Album Review: Gloo – How Not To Be Happy (Hassle Records)

South-coast 3 piece indie-punks Gloo will release their highly anticipated sophomore album ‘How Not to Be Happy’ on August 27th, 2021 via Hassle Records.

Says Thomas Harfield (vocals/guitar):

I read a lot of self-help books myself, trying to look for ways to make myself happier. But people don’t read one self-help book and then they’re fixed; they constantly read them – so maybe they don’t work at all! That made me think, Well, if you can’t learn how to be happy, maybe you can learn how not to be happy… I wrote these songs because I wanted to figure things out in my life. It’s an album for tearing shit up, having a good time, and forgetting about the world.

Blending feel good pop-punk with a harder punk rock edge and grungy touches here and there. Gloo certainly know how to lift the spirits with this outspoken bouncy blast of music. Ten tracks of passion-driven punk energy, snarl and snark that kicks off with the impressive groove of I Can’t Hear Myself Think and into the peppy energy of Ride. The latter, an instant Gloo classic and you can completely understand why it was released as a single before the album dropped.

Work So Hard is a classy example of the pointed and sharpness behind a lot of this album’s music. Before No One Gives A Fuck burns with punkish riotous noise and Swimming in Your Sea takes things down to the grungier level of Gloo’s sound.

If that slower and moodier tempo of the latter track didn’t do much for you, fear not, the energy is back with aplomb on Take the Piss, the kick-ass rhythm of Down and sing-along vibes of Permanent. Gloo coming at you with varied bursts of good-time punk rock that makes this album such a joy to listen too.

Seriously, it flies by in a blur which makes the sudden arrival of the final two tracks a shock. The first, Big Smoke, as punky and heavy as you can possibly get on this album. The latter, a fun acoustic strumming mellow effort about rizla getting wet in the rain. Hell, if you smoke rollies, you can relate.

In fact, so much of what Gloo express on this album is relatable and that just adds an extra layer of listenability to things. Great fun, heartfelt without dwelling on negatives, you’ll find yourself feeling a lot happier listening to this.

Gloo – How Not to Be Happy Full Track Listing:

1. I Can’t Hear Myself Think
2. Ride
3. Work So Hard
4. No One Gives A Fuck
5. Swimming in Your Sea
6. Take the Piss
7. Down
8. Permanent
9. Big Smoke
10. Rizla

Links

Shop | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter