Switzerland-based songwriter Roman Gabriel and vocalist Andrew Pelletier’s recent formation of Seasonal Falls showcases more than just a devotion to the art of the indie scene as the music details existentially profound aspects of life. The band’s very name comes from the seasonal falls of Yosemite National Park which usually run in the late Spring, and early Summer months, representing the fleeting moments of beauty that appear all around us. Their latest album Happy Dayz is a collection of heartfelt sentiments that extend across a wide emotional scale. The mellow tunes conjure both relaxation and reflection, coalescing with notes of indie rock, folk, and pop, delivering listeners to a state of contemplative catharsis. Pelletier’s production and vocalization and Gabriel’s songwriting mesh inspirations of Elliott Smith, Pavement, Wilco, and Teenage Fanclub and cultivate a truly dynamic sound infused with quiet but fervent energy. Here is our track-by-track review of Happy Dayz featuring 9 songs to guide you across your exploration of the wilderness within and outside.
1. Happy Dayz
The album kicks off with a slow, somber melody that drives through the track beginning with delicate guitar strums and soft strokes of piano keys and eventually unfolding into a chilling rhapsody. Panning between existential helplessness and indulgent gratitude, “Happy Dayz” encapsulates the whispers of ruminations that more frequently flood our senses.
2. Used To Be Fun
This track is more upbeat than its predecessor though there’s still a softness contained in its hazy instrumentals. The layered vocals, toe-tapping beat, and lush guitar line create an atmosphere that commands listeners to get lost for a little while.
3. Lie Down
Life exists as a series of ebbs and flows, a sentiment acknowledged in “Lie Down” lyrically and musically. The chorus implores that listeners be mindful and “stay low” when pressures and hardships amalgamate while the soundscape illustrates the highs and lows we all experience.
4. Girlfriend
A full shift into solemn retrospection, “Girlfriend” details a micromanaging relationship that slowly reveals problematic undertones disguised as helpful mechanisms. The defeated vocals, backed by eerie influences of acoustic guitar and piano only deplete as the song progresses, emulating the exhaustion felt by the singer, drained from the demands of this person whose support is contingent.
5. I Wish You All The Rest
There is a distinct life in this song that’s felt in every chorus and verse. Careful listeners will pick up on an almost inaudible beat replicating a heartbeat at the beginning of the track. As the band’s presence increases with a subtle bassline and light taps of the drums, “I Wish You All The Rest” grows harmoniously into itself. The quirky wordplay of the title perfectly ties into the flighty musicality and introspective lyrics.
6. The Wind
Many songs on the album discuss themes of depression, harmful habits, and temporality throughout our existence but “The Wind” taps into these ideas the most. The incessant repetition of the lyric “anyway the wind blows” and the beginning of the second verse “nobody knows where the wind blows, I got no plans, I don’t care if it shows,” reminds us of the power and pleasure that can be derived from taking it easy. The song simultaneously recognizes that this aimlessness is not always positive but can be soothing in times of uncertainty.
7. Half-Moon
With a more folksy approach in its acoustics, distinct harmonies, and sharper drums, “Half-Moon” feels like Springtime in a song. Each intricacy is emphasized and actualized as we travel through the verses and choruses, landing in an ending that rings out with a final note until the crescendo of instrumentals gently fades.
8. You’re Not Alone
While every other song builds to the incorporation of vocals, “You’re Not Alone” immediately immerses, coinciding beautifully with its message of combating alienation and the unifying idiosyncrasies that make us human. Vocalist Andrew Pelletier beckons listeners to defy isolation as he tenderly sings the chorus, “You’re not alone out there, everyone else is weird as well, you’re not alone out there, everyone else is weird as hell.”
9. Hey Girl!
The album’s final song sees the release of the subject from the constricting obligations and conditions of their relationship. The chorus’s repetitive line “Hey girl I’m fed up with you baby,” followed by a symphony of “ohs” expresses pure jubilation existing within the meticulously crafted structure of the entirety of Happy Dayz. The song remains on the more melancholy side but contains so much liberation and pride in regaining one’s autonomy.
