Rear Window step into the spotlight with debut album ‘Happiness By Design’

After teasing us with electrifying tracks like Running Away, Head Above Water, and Multi-Coloured Skies—earning praise from BBC6 Music’s Gideon Coe, Radio X’s John Kennedy, and BBC Introducing’s Abbie McCarthy—alt-pop duo Rear Window are set to make a bold statement with their debut album, ‘Happiness By Design,’ arriving this spring.

Rear Window is the brainchild of Gang of Four vocalist JJ Sterry and blues aficionado Santi Arribas, a duo that thrives on contrast. Their music blends infectious top-line melodies with electro-pop textures, serving as the perfect backdrop for Sterry’s dry-witted vocals. The album moves fluidly from sharp observations on modern monotony to existential struggles, mental escapism, and the restless pursuit of meaning.

At its core, ‘Happiness By Design’ is quintessentially British, pulling from diverse influences—electro-krautrock pulses through Rocket Man, bossa nova rhythms shape Running Away, and tasteful blues licks ripple throughout. The result is a seamless fusion of styles, wrapped in lyrical drama and sonic intrigue.

Sterry describes the album as “an exploration into our relationship with the human condition and the endless search for meaning. These days, I’ve got a bit more balance—most of the time, I’m on an even keel. But every now and then, the chaos wins, and suddenly I’m booking a flight somewhere ridiculous just to feel something. So it goes.”

The Story Behind Rear Window

The seeds of Rear Window were planted when Sterry joined Gang of Four in 2015, invited by the late Andy Gill to front the legendary post-punk band. Meanwhile, Arribas was working closely with Gill at his Rear Window Studios. After Gill’s passing, Arribas took over the studio, and what began as a casual songwriting session for The Roadside Bandit’s second album quickly spiraled into something bigger.

One song became several. A project turned into a band. An album took shape. Named after the very studio where it all began, Rear Window was born.

Drawing from the sounds of Talking Heads, The Cure, Baxter Dury, and XTC, the duo leans into their contrasting influences, blending different angles and approaches to create music that defies easy categorization.

The Tracks

1. Multi-Coloured Skies – A soaring reflection on personal inspiration, unfulfilled dreams, and the optimism that keeps us chasing them. It captures the fleeting euphoria of stepping outside the ordinary, only to realize that following through is easier said than done.
2. Head Above Water – A tight, pulsing groove with staccato synths and looping guitars, underscoring Sterry’s biting take on the illusion of security. He reminds us how quickly things can unravel—whether it’s due to fate or our own missteps.
3. Give My Regards – A breakup song that skips the melodrama and heads straight for the reality of self-reconnection. It’s about reclaiming your identity, making up for lost time, and rekindling the relationships that fell to the wayside.
4. Running Away – A dreamy bossa nova-fueled meditation on self-sabotage. When things get too comfortable, the instinct to run kicks in. Inspired by Schopenhauer’s idea of free will, this track wrestles with the feeling that what you want is never quite enough.
5. The Price I Pay – The slow realization that some relationships aren’t meant to last. It’s about the excuses we make for drifting apart and the freedom that comes with finally letting go.
6. Happiness By Design – Inspired by a book found in a charity shop, this title track contemplates utopian dreams—whether in grand civic projects or in our own lives. In the end, it’s about finding purpose in the everyday.
7. It’s Raining Again (In Soho) – Written in the wake of Shane MacGowan’s passing, this track explores the writer’s relationship with their surroundings. Do you see things clearer from the eye of the storm, or from the sidelines?
8. Rocket Men – A collaboration with TIME | LIFE author Catherine Mayer, this song imagines a world where the super-rich monetize everything—even time travel. If you could reconnect with lost loved ones or glimpse the future, would you?
9. The Eleventh Hour – A rush of optimism about those moments when the stars align. After heartbreak, after doubt, after feeling invisible—suddenly, everything clicks into place.
10. Strike Me Down – A gut-punch anthem about disillusionment. You give everything to something, only to watch it crumble. But as the lyrics remind us, hope is what keeps us moving forward—no matter how many times we fall.
11. Too Much To Lose – The paralysis of success. You’ve worked too hard to turn back, but you’re stuck in a life that doesn’t fulfill you. A song about craving stability and regretting it once it’s yours.

---

Rear Window’s ‘Happiness By Design’ arrives this spring.

Follow them for updates, music, and more.

Facebook     Instagram     BlueSky     Spotify     Youtube