Happy Murphy
We were contacted by Happy Murphy (aka Luke) from My Mind Races a while back, letting us know about his four track EP, made up of recordings he’s put together himself. Having recorded and produced the tracks himself in his shed (I want a shed….people do cool stuff in sheds) he was wondering what we thought of things, especially seeing as his solo stuff tends to go under the radar thanks to his other work in the band. As such, being the wonderful people we are, we thought we’d have a listen to see what we thought of his efforts!
Opening with Scars we’re ushered into a strange world, a place where echoey sounds abound and a sense of calm is ushered in. This is uncomfortable calm though, the sort of thing which suggests that there’s more to this than first meets the eye. Moving from section to section, the only way I can describe what’s going on here as is if Sigur Ros were to clash with Portishead and a smidge of Radiohead…it’s out there yet somehow makes sense at the same time – something which in all honesty, I quite like! I Love You With All My Brick On A Chain continues this approach once again, this time taking the sound to a new level with an acoustic guitar and ushering in a melodic sense of calm and reflection. There’s something calming about this track once again, yet still there’s that nagging thought of Radiohead and the like going on, almost like it’s an influence which is lurking in the background and one which comes through in the unique approach of Mr Murphy. What’s most evident though is the understanding of song writing which Happy Murphy clearly has, it’s the sort of song which follows form without becoming something it isn’t, keeping you listening and interested from start to finish.
Spare Parts continues the ‘out there’ acoustic approach, once again using the soft vocals and dark guitar lines to form a sound which makes you question what’s going on, what you’re hearing, and what’s going to come next. It’s striking how well put together these tracks are given that they were recorded in a shed, yet here, listening to them, you can well imagine that a lot of time and effort was put into achieving the sound which has been achieved, it’s got that real, raw quality which bands are increasingly going for, without sounding like it’s trying too hard – something which I really like in the sound. As such, the closing moments of Nanaki are once again a track which I would recommend you check out. Layered vocals and soft guitars work to form a sound which is deep, melodic, and hard hitting, hinting at emotion without going over the top or letting it get in the way of the music. Throughout the four tracks there’s been a sense of rawness, yet in the closing moments here it’s the track which is the focus, the feeling that runs through it, and the ability which is clearly on show here which steals the show – finishing with a track that has a haunting quality, and will stick with you for a long time to come.
My personal views are that Happy Murphy needs to get his music out there more, there’s a real sense of passion running through all of these tracks, as well as a serious demonstration of ability within the way they’re performed. From start to finish we’re shown off the inner soul of Happy, something which sets these tracks up as ones to make sure you check out.
Make sure you check out the EP for yourself HERE
Words: Dave Nicholls
Opening with Scars we’re ushered into a strange world, a place where echoey sounds abound and a sense of calm is ushered in. This is uncomfortable calm though, the sort of thing which suggests that there’s more to this than first meets the eye. Moving from section to section, the only way I can describe what’s going on here as is if Sigur Ros were to clash with Portishead and a smidge of Radiohead…it’s out there yet somehow makes sense at the same time – something which in all honesty, I quite like! I Love You With All My Brick On A Chain continues this approach once again, this time taking the sound to a new level with an acoustic guitar and ushering in a melodic sense of calm and reflection. There’s something calming about this track once again, yet still there’s that nagging thought of Radiohead and the like going on, almost like it’s an influence which is lurking in the background and one which comes through in the unique approach of Mr Murphy. What’s most evident though is the understanding of song writing which Happy Murphy clearly has, it’s the sort of song which follows form without becoming something it isn’t, keeping you listening and interested from start to finish.
Spare Parts continues the ‘out there’ acoustic approach, once again using the soft vocals and dark guitar lines to form a sound which makes you question what’s going on, what you’re hearing, and what’s going to come next. It’s striking how well put together these tracks are given that they were recorded in a shed, yet here, listening to them, you can well imagine that a lot of time and effort was put into achieving the sound which has been achieved, it’s got that real, raw quality which bands are increasingly going for, without sounding like it’s trying too hard – something which I really like in the sound. As such, the closing moments of Nanaki are once again a track which I would recommend you check out. Layered vocals and soft guitars work to form a sound which is deep, melodic, and hard hitting, hinting at emotion without going over the top or letting it get in the way of the music. Throughout the four tracks there’s been a sense of rawness, yet in the closing moments here it’s the track which is the focus, the feeling that runs through it, and the ability which is clearly on show here which steals the show – finishing with a track that has a haunting quality, and will stick with you for a long time to come.
My personal views are that Happy Murphy needs to get his music out there more, there’s a real sense of passion running through all of these tracks, as well as a serious demonstration of ability within the way they’re performed. From start to finish we’re shown off the inner soul of Happy, something which sets these tracks up as ones to make sure you check out.
Make sure you check out the EP for yourself HERE
Words: Dave Nicholls