Happy Little Clouds embrace empowerment and fun with ‘The Emperor’s Song’

Boston’s melodic, soulful post-grunge trio launch a new era with a lively new music video out Tuesday, February 27

NOW PLAYING: Watch ‘The Emperor’s Song’ via YouTube

Happy Little Clouds to debut the video live at The Square Root on February 24

Listen to ‘The Emperor’s Song on Spotify and Bandcamp

BOSTON, Mass. [February 27, 2024] -- Like most famous emperors that came before – from Marcus Aurelius to Genghis Khan to all the cute little fuzzy ones swimming around Antarctica – it does not take long for Happy Little Clouds’ new single “The Emperor’s Song” to grab a person’s attention and never let go. The lively and infectious indie-synth track, which hit the streams in early February via the band’s own Happy Little Medium label, soon gets the music video treatment. Boston’s melodic, soulful post-grunge trio are set to unveil the visual on Tuesday, February 27, a few days after premiering it at their next live show at The Square Root in Boston’s neighborhood of Roslindale on Saturday, February 24. 

It feels appropriate for Happy Little Clouds to unveil the video in a live setting, as “The Emperor’s Song” marks a bit of a new era for the band led by vocalist and guitarist Jac Mestel (they/them). Rounded out by new members JD Bergstrom (bass; he/him) and Jess Townsend (drums, she/her), Happy Little Clouds are now fueled by a new kind of musical euphoria, and are eager to re-emerge with their first dose of new music since 2016 debut album Shift. 

“It’s a new start of a new sound and energy for the band,” Happy Little Clouds admit. “We have a more upbeat feel and things are more rockin’ than ever before. We’re breathing life into these songs together.

And it all starts with “The Emperor’s Song,” a veritable indie-pop bop that blends alt-rock urgency with a spacious synth-pop depth and propulsive vitality. As the title suggests, however, there’s a little bit more going on under the surface than the track’s playful buoyancy may suggest.    

“‘The Emperor’s Song’ is about a relationship being infiltrated and taking the anger and trauma and frustration and turning it into something empowering and uplifting to make things better for everyone,” the band says. “The Emperor in the tarot is this very strong leader who is also in touch with his own emotions so Jac put their feelings through the lens of a character who knows how to get through something painful and come out stronger.” 

The upbeat nature of the track made it an obvious choice for Happy Little Clouds to reintroduce themselves. And with “The Emperor’s Song,” the band agrees that after a few years of lineup shuffling followed by a few additional years of dormancy due to the pandemic, Happy Little Clouds now feel like a proper band, with a collaborative process, and not just Mestel acting as a lead singer-songwriter flanked by musicians just playing their parts. 

For “The Emperor’s Song,” Mestel first brought in “a catchy-as-fuck song skeleton” that the band quickly developed into something special, leaning on Townsend’s intensity behind the kit – prior to joining Happy Little Clouds, she was the drummer for World/Inferno Friendship Society, replacing The Dresden Dolls’ Brian Viglione – and the melodic bass playing of Bergstrom, which intertwined nicely with the lyrical hook and synth lines from Mestel – whose great uncle, Herb Weiner, co-wrote the classic pop standard “It’s My Party” way back in the early 1960s. 

“For us, this song just feels fun out of the gate and we love how playful the synth is in between this solid groove,” the band adds. “We’ve started really collaborating and finding a sound that only the three of us can make together. We have a more upbeat feel and things are more rockin’ than ever before. We’re breathing life into these songs together.” 

The music video only furthers that notion, as it finds the band playing along as raw video footage from one of Mestel’s family vacations to Rome enhances the emperor themes, tying it all together with some actual ancient history. Soon, the seriousness of the museum scenes gives way to the band members playing dress up – all in-line with the titular characters. 

Happy Little Clouds are no strangers to eye-catching videos, as their 2018 clip for “Beneath,” about gender and identity empowerment, was premiered at Austin's AGLIFF film festival, and earned attention from the Advocate and a host of local press, earning a Boston Music Award nomination for “Video of the Year.” While topics of queer acceptance and identity often permeate through the music and lyrics of Happy Little Clouds, here, the band is just kicking back and showing off a certain playfulness. 

“Jac boinged awake one morning with a ‘brilliant’ idea to buy discount costumes the day after Halloween, have everyone dress up like emperors, and have a ball in front of a green screen in the rehearsal space,” Happy Little Clouds say. “Jac won them over with the idea, and Jess and JD actually had so much fun.”

And it’s only just the start of this new chapter of the band, with a busy 2024 ahead. 

“We’ll be churning out the music, getting in front of audiences, and having a blast,” they conclude. “We have lots of new things in the works. Watch this space.”  

Happy Little Clouds are:

Jac Mestel: Vocals, guitar, and keys

JD Bergstrom: Bass

Jess Townsend: Drums and percussion

‘The Emperor’s Song’ production credits:

Written by Happy Little Clouds

Lyrics by Jac Mestel

Recorded by Adam Preston Cissell at Deadmoon Audio, Somerville, MA

Mastered by Pete Weiss at Jade Cow Music, Somerville MA

Artwork by Jac Mestel

‘The Emperor’s Song’ single artwork:

Media praise for Happy Little Clouds:

“‘The Emperor's Song’ is worth the wait. It's a synth heavy alt-pop song that is almost too catchy, as if that was an actual thing. It's sort of like taking your favorite 80's pop song and mixing it with the best of the mid 90's post grunge/power pop movement. This is just pure indie rock sunshine that is going to have you going back to Shift as you patiently wait to hear more from them, hopefully much sooner than later.” _If It’s Too Loud

“Staying true to their optimism-in-the-face-of-adversity name, Boston-bred indie rock group Happy Little Clouds gives us a fresh take on the struggle to accept one's true gender identity with their new video ‘Beneath.’” _Advocate

“‘Beneath’ is a tale of identity empowerment… what begins in a darker, more desolate place eventually evolves into something more positive and colorful, and the acceptance at the end of the clip (ahh shit spoiler alert!) is the destination of a path towards the realization of one’s self.” _Vanyaland

“Boston’s Happy Little Clouds are an exciting and intriguing young band.” _Boston Hassle 

“...insanely catchy brand of indie rock…” _The Deli @ SXSW

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