On Happy B-Day Mike, the latest self-release from math rockin’ boys What’s Fluffy, the Bloomfield, NJ quartet fires out six sonic anecdotes of hypnotic guitar lines, swaying time signatures, sparkling saxophonic blows, and never-ending feelings.
The EP, running at just over 18 minutes, opens up with “I Really Hate Cats”. The track isn’t something PETA should be worried about: it’s meant to show a correlation between the smugness of cats and teenage girls who pretend to be deep.
“I Wanna Be A Swan” follows, a vibrant ska song with speedy horn lines and blasting drums.
Despite being in a major key, “Midwest Sad Jamz” (a waltzy meshing of reverberated pianos with The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die-sounding choral dramatics) and the succeeding “College” (a sparse, yet powerful homage to leaving home and coming of age) are both the most melancholy tracks on Happy B-Day Mike. They end the album beautifully and comfortably.
Powerful drums, intricate guitar playing, spot-on bass lines, and jazz-tastic saxophones make Happy B-Day Mike a merciless instrumental beast, like the picture of King Kong in a bra destroying a metropolis on the cover. Although their lyrics aren’t at the same level as their instrumentation, What’s Fluffy still knows how to emo your pants off.
