sun.” Under the Radar picked up on the “stinging guitar riffs” and “densely layered labyrinths of psychedelic effects.” Earmilk went with “a beautifully trippy cocktail of garage, new wave, psych rock, and alternative” and said the band “have hit on a formula that just works.”
Hard to argue with that.
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Catch the band live with Mike Viola (collabs w Andrew Bird, Madison Cunningham, Dawes):
Feb 20 – Club Cafe – Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 21 – 20 Front Street – Lake Orion, MI (Detroit) 40+ presale currently
Feb 24 – Off Broadway – St. Louis, MO
