Happiness Hours was produced, engineered, and mixed by John Agnello. The twelve tracks that eventually found a home on the album show a band in full control of their powers. Each song presents its own little narrative microcosm and contained universe, all contributing to a record that, as vocalist/guitarist Steve Ciolek describes it, “feels like a potential collection of singles, every one of them a pop song, every one of them meant to make you feel good.” For The Sidekicks, despite their storied pop-punk past, the band’s main hope is that people can always expect something new, songs filled not just with loud guitars, but also things like trumpets, pianos, flugelhorns, and the occasional tambourine.