You know the book/movie The Princess Bride? You know that part where Westley tells Buttercup, “Life is pain, Princess. Anyone who says differently is selling something?” Someone chuck William Goldman the dodgeball of prophecy. We live in times when unhappiness has reached an all-time high, along with the number of people telling us just to stay positive while trying to sell us on products and policies they say will make us happy.
Well, we here at Start-Track ain’t buyin’ it, folks. And neither are the good people of Against The Voices, K. Hart (guitars/bass/vocals) and Nick Zimmerman (drums/keys/guitars/vocals), who bring you “Fake Happiness”, the first single from their upcoming EP HAPP-EP (out March 25th). The track gives late-2000s power-pop ennui à la MGMT, AJR, and Grouplove: Feel-good-sounding electric drum beats and warm, fuzzy synth chords make you want to move, all while masking the music’s real meaning.
“I should smile more, they say”, Zimmerman sings, “through dried-out teeth and a plastic face.” From the jump, the song captures society’s constant pressure to fake it even if you don’t make it. I’m sure you, too, know too many folks who have struggled to put on a facade for so long that it’s killed them. Sometimes the best thing for our own survival is to understand that the constant search for happiness and prosperity is empty and can lead only to ruin. To paraphrase Saint Bernard of Clairvaux: “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.”
And so Zimmerman and Hart sing in the chorus: “Oh my God, it’s such a hassle trying to be happy / Maybe I should be happy that there’s no happiness in me.” Understanding the lack of happiness in the world and our own hearts – and the futility of chasing happiness – can help us slow down, hear each other and ourselves better, and maybe lead to little things that make life worth living. Maybe they will, in their own ways, make us really happy.
Or not. Who knows? I’m not a clairvoyant fortune teller. All I know is that “Fake Happiness” is a bop, and you should give it a listen below. Also, stay tuned next week for when the band drops the HAPP-EP. Feel free to follow Against The Voices on their socials for updates on that release and all future ones.
Written by Will Sisskind
