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Then I'll Be Happy (EP)

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2021 EP by Glaive and Ericdoa

Then I'll Be Happy
Ericdoa is sitting on the left in black clothing in front of a white background, surrounded by a dresser and a lamp. Glaive is sitting on the right in white clothing in front of a black background, surrounded by a lamp and a chair.
EP by Glaive and Ericdoa
ReleasedOctober 6, 2021
Studio
Length15:22
Label
Producer
  • Ericdoa
  • Cashheart
  • FortuneSwan
  • Glasear
  • Kidicarus
  • Kimj
  • Lunamatic
  • Nick Mira
  • Mochila
  • Tim Randolph
  • Whethan
Glaive chronology
All Dogs Go to Heaven
(2021) 		Then I'll Be Happy
(2021) 		Old Dog, New Tricks
(2022)
Ericdoa chronology
COA
(2020) 		Then I'll Be Happy
(2021) 		Things With Wings
(2022)
Singles from Then I'll Be Happy
  1. "Cloak n Dagger"
    Released: January 21, 2021
  2. "Fuck This Town"
    Released: July 9, 2021

Then I'll Be Happy is a collaborative extended play (EP) by the American musicians Glaive and Ericdoa. It was released by Interscope Records and Listen to the Kids on October 6, 2021. After becoming leaders of both the hyperpop and digicore genres, the frequent collaborators recorded the EP in a North Carolina Airbnb homestay and a studio. It experiments with sounds beyond the hyperpop genre, and contains lyrics that are written as angsty aphorisms. The EP was produced by Whethan with contributions from a variety of record producers including Ericdoa and Nick Mira. Then I'll Be Happy was promoted with two singles—"Cloak n Dagger" and "Fuck This Town"—and the Then I'll Be Happy Tour across North America. It received mixed reviews from critics, who cited the lack of chemistry between the duo.

Background and recording

Glaive and Ericdoa are both considered rising stars in the digicore genre; The Fader's Alex Robert Ross called Glaive "the most promising kid in pop music" and Sophie Leigh Walker of The Line of Best Fit considered Ericdoa a digicore pioneer. They are also best friends and frequent collaborators. They recorded part of Then I'll Be Happy in a North Carolina Airbnb homestay in January 2021, as well as a studio. The lead single, "Cloak n Dagger", was recorded in one day at the homestay.

Composition

Overview

Mano Sundaresan from Pitchfork believed the EP "rarely sounds like hyperpop" and said the middle stretch of the EP sounds like "paint-by-numbers pop songs". He further wrote that "the guitars swing into EDM drops and the drum patterns switch up almost obsessively". According to the Chicago Reader's Leor Galil, Glaive typically prefers Midwest emo guitars mixed with energetic electronic production, while Ericdoa usually favors dreamy synthesizers and sharp hip hop beats. As singers, they share a similar emotional tone and trembling vocals, as well as a "nasally shout". The duo writes in angsty aphorisms, according to Sundaresan.

Songs

The opening track is "Naturale", which showcases Glaive and Ericdoa's chemistry as well as how they handle life after gaining fame. The following song, "Mental Anguish", sees the duo harmonizing its title during the hook, which was compared by Sundaresan to moments from Ericdoa's album COA (2020). Steve "Flash" Juon from RapReviews wrote that "Heather" contains "electronic production", "artificial drums", "vocoded vocals", tempo changes, and "whiny complaints". Sundaresan said that "Pretending" concludes with a "bizarre" fade out and it sounds like "Big Time Rush karaoke". "Physs" is followed by "Handle Me". The penultimate track "Cloak n Dagger" is about removing a toxic person from your life. Sundaresan thought that the final track, "Fuck This Town", contains "darker, dancier rhythms" and a "perfectly dejected chorus mixed so that it flashes like strobe lights over the drums". Galil described it as a "skewed-pop anthem", and Pitchfork's, Alphonse Pierre called it a "two-sided lovesick anthem". Writing about the previous two songs, Sundaresan said they are "thoughtful genre explorations that subvert norms instead of succumbing to them".

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork5.5/10
RapReviews4/10

Then I'll Be Happy's lead single, "Cloak n Dagger", was released alongside its music video on January 21, 2021, to celebrate Glaive's 16th birthday. It was followed by "Fuck This Town" and its music video on July 9, 2021. The EP was released by Interscope Records and Listen to the Kids on October 6, 2021. Glaive and Ericdoa embarked on the Then I'll Be Happy Tour across North America with support from Prentiss, Aldn, Underscores, and Midwxst throughout October and November 2021.

Sundaresan said that Then I'll Be Happy is "frustratingly safe and directionless" and that while Glaive and Ericdoa are captivating solo artists, they "aren't yet distinct enough to complement each other in interesting ways". Galil believed the duo does not "play off each other as much as you might hope" and though they are leaders of the hyperpop movement, "they sometimes fall short of that movement's kaleidoscopic energy". In a negative review, Juon believed that "Fuck This Town" "could exceed the cliches of the genre", but said it "mimics the tropes of the genre to the point of becoming parody". He concluded by saying the best things about the EP are that "the songs and short and the album is short". Sundaresan and Galil both named "Cloak n Dagger" and "Fuck This Town" as standout tracks.

