Brighton quartet School Disco have returned with their latest single ‘Happen’, released today via Krautpop!.
Brooding, hypnotic cut and carrying an undercurrent of 70s prog, the track captures the band at their most ambitious yet through a textural, experimental and immersive soundscape.
Building their reputation on explosive live shows – including support slots with Wolf Alice, Lime Garden and Froth – School Disco have carved a space for their high-energy, musically rich performances. On ‘Happen’, that same intensity translates onto record. Tracked live at Farm Road Studios, engineered by Jake Smallwood and frontman Rory Lethbridge, and mastered by Harry Hayes, the single embraces raw immediacy with minimal overdubs, channeling both experimental daring and emotional weight.
Drawing inspiration from Black Sabbath, CAN, and a tapestry of sci-fi and horror influences, ‘Happen’ takes the band into darker, more meditative territory. Sparse yet poignant lyrics ride on swirling guitar textures, shifting time signatures and bursts of fuzz-laden energy, culminating in a relentless and angular instrumental break where the band showcases their ability as performance and strikingly tight musicianship. The result is a sprawling piece that nods to Meddle-era Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and modern psych torchbearers like Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, while asserting School Disco’s own restless creativity.
Speaking about the track’s origins, vocalist and guitarist Rory Lethbridge explains:
“Happen was the first track written in a new batch of songs we had put together. The bones of it were written and recorded in a day while me and Harry were jamming at Studio Nunn. We wrote and recorded a song specifically for a show we were doing for Andy at Love Thy Neighbour’s Triptych weekender. What makes these nights fun is that he does a lathe cut for each night. We didn’t have anything we could use for it so we had to come up with something new. ‘Happen’ was that. It also felt like it was the line in the sand between Denton Rock and whatever we were going to do next.”
Listen below:
