So remember how we all had to fully uproot our lives, change career trajectories, move across the country, and question our entire existence during a global pandemic? “Happy Go Lucky” was written in the throws of all that. Emmett Kai and girlfriend/collaborator Alexandra Machover were searching for a new home in the midst of the California wild fires and drove across the country two times over in search of it. With any relationship, there’s work to be done, and there’s nothing like a pressure cooker (i.e. long ass road trip) to make you aware of that work. Any unresolved questions rear their ugly heads, tensions rise as you grow weary, it’s a high emotional state across the board. With “Happy Go Lucky”, its sunny and playful melodies juxtapose the inner and outer turmoil Kai is dealing with on this roadtrip. In the end though, its his genuine care for his partner that is at the forefront of his mind.
The video was made by Kai and Machover in Santa Rosa over that same summer. The isolated location speaks to a very specific moment in time that I think we all soon won’t forget — going stir crazy in our homes. With Kai’s playfulness and vulnerability, “Happy Go Lucky” speaks to his ethos as an artist — being able to share freely about the human experience without it being overwrought or melodramatic.
“Happy Go Lucky” is out now via UNISEX RECORDS.
