Happy Ending

Hifi Sean and David McAlmont's album Happy Ending finally got its full release last Friday, after months of hold ups at the vinyl pressing plants, three singles as teasers, a limited vinyl release last year (I was lucky enough to get a copy a few months ago) and recently a free to download lyric booklet. However you have received it, in whatever format, it has been well worth the wait, one of the 2023's best albums already. 

Hifi Sean, former Soup Dragon now DJ, producer and remixer, had an album out in 2018, an album with multiple guest vocalists ranging from Yoko Ono to Bootsy Collins and Alan Vega. David McAlmont guested on Like Josephine Baker and this was clearly the starting point of a beautiful working relationship. Sean's music conjures up a 21st century psychedelic soul soundtrack, with sweeping Bollywood strings on six of the songs, recorded in Bangalore, clubby drums, driving basslines, gorgeous soaring melodies and David's startling voice. The opening song and title track Happy Ending is seven minutes of glorious music, starting with found sound and voices before the drums kick in and a Motown bassline starts pushing and then the strings gliding up and down... and then McAlmont joins in, an angelic but world weary voice, singing of 'good outcomes and happy endings/ where do you want to start?'

Happy Ending is almost worth the price of admission on its own. Over the next four sides of vinyl/ twelve songs they repeat the trick time and time again, a perfect collection of songs that really need to be heard and appreciated as an album, tackling the big topics from racism and Black Lives Matter as those protests unfolded following the death of George Floyd in 2020 to the gay nightlife hedonism of Hurricanes, to Sean writing during the midst of a breakdown, trying to rebuild his life. Beautiful is the kind of life affirming adult pop music we all need to hear on those days when getting up and out just doesn't seem worth the effort. Viva Hifi Sean, David McAlmont and happy endings.