The latest EP from Happy Camper brings out a personal and genuine feeling slow drip of a soundscape that let songs connect to each other and gives off such an authentic one on one vibe that you end up falling into the record and letting it engulf you.
The Luna EP has what are almost chapters or phases and as the songs play out you get more of a feel for this vivid imagery that they managed to paint.
The songs show an outside-the-box structure and arrangement Style which I think is really well done because it has this natural flow to it and lets the songs breathe like they're alive.
This is something you just don't get often anymore especially and it's something that I really miss a lot.
This evening he takes you away to a different place and when it's over you have to sort of snap yourself back into reality again because you've stepped into someone else's head for a bit.
It's a wonderful form of escapism and really lets itself get wrapped around you so that you can understand everything.
There's also this amazing dream-esque feel to the whole thing that it's like that space between being awake and sleeping.
It sounds like a warm sunset in the middle of the desert and there's something completely comforting about it all.
There's something special about stepping outside yourself and letting these textures sonically take you over in a certain way.
When it's done you kind of want to go back into it because it's not your reality, it's someone else's.
The whole thing really came off as graceful and very beautifully done.
The way the guitars are played and how the actual tonality of them come through is even personal feeling.
There's a lot of emotion that ends up on the record as well whether it was meant to or not you can almost feel the headspace that the artist was in during the creation of the songs.
It's like he was recounting situations and experiences, feelings and emotions. This is like his reaction to everything.
This is the kind of record that you feel like was cathartic for him to actually create. Like it had to be done for him to be able to move on in a certain way.
With such a beautiful record, we wanted to have a sit-down with Happy Camper to find out where this all came from and what might be coming up next.
Here's what went down.
RAG: Okay, let's start with the "Luna"! This release was cinematic and vast with textures and ideals that felt spacious! How did this track come about?
this project was inspired by my long-fought journey with insomnia induced by some PTSD from a couple personal events in my past. I wanted to capture the feeling of sleeplessness in tracks like Hello Again and build up to the dissonant nightmarish western in F.Y.S. Thinking of this project as one long journey into the night definitely helped me create the vibe I was wanting and I even wrote 5 other songs I had to cut because they didn’t fit the sound I wanted. RAG: How did this all start for you as an artist? When did you really fall in love with music?
I’ve always loved writings and making up fun rhymes and in college for fun over Christmas break I started writing a play. I had a ukulele and was just plucking around while writing and eventually wrote my first song and I was hooked. Later during the pandemic I bought a guitar and started teaching myself how to play and writing my own music as I went. RAG: What kind of things really inspire songs for you?
I really like the challenge capturing a feeling. There’s a great song by the Avett Brothers called, It’s Raining Today, and it is at its core just a song that perfectly embodies the calm of a gentle rainy day. With my music a lot of times if I’m struggling with putting a name to the emotion I’m feeling, I will try to write something that embodies it and that’s where my best work comes from. RAG: This release has some great styles on it! Can you give us some of your biggest influences musically?
Phoebe Bridgers is a big one that I got into fairly recently. I love the way that her music feels like a stream of consciousness and that style and tone really resonated and connected with me. Hozier and Bon Iver are two others that have made lasting impacts on my work. RAG: What are you doing when you're NOT working on music?
I’ve been working as a deckhand for almost a year now off and on. I just got a job with a schooner company in Maine that’ll take me to November but I like to travel around and see as much of the world as I can. On a less grand scale, I write dungeons and dragons campaigns for my friends and DM for them which is just a lot of fun! RAG: Who's in your headphones right now?
I’ve been listening to a lot of Rainbow Kitten Surprise lately, and Boygenius’ new album, The Record, has been a non-stop listen for me. Beach House is another that I’ve just got into. RAG: Are you doing any live performances right now?
not currently but I’m set up to start at any point and definitely not opposed to doing any live shows! RAG: Did you record yourself or hit a big studio for this?
I recorded everything in my closet with a cut up memory foam mattress lining the walls. Definitely not anything big time but nothing wrong with being thrifty. RAG: What can your fans expect from you in the near future?
I have a single from an upcoming project set to release May 15th called, Winter Creeper. More of a folk acoustic vibe with a very intimate atmosphere. RAG: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
It means so much to me that my music is starting to find a home. I love the idea that someone out there may be in a tough spot and needs to know there’s someone out there that’s made it through. It’s not always easy but if my music can be a comfort to you, whoever you are, then that’s all I could ask for.