With crisp, sun-kissed guitars and hazy vocals, Happy Now feels like summer vacations bottled and spritzed, a film of warmth upon my skin. At the same time, it bristles with a level of anxiety — vocals puncturing the easy-breezy feeling melodies with the refrain of, “Are you fucking happy now?”
The lyrics themselves portray the experience of sacrificing a bit of yourself for someone else, and yet feeling that the sacrifice isn’t recognised. Discussing the song, Girlhouse, real name Lauren Luiz, says:
“Happy now is about trying to make someone else happy at the expense of your own mental health. I wrote it shortly after moving to Nashville and had a lot of anger at the time. It was recorded and produced in the basement of a frat house in Nashville.”
Having grown up in Portland, Luiz initially pursued acting in LA, and it was this that exposed her to the people and places that would ultimately form the basis for her music career. She met her future bandmate and producer Tyler Thompson in the UK whilst studying and working in Bristol. Once Luiz returned to LA, her and Thompson formed the band WILD with another bandmate, who saw success on streaming platforms and through advertising and movie exposure.
In the background, however, Luiz was writing music for her own project, Girlhouse. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and Soccer Mommy, The eponymous Girlhouse EP was a breakup letter to LA. Now residing in Nashville, Luiz continues to make music as Girlhouse. Check out Happy Now below: