The Artists Who Inspired Full Power Happy Hour’s Debut Album

The Weather Station

I first heard The Weather Station on community radio a few years ago and just fell in love with every single one of their songs. Tamara Lindeman's songwriting style and how she fits a million lyrics into one song inspired me to make my poems into songs - I like wordy songs :) 

They are just one of those bands for me that I feel can do no wrong, and their latest album Ignorance, albeit different to their earlier stuff, is amazing too, and I love that they aren't trapped in any genre, just doing whatever they want musically 

Twerps

Twerps are a band that brought something different to the whole jangly pop thing, they made it fresh somehow. I love how their songs are again like "Happy Sad" songs, catchy and sunny sounding but actually maybe about dark stuff... I also think what makes this band special is its two vocalists, who are really different but complement each other perfectly. 

The Maes

My sister introduced me to The Maes (who used to be The Mae Trio). They've been a big influence on me as a songwriter, especially for Full Power Happy Hour, the harmonies of Elsie and Maggie are just so beautiful and flawless, and inspired me to have a bit of harmony and choir vibes on this album. I've only seen them live once, and they have this earnestness and sincerity that makes you shut up and listen.

The Clean

They've been a favourite for a while, and I think that they're another band that again balance sunny and upbeat music with sometimes mundane or depressing topics, their songs are super catchy, I like that they can be a bit silly, but also serious. 

Joni Mitchell

When I was a kid I really loved Joni Mitchell! My mum had the Blue album on CD, and a few Best Of releases too. This song was the first song I learned to play on guitar, and I think I learned almost every song on that Blue album. I love her voice, such range! But also her songwriting style. She fits a lot of words into her songs, and they sound super personal and conversational. She's also great at writing subtle protest songs which I love. 

Full Power Happy Hour's self-titled album is out this Friday via Coolin' By Sound/Redeye Worldwide. Click here for more details on the upcoming release and check out the video for Old Mind Of Mine below.