"I Could Be Happy" is the fifth studio album by the French band Nouvelle Vague. The album was released in November 2016 by the record label Kwaidan Records. It features a mix of New Wave and Bossa Nova styles, which is a distinct characteristic of Nouvelle Vague. The album's title song, "I Could Be Happy", is a cover of Altered Images’ 1981 hit.
Nouvelle Vague is known for their unique style of recreating punk and new wave classics using minimalistic arrangements and the gentle Bossa Nova style. The band is a project by French musicians Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux. The group's recordings and live performances have featured a large rotating cast of mostly female vocalists.
The album consists of ten tracks, four of which are original songs, and the rest are 80’s Post Punk classics reworked in the unique Nouvelle Vague's style. Some cover songs in the album include "Athol-Brose" by Cocteau Twins, "All Cats Are Grey" by The Cure, and "No One is Receiving" by Brian Eno.
This album takes the band's concept a step further as the band wrote several original songs, proving they are proficient songwriters as well as stylists. All in all, "I Could Be Happy" offers an acoustic but danceable vibe that continues to charm the listeners and adds another strong entry to Nouvelle Vague’s discography.
