Happy Birthday

The indie rock trio Happy Birthday assembled around primary songwriter Kyle Thomas, performing as King Tuff, along with Ruth Garbus and Chris Weisman. After staging only five concerts—four of them in their Brattleboro, Vermont base—the group secured a Sub Pop deal within a single whirlwind year. Links to Witch, which included J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., and to Feathers contributed to their swift breakthrough, while Ruth’s sister Merrill Garbus, known as tUnE-yArDs and formerly of Sister Suvi, added further visibility. Still, the band’s core attraction remained the immediate impact of its songs. Laden with buzzy pop numbers, the self-titled debut album was slated for Sub Pop release on March 16, 2010.