Full Power Happy Hour

NEW SINGLE ‘BIT OF BRIGHTNESS’ OUT NOW

NEW ALBUM ‘BIT OF BRIGHTNESS’ OUT NOV 4, 2022.

The second album from Brisbane-Meanjin indie-folk five-piece Full Power Happy Hour builds on the immense promise of their 2021 self-titled debut, adding a gorgeous tinge of alt-country elegance to their inherent feel-good jangle-pop foundations. This musical bed – assembled collaboratively allowing the band’s true spirit to shine through – proves the perfect foil for frontperson Alex Campbell’s compellingly personal lyrics documenting a tumultuous period in their life, an at times fraught journey recast into beautiful, eloquent art.

The 10 songs veer from bright, upbeat toe-tappers to plaintive, introspective ballads, but flow together superbly due to the group’s underlying camaraderie and fast-blossoming chemistry. At times reminiscent of forebears like The Go-Betweens and The Clean, with flourishes of Lucinda Williams and contemporaries like Big Thief and The Weather Station, Bit of Brightness is 100% Full Power Happy Hour and one utterly beguiling aural experience.

Reviews for Bit of Brightness

“Catatonia style off-kilter vocals, mixed with jangly indie folk and the perfect sense of The Velvet Undergroun under-production. This first single from their forthcoming album is an absolute must!” Janglepophub

“Listening to Brisbane’s Full Power Happy Hour is like having pure sunshine poured into the ears: sonic rays of joy that sets the feet twitching and the face radiating joy.” Backseat Mafia

“As the group continues to progess, their sound may become even better than what’s here on Bit of Brigthness. But this is already so damn good I don’t see how they’d make it better.” A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed

“You can come to this album and hear a flawless piece of art and appreciate the performance of a band in full flight, that alone is good reason to invest. For me though, it goes deeper and I feel that repeated exposure to the music and art of Full Power Happy Hour and their second album “Bit of Brightness” will help restore peace to the galaxy.” Heavy and Weird

Merchandise

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Bio

Meanjin/Brisbane alt-country/indie-folk-five-piece Full Power Happy Hour deliver an enchanting collection on songs of great depth and beauty based around the beguiling songs and bewitching vocals of singer-songwriter Alex Campbell. The band’s unique aesthetic mixes the intimacy and fragility of ‘60s folk singers like Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez with the ramshackle bonhomie of The Pogues, tempered by a more modern indie-rock sensibility akin to The Clean, with results that are purely and defiantly Full Power Happy Hour.

While on the surface the genesis of Full Power Happy Hour seems to trace directly back to the fertile Brisbane punk scene – where for years many of its members shared both bands and stages – it’s heart dates back further, to singer-songwriter Alex Campbell’s early infatuation with the female voices of the ‘60s folk scene. Having stockpiled a growing collection of heartfelt songs which didn’t suit the punk aesthetic of her earlier bands, she pulled together some like-minded friends from both her past bands and immediate circle – namely Grace (guitar/vocals), Caroline (bass/vocals), Finn (tambourine/vocals) and Joe (drums) – and together they set out to mould the Full Power Happy Hour aesthetic. Having built a strong hometown following with their heartfelt, high-energy live shows, their debut release The Fun EP (2019) topped the 4ZZZ Top 20 chart and they’re now upping their ante with their assured debut self-titled album, a collection rife with impassioned lyrics, joyful instrumentation and heart-stirring harmonies.

Merchandise

Limited first pressing black vinyl is still available via bandcamp.

Reviews for Full Power Happy Hour’s debut LP
Full Power Happy Hour

“Less ramshackle than The Mekons, and less twang-y than some country acts, the material on Full Power Happy Hour is very, very good. I can’t imagine someone not loving this whole record as much as I did.” A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed

“Their self-titled debut takes its cues as much from Nashville country as it does from jangle pop groups like The Smiths and The Byrds: tricky electric guitar riffs echo through the songs as Campbell and her backing band harmonise together. A joyful and intelligent record from a new voice in Australian music.” 2SER – Feature Album

“Stand out of course is the lead track Old Mind of Mine, and personal favourite is Woohaa Everyday with that toe-dip into a bit of dream-pop crossed with folk crossed with country.” The Live Wire

“The old adage “less is more” was never more amply demonstrated than on this Brisbane act’s debut, where lush production is eschewed for the simple power of vocals backed by sparse instrumentation. Their bright, breezy style, coupled with Alex Campbell’s exquisite vocals, recall numerous female-fronted indie-pop acts of the ’90s….Their growing fanbase will be stoked with this long-player..” Courier Mail

“Although at its very core, this debut album by Brisbane’s Full Hour Happy Hour has an indie-folk foundation, it is the juxtaposition with the jangle-pop of the Dunedin Sound, that really steers the aesthetic away from ‘just’ a rewarding sense of intimacy, towards a genuine feel of the ‘something special’.” Janglepop Hub

“Eight topics with a common denominator: delicious.” TOT DE POP

“….I first saw songwriter Alex Campbell, along with bass player Caroline Townsend, play in all-women punk band Gunk a decade ago. Inspired by the riot-grrrl movement a generation earlier, they had taken to heart its DIY manifesto – forming a band, organising gigs and writing a black and white photocopied zine called Slubs..” read/listen to full review on 4ZZZ – 4ZZZ ALBUM OF THE WEEK