Happy Landing on Their Journey From Ole Miss to Bigger Stages
The band known as Happy Landing took shape in Oxford, Mississippi, where the lineup—Matty Hendley, Keegan and Jacob Christensen, Andrew Gardner, and Wilson Moyer—built a sound they call skate folk, folding bluegrass, punk, and indie rock into one fast-moving lane.
From there, they learned fast onstage as college students, cutting their teeth on the local circuit before eventually aiming wider. Those early runs built real stamina. Club nights turned into festival slots, including a stop on Bonnaroo’s Who Stage in 2024, and a growing reputation for high-energy sets with tight harmony work and violin lines that lift right as the drums kick harder.
All of that momentum feeds into Happy Landing’s latest track, “Machines,” which lands as a clean next step, offering listeners a three-minute shot of movement that leans into darker rhythms and lyrics about the pressure and pace of the digital age. Ahead of its release, the band spoke with us about the song’s meaning, their origin story, how they create together, and what this more introspective chapter means going forward.
Walk me through how the band came together, and when it became clear that the five of you were a solid unit?
Keegan: We started in college at Ole Miss [The University of Mississippi]. The story goes… Matty had written a bunch of songs while interning in NYC. When he got back, he asked some family members and Jacob, our current drummer, to help record an EP of the songs. After the music was released, they wanted to start playing more shows, which is when the other three of us came along. Jacob had known me, Wilson, and Andrew from random connections at Ole Miss. One by one, they asked us to come to practice just to try it out, then before we knew it was the five of us practicing together every week. From the start, we all meshed well together socially and sonically—I think we complement each other in a really special way. Once we started playing shows and saw that people were as excited about it as we were, we just wanted to play as many shows as we could.
What was the first song or moment in the early days of Happy Landing that made you think this could travel past Oxford?
Keegan: We formed during COVID… So, as you can imagine, that presented its own challenges. We were able to play a few outdoor shows, but from the start, we always dreamed of going on tour and playing lots of shows. When the COVID restrictions were lifted slightly in Oxford Spring of 2021, we were actually asked to be the first show back at our hometown venue, Proud Larry’s. We ended up selling back-to-back nights, which I think was around 200-250 total people. I think realizing how much support we had in Oxford gave us the confidence to travel elsewhere. We ended up having successful shows in Jackson, MS, Nashville, Auburn, and Knoxville before graduating. In the Spring of 2022, right before Andrew and I graduated, our current booking agent reached out to us. We ended up booking a tour for the summer after graduation and have been touring pretty non-stop ever since.
“Machines” feels like it has a lot to say sonically and thematically. What idea sat at the center when you wrote it?
Matty: It definitely has a lot to say, and it is one that people keep asking about since it is a more rock-forward sound with darker lyrics and themes. I actually wrote “Machines” on election night in 2024. It really wasn’t specifically inspired by that night, but more of where it felt like the world was headed and has been headed for a while now. It was loosely inspired by George Orwell’s 1984, I remember reading it in high school and being deeply impacted by it. I started writing about this character who feels like the only one still “awake” in a world of people who are blindly following along with the masses. It’s a mixed bag of fears. Where technology has taken us is incredible. But sometimes I feel as if my phone is a part of me, and I only wonder how more real that is going to become as we progress, as AI continues to develop, etc. We can talk about this over a pint if you’d like.
Walk me through one arrangement choice on “Machines” that unlocked the track for you?
Matty: I think what is unique about the song is Andrew’s opening guitar riff. It’s a departure from our usual fiddle or mandolin-led melodies, and I think that’s what makes it cool. It’s electric, deep, powerful, and really sets the tone for the big drop in the intro. That’s how I always imagined it. A song called “Machines” better kick you in the face right from the jump.
You just came off an East Coast run with Colony House. What did you learn about your set on that stretch?
Keegan: For the most part, we’re just learning what our shows will look like when we start incorporating the new music. We got to play two unreleased songs every night on the Colony House tour, which was definitely a learning experience. Both songs were very different from anything we’ve played before, so it was interesting to see how they fit into the set with our previous discography, as well as how we may perform differently when we stray away from the super-fast-paced folk-rock sound. On top of that, getting to watch Colony House every night was like getting to watch a masterclass on how to put on an amazing live show… from the lights to the sound, to the transitions, to the showmanship—those guys just have it dialed in. We’re definitely taking some inspiration from them for this next headline tour.
You blend everything from fiddle to tight harmonies and punchy drums. How do you decide who leads the moment in a song?
Keegan: There’s not really a direct science to it… Usually, we just feel it out and figure out what the song needs. If anyone has an idea, we try it out and see what works. We all play multiple instruments, and we all sing, so we’re in a cool position where we can pick from different sounds and instrumentation depending on what the song demands. Sometimes it’s fun to have a really filtered mandolin sound, sometimes it feels right to have a female lead part, sometimes we want to have a punky drum groove in a folk song… just wherever the wind of creativity blows, I suppose.
What is next that you are most excited to put in front of people?
Keegan: New music! We have lots of new music and a big headline tour to go alongside it next year. We’ve been working very hard all year to make this the best music possible, and I think we’re all itching to finally get it out there and get back on the road.
