In the video for “Happy Again,” the two members of Athens band Eureka California — Jake Ward and Marie A. Uhler — inspect ham at a supermarket, walk Stand by Me-style down a set of train tracks, climb up a jungle gym and make shadow puppets against a tin wall. It’s light and carefree stuff, and it’s a perfect contrast to the song that’s raging behind them as they do it. A big, gnarled, guitar-driven number, “Happy Again” has the frantic quality of early indie rock, its edges jagged, its melody bug-eyed and hollered. The band’s pop instincts are undeniable, but on “Happy Again” they keep things loose and appropriately reckless, big, bleary and fun.
Eureka California’s latest record is available on the great label Happy Happy Birthday to Me.
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