Track listing

Then I'll Be Happy track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Naturale"1:15
2."Mental Anguish"
  • Gutierrez
  • Lopez
  • Cartaya
  • Tim Randolph
  • Snoreck
  • Mochila
  • Randolph
  • Whethan
1:54
3."Heather"
  • Gutierrez
  • Lopez
  • Jaehyun Kim
  • John Ong
  • Snoreck
  • Glasear
  • Kimj
  • Whethan
1:51
4."Pretending"
  • Gutierrez
  • Lopez
  • Ong
  • Snoreck
  • Eric Wood
  • Glasear
  • Lunamatic
  • Whethan
1:38
5."Physs"
  • Gutierrez
  • Lopez
  • Cartaya
  • Nick Mira
  • Ong
  • Rodriguez
  • Snoreck
  • FortuneSwan
  • Glasear
  • Mira
  • Mochila
  • Whethan
2:27
6."Handle Me"
  • Gutierrez
  • Lopez
  • Cashheart
  • Kidicarus
  • Kim
  • Ong
  • Snoreck
  • Cashheart
  • Glasear
  • Kidicarus
  • Kimj
  • Whethan
2:13
7."Cloak n Dagger"
  • Gutierrez
  • Lopez
  • Zac Greer
  • Kim
  • Ong
  • Snoreck
  • Glasear
  • Kimj
  • Whethan
2:09
8."Fuck This Town"
  • Gutierrez
  • Lopez
  • Kim
  • Ong
  • Snoreck
  • Glasear
  • Kimj
  • Whethan
1:55
Total length:15:22

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.

Musicians

  • Glaive – vocals (all tracks)
  • Ericdoa – vocals (all tracks)
  • Lunamatic – guitar (4)

Production

  • Glaive – recording (7, 8), songwriting (all tracks)
  • Ericdoa – recording (7, 8), production (1), songwriting (all tracks)
  • Prash "Engine-Earz" Mistry – mixing (all tracks), mastering (7)
  • Whethan – mixing (7), recording (7, 8), songwriting (all tracks), production (all tracks)
  • Glasear – mixing (7), recording (7, 8), songwriting (3–8), production (3–8)
  • Kimj – mixing (7), recording (7, 8), songwriting (3, 6–8), production (3, 6–8)
  • FortuneSwan – songwriting (1, 5), production (1, 5)
  • Mochila – songwriting (1, 2, 5), production (1, 2, 5)
  • Tim Randolph – songwriting (2), production (2)
  • Lunamatic – songwriting (6), production (4)
  • Nick Mira – songwriting (5), production (5)
  • Cashheart – songwriting (6), production (6)
  • Kidicarus – production (6), songwriting (6), programming (6)

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various October 6, 2021

References

  1. ^ Sundaresan, Mano (October 12, 2021). "glaive / ericdoa: then i'll be happy EP Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on October 12, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  2. Maicki, Salvatore; Darville, Jordan; Renshaw, David; Ross, Alex Robert; Sajae, Elder (June 10, 2021). "10 songs you need in your life this week". The Fader. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  3. Walker, Sophie Leigh (November 2, 2021). "Ericdoa is on the rise". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  4. ^ Kenneally, Cerys (October 6, 2021). "glaive and ericdoa release collaborative EP then i'll be happy". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  5. Kenneally, Cerys (November 12, 2021). "Ericdoa delivers new track "Strangers"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  6. ^ Ackroyd, Stephen (October 6, 2021). "glaive and ericdoa have shared their new collaborative EP 'then i'll be happy'". Dork. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  7. ^ Curto, Justin (January 22, 2021). "Hyperpop Prince glaive Celebrates His Sweet 16 With a Delectable FU Alongside ericdoa". Vulture. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  8. ^ Galil, Leor (October 25, 2021). "Hyperpop phenoms Glaive and ericdoa unite on then i'll be happy". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  9. ^ Juon, Steve (October 26, 2021). "glaive & ericdoa :: then i'll be happy". RapReviews. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  10. Pierre, Alphonse (January 26, 2021). "The Ones: Glaive and ericdoa's "Cloak n Dagger"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  11. Kent, Matthew (January 21, 2021). "Pop trailblazers glaive and ericdoa unite on "cloak n dagger"". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
  12. Kenneally, Cerys (July 9, 2021). "glaive and ericdoa preview collaborative EP with new outing "fuck this town"". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  13. Ash Gutierrez (September 8, 2021). "THEN ILL BE HAPPY TOUR Presale tomorrow @ 10am local time w/ password Pretending. General onsale Friday 💃" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 2, 2024. Retrieved December 2, 2024 – via Twitter.
  14. "then i'll be happy / Glaive". Tidal. October 6, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  15. "then i'll be happy - Album by glaive & ericdoa". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
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