Canadian alt-folk outfit PAYPHONES return with optimistic new single “Happy Here”
Following their warmly received 2023 debut album Rioting Heart, Edmonton, Alberta alt-folk group Payphones is back today with “Happy Here,” a slow-burning single that runs the gamut of musical moods. In the words of Payphones’ lead vocalist and primary songwriter Naomi Jichita, “‘Happy Here’ is a song about the joy and complex emotions of moving from existing in survival mode, into being able to live meaningfully and fully.”
Beginning with a solo, finger-picked acoustic guitar melody, “Happy Here” builds to a soaring chorus with lyrics that evoke a paradoxical feeling of being uncomfortable with experiencing moments of joy. The energy builds as Naomi sings, “I’ve been freezing for so long, I thought I’d never warm—and I don’t know how to feel.” The words mirror Naomi’s personal and artistic journey over the past two years and set the stage for Payphones to present more new music in 2025. “I’m happy here. This time, it’s us, so I just have to trust…”
Along with Naomi, Payphones features guitarist/vocalist Robyn Slack, keyboardist/vocalist Laena Anderson, and bassist Navan Forsythe. “Happy Here” was produced by their fellow Edmonton creative polymath Mallory Chipman at Riverdale Recorders, with percussion contributed by Aaron Addorisio.
Payphones began as a duo consisting of Naomi and Robyn but found its sound once Laena joined and gave the music new energy and complexity. The group played its first shows mere months before the world shut down in March 2020, and over the ensuing two years, they refined and performed their music for an audience of one—a very good dog named Ruby—while attempting to overcome isolation by seeking out local connections to make Rioting Heart a reality.
Throughout it all, Naomi has struggled with physical and mental health challenges that have led them to become an outspoken advocate for anyone who doesn’t fit an “acceptable” societal image (i.e. able-bodied, straight, cisgender), yet the beauty of their songwriting is that it is rooted in words and music to which anyone can relate.
In this way, Payphones follows the trail blazed by other western Canadian artists such as Tegan & Sara and Rae Spoon, bringing a message of greater inclusivity to the masses through music that upon first hearing sounds familiar, but reveals multiple layers with each listen. That feeling is embedded in “Happy Here,” a song sure to provide hope to anyone experiencing anxiety while trying to cope with the current state of the world.