Happyness is, at last, feeling somewhat content.

For the band’s sophomore effort, Write In, they’ve expanded the emotional range in their lyrics and beyond the ‘90s indie rock sound with which they’re commonly associated, but this growth and aplomb came from dispiriting circumstances.

Allston Pudding spoke to guitarist Benji Compston ahead of the band’s show at the Great Scott about making their new record in the wake of surgery and the loss of their Jelly Boy Studios, making a music video in L.A., and supposedly sounding like Radiohead and John Mayer.

Allston Pudding: The band’s sound has been associated with a ‘90s college rock revival… what do you make of this comparison? Did it influence the making of “Write In?”

Benji Compston: When we were making the first album, we definitely fell hard for a bunch of ‘90s bands and tried to emulate that in a not-so-shrouded way. But on this record I think we were going for a slightly different thing. We started listening more to people like Roxy Music & Randy Newman. Once a comparison has been made enough times, it’s kind of hard to shake – and it doesn’t really bother me whatever people want to namecheck. Although we once got told we sounded like a cross between early Radiohead and John Mayer which is just absurd. 

AP: Could you elaborate on the beginnings of this album and where you’re at as a band on their second release? 

BC: We wrote about 25 songs for this record, so I think a large part of the album process was knowing what to leave on the cutting room floor. We had a pretty turbulent year as a band in 2016… who didn’t? I got ill halfway through making the album and had to take a bunch of time out of the studio while I recovered from major surgery, so we literally had to pick up the pieces after all that and put together the record over the course of a few months in the summer. It was turbulent but kind of therapeutic – at least in hindsight. 

AP: The video for “Through Windows” is great. How did that concept come about?

BC: We met up with the wonderful Aaron Beckum in a coffee place in Silverlake while we were over in L.A. few months back. We really dug his work and he came up with the idea, which we loved. We spent the day shooting on a soundstage in L.A., which was hilarious. I think our Nord Stage Piano is still covered in movie sweat.

AP: How would you compare the reception of your work in different countries across the world? 

BC: It’s really cool to meet different people in different parts of the world who get the references/influences in our music – sometimes in really unexpected places from unexpected people. Like we were in the middle of the Swiss Alps the other day and I was having a conversation with an older guy about how he loved the Prefab Sprout reference in “Weird Little Birthday Girl”. 

AP: What are the plans for the band for the remainder of the year beyond this upcoming US tour?

We’re planning a show on a steam train somewhere in the English Countryside at some point. And we’re playing in Cyprus for the first time. Other than those two – a bunch of festivals and more touring!

Happyness will play Great Scott on Sunday, May 21st. “Write In” is available now via Bar/None Records.