If there’s one thing that I’m a sucker for, it’s happy music. Life can be hard enough, and sometimes a deep, heart-wrenching record is the exact opposite of what I need. Happy albums, though, you can play those whenever you want. Already in a good mood? They’ll just add to that. In a bad mood? They can help there too. That’s why I really find myself attaching to “happy” bands, groups like Los Campesinos!, fun., Fang Island, and The Hold Steady. It’s never a bad time to listen to their music.
So I’m always looking for new cheerful bands, mainly because I tend to burn them out really quickly. Over-listening is quite a problem for me. Fortunately, Sky Larkin’s The Golden Spike should last me a while.
So what exactly makes this record so happy? I’d say that the biggest component is the singing by front woman Katie Harkin. While she doesn’t always come off as extremely happy herself, the delivery of her lyrics consistently does. Her vocals blend really well with the cheerful, punchy guitar riffs that can be found throughout the record. Overall, it’s relatively simple music that doesn’t try to present itself as more than that. The trio never gets too intricate or technical with their instruments, and they don’t need to. If anything, that would take away from the method that they’ve uncovered.
Standout tracks Molten and Beeline show exactly why Sky Larkin’s brand of happy music is so successful. Both tracks are easy to listen to, and pretty entertaining. The album as a whole keeps that trend alive, and without a song over four minutes, never wears for too long.
Swole Ear 
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