A set of mmm’s and explosive synths open the new stunner from Let’s Eat Grandma, the U.K. duo made up of Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth. And as the title suggests, “Happy New Year” is a genuinely happy track, with actual firecrackers entering at three-and-a-half minutes and lines about the joy of having a clean slate while keeping nostalgia tucked away in your back pocket. “Sparks in the sky until we meet the sunrise,” Walton sings, “then see the year come into bloom.”
“Happy New Year” is rooted in Walton and Hollingworth’s lifelong friendship, with childhood memories that date back to kindergarten class. The nostalgia here runs deep — summertime days spent in gardens, igloos built in snow, and bubble baths in swimsuits — but the synths prevent the mood from sinking, even when the duo analyze a recent rift in their friendship. “I’d been struggling to come to terms with the fact that our relationship had changed,” Walton said of the track. “But as the song and time progresses [I’ve] come to accept that it couldn’t stay the way it was when we were kids forever and start to view it as a positive thing — because now we have been able to grow into our own individual selves.”
That growth can be felt in the euphoric chants of “Hallelujah!” and “Happy New Year!” from Walton, who, in the video, delivers these sentiments in a hot pink Von Dutch suit during a tennis match. On the other side of the net is Hollingworth, playing her opponent despite a bloody nose. They embrace after the match, a charming symbol of their partnership that they’re bound to explore elsewhere on their upcoming album, Two Ribbons. Until then, we’ll enjoy what they’re serving.
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From Rolling Stone US
