Penny Was Right – Happy Machine LP (Upstartz Records)

Today we have a special treat for those who like their punk rock music soulful, melodic, dynamic, and performed as it should be in 2022. Happy Machine is a highly anticipated second full-length album by Penny Was Right, a French melodic punk rock quintet coming from Paris. Previously, Penny Was Right released two extended play recordings, such as self-titled and We Were Kids. The band also released a debut full-length Dumb & Wild back in 2018, and of course, loads of singles between all the beforementioned recordings. With Happy Machine, Penny Was Right expand their sound even further by incorporating much more contemporary melodic punk rock maneuvers, but then again, remaining loyal to their initial sound. The album came out digitally on December 10th, while the compact disc is available on Upstartz Records, a newly established German record label operated by highly skillful people who earned experience by working for some of the well-known record labels before. The vinyl record is coming later this year.

Happy Machine carries ten perfectly executed melodic punk rock compositions. The band assembled each number with a sense of balance between mellowness and aggression. It is a thoughtfully arranged and performed album by the people who know in which direction they’re heading to, but there’s even more than meets the eye. Like any other band, Penny Was Right is also inspired by different bands, different music genres, different approaches to playing punk rock music, but they are so far away from being copycats. Of course, you’ll notice that the bands like Rise Against, The Distillers, Bring Me The Horizon, Alter Bridge, Guano Apes, and many others inspired these experienced musicians to compose their music but the band also aims to leave personal signature through catchy melodic punk rock tunes. Penny Was Right fully stacked their songs with brilliant ideas, excellent musicianship, and that’s vividly hearable from scratch to finish. Their compositions are emotive, rich in melodies and harmonies, rich in energy and dynamics, fully loaded with intelligent lyricism and sense for clever writing, composing, and arranging.

The thing I mostly love about Happy Machine is a notable dosage of aggression lurking beneath the layers of melodies, harmonies, and chord progressions. The melodic aspect of Happy Machine is primary, but there’s no way you will not notice the energy that bursts from each song, and these are not some unintentionally implemented dynamics. Quite the contrary, this French punk rock group does everything with more than a good reason. It would be so foolish of me not to mention tremendous female lead vocals abilities decorate the incredibly assembled music even more. Besides flawless guitar dueling, there’s a massive sounding rhythm section built upon excellent basslines and powerful drumming performance, which contributes to the dynamics of this band. As I said, everything is there for a good reason. Happy Machine will be your go-to album every time you need wisely assembled melodic punk rock music. Head over to Upstartz Records for more information about ordering.