I’m always excited to find hip hop from cities I’m not familiar with as a hip hop fan. In this case, that city is Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Happy Unfortunate started when two friends both faced the tragedy of their respective dad’s deaths, and decided to join forces and take their love of hip hop more seriously. The name they chose refers to the positive creativity that they were able to build out of the unfortunate situation that brought Malcolm-Jay and DJ Envoy together. A few years into it their career, July Never Dies shows the group at their strongest.

The Happy Unfortunate draw on a nice blend of soul, R&B, and jazz to form their sound, with a laid back feel that recalls early Slum Village in overall style. Their music doesn’t have a lot of big moments, but it does grow on you quite a bit as you listen to several songs. This in large part due to some warm and enveloping grooves laid down with the beats, but also because of the emotional honesty and no frills lyricism that the group employs. There’s a lot of simple discussion of everyday problems and emotions that are very easy to relate to. On the opening track, “Yesterday’s Fool,” they relate a tale of heartbreak and moving on, which is nicely paired with some string and horn hits played alongside a Hot Chip sample that comes together quite nicely. The majority of the album comes together quite nicely, but there are a few moments when they border on some cliché cheesiness. The most glaring moment occurs on the song “Mr. Fat Wallets.” The title and concept of the song are just a little too obvious, even though the music is really quite infectious, and the verses themselves aren’t that bad. However, there’s just a little too much blatant appeal and broad statements with the chorus to allow me to give the song a thumbs up. Fortunately, though, this is the exception and not the rule on this album.

The album might be lacking a big moment where everything comes together for the duo, but I have a feeling that it’s coming for The Happy Unfortunate. The group shows confidence in their style, and have a good handle on the subtleties of the music.