Welcome to HeartSongs, our regularly scheduled (probably) look at songs and the people who write them. We spoke to Tornoto songwriter, Lavender Child about her recent single ‘Happy Illusions’.

“‘Happy Illusions’ was inspired from a weekend at an outdoor music festival. The environment alone was stunning; lush forests with enchanting art installations throughout the trails. The unsettling ambivalence of the place came from the juxtaposition between the people and the peaceful surroundings. My head spun from the irony both in relationships to nature and each other. I heard so many people say that they loved one another, which conceptually was beautiful, but realistically had me questioning the authenticity of the community.

I sat down with Toronto director Dylan Mitro who understood the song completely and came to me with the video conceptualized, ‘Happy Illusions’ is a song about the experience of love and the human connection to nature and whether that connection can be genuine when under the influence.

‘Happy Illusions’ comes from my upcoming album Reflections which revolves around those moments of self reflection where you ask yourself, how am I contributing to this world? How are my actions influencing the environment and the people around me?”

‘Happy Illusions’ Lyrics

Forest green, its presence weak

Masked by the waves of foreign sounds

Praised by the children with wilted flower crowns

We live the happiest illusions

Beats dropping like the acid on their tongues

Smiles only come with their words in a slur

Love is romanticized when bodies are a blur

We live the happiest illusions

Branches extend, like human hands

The children crack their bones

On the way to their transient thrones

We live the happiest illusions

Do we really feel love for one another

Do we really feel love for earth mother

Do you really show your love ?

Why is the world in love again? They Might Be Giants has announced the release of I Like Fun, a remarkable 15-track album to be released January 19. The band now announces that their extensive world tour includes 13 European dates, with six UK shows including their first at London’s prestigious Barbican Centre.

I Like Fun jumps with surprises, vitality, and the startling point of view of these Brooklyn originals. Over a year in the making, songwriters and band founders John Linnell and John Flansburgh draw on themes of dread, death, and disappointment and set them to their driving, hyper-melodic music. The results will leave even the most heavy-hearted among us with a renewed sense of wonder. Fresh and sonically adventurous, the band’s command of the studio and the song is in rare form from beginning to end.

2018 will also see the return of TMBG's Dial-A-Song service, with weekly instalments toll free at www.dialasong.com, and on streaming sites everywhere, featuring new music all year long!

21 Sep - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club

22 Sep - Cambridge, UK @ The Junction

23 Sep - Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory

3 Oct - London, UK @ Barbican

4 Oct - Manchester, UK @ Academy 2

5 Oct - Edinburgh, UK @ Queen’s Hall

6 Oct - Dublin, IE @ Button Factory