Canadian singer-songwriter James Wyatt Crosby has returned with his new album, Happy Memories, which came out on January 26th, via Wavy Sun.
The title track and lead single is a particular highlight, that deals with the concept of “memories and deals with the sometimes darkly obsessive nature that unfettered nostalgia can lead to.” The track has a bit of a jangly 90s indie rock sound with a hopeful spirit that radiates with a sense of positivity and hopefulness, reminding of some of the earlier days of artists like Band of Horses.
Speaking on the song, Crosby adds:
“Happy Memories” is a song that evolved out of a demo that I recorded years and years ago. It was the final track on a collection of demos called Angels and Demos that I’ve drawn from for all of my albums so far. The original track was an instrumental, but after being in a few different band projects that fell apart, I was inspired to write a song that was 100% purely nostalgic. I had a few versions of the song with lyrics half written, and then someone reached out to me and asked if I would write them a song for their partner because they were a fan of my music. I recorded a rough version and send it to them, which was A) a fun experiment and B) a confidence boost which allowed me to make a more developed version of the song and work on a number of half-finished songs and get them to the point where I felt I had a cohesive collection worth sharing. I had initially toyed with the idea of naming my first album Happy Memories but I went with Twins instead to match the cover art and thematic content of that collection. Although the song kind of turns the idea of happiness and nostalgia on its head, I am sincerely happy that Happy Memories is finally coming out and that I was able to revisit the past in a creative way with the album’s title track. –jwc
Enjoy a listen now below.
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