The Pursuit of Happiness

Formed in Toronto in the mid-1980s around singer, guitarist and songwriter Moe Berg, The Pursuit of Happiness sits at a crossroads between power pop, college rock and indie rock, with songs direct, melodic and often threaded with an ironic take on relationships and adulthood. The band took shape after Berg's arrival from Edmonton, initially with Dave Gilby, Johnny Sinclair and the twins Tam and Tasha Amabile, before a defining stabilization with Kris Abbott and Leslie Stanwyck. After an early local buzz around the independent single "I’m an Adult Now" in 1986, The Pursuit of Happiness signed with Chrysalis and recorded with Todd Rundgren its first two albums, Love Junk (1988) and One Sided Story (1990). The follow-up involved several lineup changes and a stint with Mercury for The Downward Road in 1993, then through the Toronto label Iron Music with Where’s the Bone in 1995 and The Wonderful World of the Pursuit of Happiness in 1997. In this trajectory, The Pursuit of Happiness moved between the Canadian scene and North American rock circuits, while maintaining a songwriting approach where catchy refrains, taut guitars and vocal harmonies stay at the forefront.