Weekly Journal

Double Happiness released their debut single, "Electric Sheep" on February 8th!

Melbourne based trio, Double Happiness have been in the dark scene since the second half of 2023, having a number of live shows. Along with the stage appearances they were preparing their debut single in order to introduce themselves to the rest of the world as well.  

"Electric Sheep" is the debut single from the new Australian dark wave, synth, shoegaze project, combining a powerful, danceable beat, gloomy synths and electrified atmosphere. Double Happiness delivers a beautiful, emotional track about a software appeared to have real emotions and desires, but no way to fulfil them without a physical form. "Electric Sheep" is about AI sentience that has been discussed for some time now, it is not yet established and it is a system capable of thinking and feeling like a human. It can perceive the world around it and have emotions about those perceptions. 

"Electric Sheep" opens with melodic synth pads layered over pulsating electronic beats, immediately setting a moody tone, while the vocals completes that dark intense feeling, adding mystery to the sound of Double Happiness. There is an emotional depth in the debut single of Double Happiness, and every element is beautifully crafted, mixed on a really good balance keeping the atmosphere,while the instrumentation remains clear, keeping the song's dark and dreamy vibe.

The track was recorded and mixed by Sam, with mastering done by Alex @ A Cut Above London. Instruments used in the recording were a Fender Telecaster, Fender Mustang bass, Tr-8 drum machine, a Korg Minilogue, and SP404 MkII sampler, and a Microkorg.

Formed in the wake of garage punk favourites PLEBS’ dissolution, the band consists of Sam Jemsek (guitar & vocals), Will Stanforth (bass) and Ben Callaghan (synths, drum machines & samples), with additional guitar provided by collaborator Sam Walsh of Silent Income. It marks a distinct departure in sound and style and sees the band venturing into the darker realms of shoegaze, darkwave and post punk.

Inspiration for the band’s sound has come as much from contemporary artists as it has from the heritage acts you might expect. Artists like Molchat Doma, Boy Harsher and Buzz Kull, with the latter providing reassurance that what they wanted to achieve was possible in a live setting; “We caught Buzz Kull when they opened for Boy Harsher in Melbourne, and I think seeing what he was doing with such a minimal set-up was what made us all think “yeah we can do this. We can make something really good here.” And that they have. Their live sets have already earnt them praise and a rapidly-growing fanbase, and with the release of this new single, the band are poised to have a massive 2024.

Info:

https://doublehappinesstheband.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/doublehappinessband

https://www.instagram.com/double_happiness_the_band/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6GR6wgq5HgYsDwZpbJFkVc