Peace – Happy People

Album Review by George Sully | 04 Feb 2015
Album title: Happy People
Artist: Peace
Label: Columbia
Release date: 9 Feb

Happy People is nothing we haven’t heard before: it’s shameless, straight-faced indie-pop, polished and filtered. But there’s a wayward spunkiness to Peace that transcends those kinds of gripes. Harry Koisser’s happy-go-lucky, bygone-era vocal sidles up to the footloose guitar chords like he’s trying to woo them, innocently charming and infectious to boot.

It’s shinier than their 2013 debut In Love, apparent from opener O You, upping a production notch; Under the Moon takes the former’s Float Forever out of the garage, while Happy People feels like a cleaned-up, poppier Bloodshake. It’s also a leaner cut (barely 40 minutes), losing some of the more indulgent moments of In Love for a tighter sound, less reminiscent of Foals and more like a younger, cheekier Spoon (particularly on Gen Strange and the replay-worthy Money), with confident, lycra-snug basslines. There’s no grit, which could be a criticism, but it’s too downright fun to be anything less than a quality record regardless. 

Playing Glasgow King Tut's on 17 Mar http://peaceforeverever.co.uk