“I belong to the roads now,
Coming home to my old town
This pretty smile on this pretty face,
I think I am the happiest man on earth”
This song is best listened to with your eyes closed. “Happiest Man On Earth,” the second track off Broken Back’s independently-released debut EP Dear Misfortune, Mother of Joy, offers enough color and creative energy to fill the mind’s eye. The Paris-based electro/folk/pop artist finds an untapped niche somewhere between the folk likes of Vance Joy and Bon Iver, but his music is tinged with an electronic/eclectic – think Milky Chance/new-age Sufjan Stevens, etc.
“Happiest Man On Earth” is led by a brightly-strummed acoustic guitar, a subdued electro-pop percussive beat, and atmospheric background vocals that wash into the ear like the sea kisses the sand. Broken Back’s airy lead vocal rounds out his artistic identity to bear a new-age soulful aura: This is the soul of the indies, where potential strength has as much influence and power as actual energy. A song’s resolution and its musical climax are not predicated on grand dynamic juxtaposition, or any exposed dichotomies, for that matter. Broken Back reminds us of this with his tempered choruses and modest, tasteful orchestration.
“Happiest Man On Earth” has a chillwave, Aussie surf vibe to it – a laid back bounce that somehow manages to be simultaneously vibrant and muted. If these cold fronts stop hitting the Northeast, “Happiest Man On Earth” just might be one of the first good-timesy summer songs of 2015.
Though it’s difficult to understand the lyrics at all times, trust us – they’re beautiful:
“I’ll make it quick for you to know
Splashing my feelings is not where I’m the best at
I’ve never told you many things that I should
The words are on my lips, it’s time to tell you the truth
I belong to the roads now,
Coming home to my old town
This pretty smile on this pretty face,
I think I am the happiest man on earth”
Broken Back dropped his EP last week. Dear Misfortune, Mother of Joy contains “Happiest Man On Earth” along with three other songs – including the notable “Halcyon Birds.” You can grab your copy of the EP over at this link here: http://lnk.to/brokenback
To recap: Broken Back isn’t Vance Joy, and “Happiest Man On Earth” isn’t “Riptide.” This is a brand new artist with a fresh, sleek look and an exciting aural aura to match. So close your eyes, rest your head, take a deep breath in, and exhale into the swirling sounds of Paris’ Broken Back.
Oh, and get ready to bob your head a bit.
Listen: “Happiest Man On Earth” – Broken Back
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