Sometimes things are just better when your friends are along for the ride. So is the case with Happy Birthday's debut. As the story goes singer Kyle Thomas didn't have a strong enough stomach to pour out his new pop on his own so he decided to pair his nasally tone with Chris Weisman's bass and the drums of the lil sis of tUnE-yArDs' Merrill Garbus, Ruth Garbus. Thomas is better for it. The result is a mix of dirty garage rock melting atop a sweet icy undertow – a chill most likely inspired by their Vermont roots – that mingles with raw, steady guitar and dreamy drumming.