As the ball dropped at the end of 2025, the horns rang in the New Year’s. For many of you, it may have been bells or fireworks, but for me, it was the horns of Seattle ska band, Mister Blank, whose new song, Happy Hour, was released at midnight on the first.
The track begins with a rock guitar riff for a couple of passes before a keyboard comes in underneath that sounds like the starting flag in an 8-bit racing video game, and the drums, bass, and a playful brass section jump into position and the song.
The first verse is about “Happy hour”- the hour when latchkey kids would come home from school, their mom still at work, the house to themselves, and eat snacks and play video games. Life was good, but as the song progresses, time passes. The games get harder, life does too, and even though you still wanna play, you don’t have time. The keys throughout the song are excellent, and the coin collection samples are fun and playful. The drums are probably my favorite part of the song, and there is a solid brass section throughout with a solid instrumental to liven the song up and keep it feeling fresh when it feels like it might stagnate a little.
What began as a playful song about no responsibilities becomes a longing for that life- the ability to just sit down and play. But work and responsibilities rob you of that time, and the only thing you want is one hour of free time, at the end of your day, to clear your mind, forget about responsibilities, grab a bag of chips and a controller, and rescue Peach or beat Dr Robotnik.
This is the first original song released by Mister Blank in three years. Responsibilities make being in a band hard. This is my first music review in a month. It hasn’t even been responsibilities; sometimes it’s just depression. But they did it. Mister Blank got together they wrote the new music. They recorded the video. They put it out in the world. They made the time. They found the Happy Hour. Maybe it wasn’t the video game, maybe it was the music. I did it too. I wrote this review the day the song came out. The song helped me find my Happy Hour.
Life is tough. Whether it’s video games or music, make sure you make time to do the things that bring you joy. You deserve happiness. Happy New Year.
Written by Gimp Leg
