Are You Even Happy Now? [LP]

Adult Magic - Are You Even Happy Now? [LP]

Long Island’s nest return after a wait of… seven years? That can’t be right. And yet that’s how long has elapsed since Adult Magic’s triumphant, addictive self-titled debut arrived in the world. If you fell for that album’s glorious combination of 120-Minutes-slanted hooks and raw-throated, heartfelt punk rock, here’s the good news (spoiler: it’s all good news) - Are You Even Happy Now? is even better. Sure, it drinks from the same well as its predecessor, marrying the band’s classic sound to the accrued experience that seven years of living will bring (and what a seven years it’s been, huh?). This is a band that sounds wiser and cannier, without losing any of its drive or vitality, while their knack for a winning melody remains undiminished. You like songs that prompt you to sing every word by the time the second chorus rolls around? Just wait til you hear the give’n’go rambunctiousness of Drift & Drive, or the gritted-teeth thrills of Sick Sad World. But maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves; maybe you’re new to Adult Magic. In which case here are some reference points for you: the raggedy pop of Hüsker Dü’s Flip Your Wig. The Replacements in their pomp. The Goo Goo Dolls before power balladry dragged them away from their scuzzy beginnings. Hell, you can even hear some of Matt Pryor’s anthemic tendencies in the free- owing excellence of fourth track Seneca Mantra, and it’s all wrapped up in the instantly-identi able chutzpah of the DIY punk scene from which they sprang forth. We could spend all day listing the bands this storied trio have played in, so let’s mention a few for kicks: Iron Chic, Radar, Broadcaster, Down In The Dumps, Get Bent, Crow Bait, Sister Kisser… you get the idea. So here we are. ‘Are you even happy now?’ is something we all nd ourselves asking at certain points in our lives, not least in these end-of-history times. And when the hooks are this good, you may as well ask the question with your sts in the air while the record spins, over and over again. Get involved. Limited to 200 Black vinyl. 01. Evergreen 02. Burned Out 03. Sore Eyes 04. Seneca Mantra 05. The Wreck 06. Sick Sad World 07. A Little Light 08. Drift & Dive 09. Direction 10. Roll Along