The new album from The Sidekicks, Happiness Hours, is available in stores and on streaming services. Listen to Happiness Hours at Spotify now.
Happiness Hours was produced, engineered, and mixed by John Agnello. The twelve tracks that eventually found a home on the album show a band in full control of their powers. Each song presents its own little narrative microcosm and contained universe, all contributing to a record that, as vocalist/guitarist Steve Ciolek describes it, “feels like a potential collection of singles, every one of them a pop song, every one of them meant to make you feel good.” For The Sidekicks, despite their storied pop-punk past, the band’s main hope is that people can always expect something new, songs filled not just with loud guitars, but also things like trumpets, pianos, flugelhorns, and the occasional tambourine.
Formed in Cleveland in 2006, The Sidekicks made their debut with 2007’s So Long, Soggy Dog and followed the album with 2009’s similarly punk-influenced Weight of Air. The band embodied a more melodic sound with 2012’s Awkward Breeds, and fully showcased their tightly honed pop sensibilities on Runners in the Nerved World. Produced by Phil Ek (The Black Angels, The Walkmen), Runners in the Nerved World drew praise from the likes of Pitchfork (who noted that the album “hearkens back to the widescreen indie rock of Built to Spill, the Shins, and Band of Horses”).
The Sidekicks recently kicked off their Midwest and East Coast tour. Dates below:
May 22 Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle
May 23 Brooklyn, NY – Alphaville
May 24 Boston, MA – Great Scott
May 25 Washington, DC – Black Cat Back Room
May 26 Cincinnati, OH – North Side Yacht Club
May 27 Pittsburgh, PA – Smiling Moose
Jun 24 Minneapolis, MN – The Garage
Jun 25 Omaha, NE – O’Leavers
Jun 26 Denver, CO – Globe Hall
Jun 28 Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall
Jun 29 Boise, ID – TBD
Jun 30 Portland, OR – Tonic Lounge
Jul 01 Seattle, WA – The Funhouse
Jul 03 San Francisco, CA – Cafe DuNord
Jul 05 Los Angeles, CA – The Hi Hat
Jul 06 Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge
Jul 07 Albuquerque, NM – Midnight Lounge
Jul 09 Kansas City, MO – The Riot Room
Jul 10 Nashville, TN – The High Watt