Jennifer Trynin - Happier

What this video is

Released in 1994, 'Happier' accompanied Jennifer Trynin's self-released debut Cockamamie on her own Squint label, during one of the most commercially turbulent moments in American alternative rock — when major labels were actively scouting indie acts post-Nirvana. Trynin recorded the album while running her own desktop publishing business, embodying the DIY ethos of the era. The song's lyrical subject matter —…

Why it matters

Represents the pre-major-label-reissue phase of one of 1994's most critically noted indie debuts. The video documents the alt-rock singer-songwriter archetype at its most unmediated — low-budget, warm, and performance-centric — and is a primary-source artifact of the Boston indie rock ecosystem…

The director

American filmmaker, curator, and publisher. Graduated Ohio University Film School 1991. Began directing music videos in the mid-90s while signed to DNA (David Naylor & Associates), having trained as assistant to director Samuel Bayer and Roland Joffé. Known…