Heffron Drive’s Happy Mistakes Review

Heffron Drive may sound like a new band to some of you, but if you were ever a fan of Big Time Rush, you might recognize the voice of the lead singer. Kendall Schmidt, former frontman of Nickelodeon’s boy band Big Time Rush, has gone back to his pre-BTR musical endeavor, Heffron Drive, with his close friend and former touring guitarist of BTR, Dustin Belt. The duo has done some touring together the past year or so as Heffron Drive, and has finally released a full-length album, titled “Happy Mistakes”. Stage Right Secrets has the lowdown for you.

The record starts off with the track which the album is titled after, “Happy Mistakes”. It eases you into the album, mixing together a bit of alternative and boyband styles.

The next song is the single off the album, “Parallel”. This song very much sounds like a Big Time Rush song in style, only with one singer rather than four. However, it’s got a little Heffron Drive flare, with a bit of electronic riffs during the choruses mixed with some strong acoustic guitar.

“Division of the Heart” focuses less on guitar and more on the electronic background music, with a bit of a EDM breakdown in the chorus. Add some bass to the song I remix it a bit and it could fit in well at an EDM festival or club scene.

“Had to be Panama” has that same electronic flair, with almost a beach feel to it, which fits in well with the title. “Nicotine” comes next, one of the fastest songs on the album with a fitting metaphor throughout the song of a girl being as necessary and addictive to him as cigarettes and nicotine.

The middle track on the album is “Interlude,” a short, dance-y little electronic piece, which leads directly into “Art of Moving On”. This one, another dance-worthy piece, brings back the acoustic guitar sound, focusing on that during the verses and the electronic style during the choruses.

After that comes “Passing Time,” similar in some ways to “Parallel”. Both songs appear to be rather sad at first but have a positive outlook. This specific one starts off with a ballad feel, but ends on an upbeat note.

“Could You Be Home” is next, a ballad, a bit repetitive but with nice background harmony vocals. It goes by quickly, and leads to “That’s What Makes You Mine.” This one starts off with “I know you think love songs are cheesy,” which is exactly what the track is – a cheesy love song. It’s sweet and bouncy, with Schmidt showing off his soft side both lyrically and vocally.

The last track on the regular version of the album is “Everything Has Changed,” again bringing back the acoustic guitar feel. It does well to sum up the feel of the album and the combination of musical styles.

The deluxe version has five bonus tracks: “One Track Mind,” “Not Alone,” “Love Defined,” and remixes of “Parallel” and “Could You Be Home”. “One Track Mind” is the fastest song on the whole album, with obvious draws on the EDM style. It’s actually somewhat biting and quite catchy. “Not Alone” discusses the struggle of missing a girl while on the road.

Overall, the album seems to be a combination of the boy band style of Big Time Rush with bits of alternative and electronic. It’s somewhat reminiscent of The Ready Set’s recorded music – pop fluff without a whole lot of depth or substance, but catchy and fun to listen to regardless.

You can listen to the album now on Spotify or purchase it off iTunes.