Vermont’s Happy Birthday are part of that growing contingent of indie rock who forgo skinny ties, flannel, and a frown for beach-y rhythms, girl-group hooks, and the word “baby.” Their self-titled debut, although sounding more than a little bit like their San Francisco counterparts Girls, is happily whimsical and enjoyably original.
Nearly every song on their record is in one way or another about girls, or more specifically, the inability to seduce them — but it’s anything but depressing. Frontman/lead guitarist Kyle Thomas sings in a sort of wispy, lazy-eyed drawl, akin to fellow east-coaster J Mascis. You can practically hear him hold back his giggles; he knows the words he’s singing are meant to be taken more as responsive nostalgia than true heartbreak. Hell, most of the songs sound like they’re ready for a boomer-era high school dance — swooning “aah-aah” harmonies, chiming guitar, and domesticated bass, and a lot of them (“Maxine the Teenaged Eskimo,” “Subliminal Message,” “Girls FM”) are immediately memorable. It’s one of the most fully formed debut albums I’ve heard all year.
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(Sub Pop Records, 2013 Fourth Street, Third Floor, Seattle, WA 98121)