At the end of May, Happy Accidents gave everyone a welcome surprise when they released their third full-length album entitled Sprawling. The pop-indie band has been slimmed down to two members (Phoebe Cross and Rich Mandell) since 2018’s Everything But The Here And Now, but thankfully they don’t seem to have lost any steam. I’ve really enjoyed both of the band’s previous albums and their set at MPF in 2018 was one of my favourites from the weekend, so I was super excited for some new music from them (particularly at this moment in time, when new music feels like a liferaft in the storm that is 2020).
The album opens up with the delicate guitar picking and meditative vocals of ‘Whole’. The added keyboard and fuzz give the song a dreamy and other-worldly feeling, and I absolutely love the vocal overlays and harmonies. Next come the two singles that the band released ahead of the full album, ‘Secrets’ and ‘Grow’. These are definitely two of the best songs on the album and, together with ‘Whole’, make for a very strong beginning.‘Secrets’ is a little faster and more poppy, with dry vocals in the verses setting up for a full and catchy chorus. This song seems to build on ‘Whole’, both in how the vocals are beautifully combined and arranged, and in the theme of completely taking on all of the different aspects of a friend or partner; accepting a person with all of their secrets and flaws, the whole package, in good times and bad. ‘Grow’ is slower again, but is propelled by a playful guitar riff and offers some thoughtful lyrics about planting seeds of change and having the courage to grow.
The title track ditches the guitar for some keys and has a cool syncopated rhythm. I like the straightforward, almost one-note delivery of the vocals that works with the beat to give the song a steady momentum (also, there’s a lovely easter egg for the band’s first album You Might Be Right). ‘If I Do’ slows things down with a song about confronting a difficult situation and moving on, while ‘Sparkling’ brings in a slightly more poppy (dare I say effervescent) sound again. Something in the moody reflective nature of ‘Sparkling’ reminds me of Straylight Run, but it’s more jaded-adult than emotional-highschooler.
Following this are ‘Inside’ and ‘Outside’. The first juxtaposes a fun and upbeat melody with the dark and blunt confession of feeling “dead inside”, while the second is a slower poppy tune about not wanting to face the outside world. Together, these two songs seem to reflect upon the difficulties of depression and anxiety, and the different ways in which they can be so debilitating. Initially I enjoyed the front half of the album, but I’ve really come to like these two songs in particular. ‘Inside’ is comically honest, while ‘Outside’ builds beautifully at the end, and both have a strong melody to carry them. ‘Back in My Life’ is a fun bop that brings back some guitar fuzz, and ‘Comet’ closes the album with some more dreamy guitar picking.
Coming into their third album, Happy Accidents have veered away from more raucous bursts of energy into a more carefully measured indie sound. Although the album is slightly subdued compared to previous releases, these songs are thoughtfully and beautifully composed. Sprawling feels personal, mixing unfiltered honesty with swirling sounds and playful melodies. This is probably helped by the fact that Cross and Mandell produced the album themselves, and there is no one else interposing between the music and the listener. I’ve come to enjoy Sprawling more and more as I go back for repeat listens. It’s definitely worth checking out, particularly if you’re looking for something a little calmer and more reflective that’s still fun and catchy.
Stream and download Sprawling on Bandcamp here.
Like Happy Accidents on Facebook here.
This review was written by Robyn Pierce.
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