The second full-length album from "Boston's underground-pop diplomats" (The Boston Phoenix), "A Purpose of the Surface" finds ONE HAPPY ISLAND continuing to refine their intricately melodic, personal songwriting while testing the limits of their uniquely stark lineup.

Shannon, Brad, and Meghan wield an arsenal of ukuleles, percussion, high-school horns, a Maestro Rhythm King, and a battered, beloved electric guitar, and everyone takes turns at the microphone-sometimes within the same song.

Recorded entirely live in the studio-vocals and all-with absolutely no overdubs, the album showcases the trio's resourcefulness, daring use of dynamics, and wide-ranging instrumental ideas.

A Purpose of the Surface reveals One Happy Island at their bashy fuzziest at one extreme, and at their most disarmingly intimate at the other, and the contrast makes for an affecting listen: a truly democratic DIY pop outfit putting their songs in the spotlight, letting their fearless, sparse arrangements provide surprising new perspectives and dimensions.