Pernice Brothers Unveil Eight Unreleased Demos in Massive New Box Set

The original mixes of the Pernice Brothers’ 1998 album Overcome by Happiness will be available on vinyl for the first time on May 19, exactly 25 years later. A new box set, Overcome by Happiness: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, will notably feature a 13-track bonus LP with eight unreleased home demos, many of which were recorded minutes after the songs were first written by Joe Pernice.

The two LPs will be pressed on orange-and-white splatter vinyl and packaged in a hardbound, full-color, 52-page book featuring extensive liner notes, an introduction, and track-by-track guide written by Pernice, the Overcome by Happiness lyrics printed for the first time, and unpublished photographs. A 5×7 print autographed by Pernice is also included in every copy.

“Poring over the demos and song sketches, photos, notebooks and of course the album itself triggered some profound memories for me: Those involving the making of the album were all good,” Pernice said in a statement. “Memories of the songs’ geneses — as one who has heard the album might imagine — ran the gamut. I’m very grateful to the people at New West Records for both involving me so completely in compiling the material for this deluxe vinyl issue, and for the stunning edition they’re releasing. To have my songs and the stories behind them treated with such care and out of a sense of love is something I neither expect nor take for granted. I’m so happy about how this turned out. I honestly don’t think a more complete Overcome by Happiness ‘experience’ could have been put together.”

The box set will coincide with two events where the Pernice Brothers will perform Overcome by Happiness in its entirety with a string quartet. Those shows are on May 18 at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville, Mass., and May 19th at Racket NYC in New York. Tickets for each performance go on sale Friday (Feb, 3) at 10 AM ET.

The Pernice Brothers’ Overcome by Happiness: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is available for pre-order via New West Records.

Pernice Brothers Overcome by Happiness: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Tracklist: 

The Original Album:

1. Crestfallen
2. Overcome by Happiness
3. Sick of You
4. Clear Spot
5. Dimmest Star
6. Monkey Suit
7. Chicken Wire
8. Wait to Stop
9. All I Know
10. Shoes and Clothes
11. Wherein Obscurely
12. Ferris Wheel

13-Track Bonus LP:

1. Jimmy Coma (1997 Sub Pop Single)
2. Monkey Suit (1997 Sub Pop Single)
3. Square World (1997 Summershine Single)
4. In Plain Sight (1997 Summershine Single)
5. Love My Way (Psychedelic Furs Cover / Clear Spot UK CD Single B-Side)
6. Sick of You (Earliest Sketch Demo) 1:48 *
7. Cut You Free (Demo) 4:00 *
8. Overcome by Happiness (Earliest Sketch Demo) *
9. Clear Spot (Earliest Sketch Demo) *
10. Dimmest Star (Earliest Sketch Demo) *
11. Song #2 (The Queen of NYC) (earliest demo) *
12. Courage Up (Demo) 2:40 *
13. Let That Show (Demo) 4:00 *

* Previously Unreleased

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