Listen: Great Pagans - "Happy Now" [Premiere]

04 September 2014, 10:57 | Written by Jon Putnam

(Tracks)

(Great Pagans)

Oh, that great emotional paradox in the wake of a break up. Where the embers of your feelings still wish goodwill on the other person yet the fresh sting of separation conjures resentment toward that and the rueful desire for happiness of your own.

Brighton quartet Great Pagans, for better or worse, understand this sentiment precisely on their latest single and we here at Best Fit are pleased to premiere “Happy Now” from their upcoming debut LP, the tellingly titled Cupid In Error.

Drawing in equal parts from the flickering math rock of Foals and moonlit melancholy of 80s British indie pop, Great Pagans invest their sound here with a cool restraint, adding flourishes of warm synths. Amidst what feels like an emotional echo chamber, frontman Alex Painter’s doleful meditation on reconciling conflicting emotions is accompanied hand in hand by delicate melodic guitar lines and arpeggios.

Cupid In Error is out on 20 October courtesy of Anti-Ghost Moon Ray. Catch the band at the label’s showcase on 26 September at Dome Studio in Brighton and the album launch on 6 November at the Green Door Store, Brighton.