Cullen Omori - Happiness Reigns

What this video is

Released in June 2018 as the lead visual single from Cullen Omori's sophomore album The Diet (Sub Pop, August 2018), 'Happiness Reigns' arrives within a fertile moment for indie power-pop on the Sub Pop roster. Omori, former frontman of Chicago indie band Smith Westerns, relocated to Los Angeles after his 2016 solo debut New Misery, and recorded The Diet there with a collaborative revolving-door approach to session…

Why it matters

Represents a key artifact of the late-2010s indie power-pop revival distributed through Sub Pop Records, bridging Chicago indie-rock heritage with Los Angeles-influenced warm-toned production aesthetics. The track and video exemplify the era's tendency to marry classic songwriting craft with…

The director

Sarah Strunin is a Los Angeles-based freelance producer and director working across music video and documentary formats in LA, NYC, Seattle, and the SF Bay Area. Her documentary producing credits include Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult (2020, Starz), Dear…