By José Gandue @spinning zone
Happy Fi archive photos
One of the most interesting alternative music scenes in Latin America is found in Monterrey, Mexico. Some attribute its strength to its proximity to the US border; others, to the rich folklore of the Monterrey region, its venues, and gigs (with special mention of the legendary Iguana Coffee), or their rebellious spirit against the capital. But there is a less mentioned and fundamental element: the spirit of its artists to work communally, supporting each other so that their army of talents can project itself beyond the urban limits.
An outstanding example of that spirit is Happy Birthday, a collective of artists created in 1997 that also has its own record label, Happy Fi Records. Bands like Little girl, D3ndron, I Want Club, Arizona and other prominent names in Mexican indie music over the last three decades. They define themselves as “a creative space for artists seeking sonic freedom and authenticity,” and a quick look at their catalog—an enviable collection for any venture outside the industry's major leagues—is enough to confirm it.
Something curious happened in 2024: Happy-Fi It transformed into a band that performs hits from its own catalog, in addition to creating new material written by its members: Sol Oosel (Zurdok, Quiero Club), Chajoe (GIRL, D3ndron), Kiko Blake (Lowercase Division), Mickey Flowers (She's a Tease), Lou Zeke (I Want Club) and Eddie Gonzalez (Jumbo, Plastilina Mosh). This super project now presents its second EP, Crystals, a set of five songs that, without exaggeration, can be described as unmissable.
Five unmissable songs that confirm the enduring appeal of the Happy-Fi sound.
Comprising five tracks that alternate original material with new versions of Happy-Fi Records classics, the EP strikes a balance between nostalgia and reinvention. Through layers of psychedelia, electronica, and a powerful melodic sensibility, it opens with “Time Circuits”, an unreleased She's a Tease track from the 2000s. Then she offers reinterpretations of “Do Your Own”(The Live Band), “Chewbacca Has a Secret”(GIRL) and “Jack's Fever”(She's a Tease), to close with the instrumental “Gauntlet 89”, a neo-retro exploration of experimental textures and sounds.
It's a mature, intense, and exquisite work in its distortions and experimentations, managing to rescue classics from other eras and present them with a contemporary freshness. Furthermore, it proposes a well-designed journey: it begins acoustically, leading the unsuspecting listener to believe it's a calm and innocent album… but it soon transforms into a whirlwind of distortion and psychedelia. Produced by Rodrigo Guardiola (Zoé), these recordings stand out for the precise use of reverberation and the care taken in the editing.
The best time? “Jack’s Fever”, Without a doubt. A well-rounded piece, with imposing electric guitars and a contagious melody that evokes the best of Californian rock and funk from the seventies, reinterpreted with current sensibilities.
In summary, 24 minutes of beautiful and still relevant indie music. All of this deserves to be celebrated, at full volume, on your nearest stereo.