Wax Idols' fourth and forthcoming album 'Happy Ending' is an exploration of the abstraction and finality of death from philosophical, political, and personal perspectives. The painting on the cover of a figure mourning is by Oakland artist Lena Gustafson, whose work focuses on what she has described as “how memories are stored in the body.” Fortune says the band picked her to create the art because her work is “post-body, which has a lot to do with what our album is about.” The dual theme of political anxiety and personal experience is one Fortune began exploring in seriousness on Wax Idols’ third album, 'American Tragic', which Pitchfork proclaimed “smartly unpacks a pretty universal experience—the sadness, nostalgia, and occasional euphoria involved in letting go of something you once cared about, even when it desperately hurts.” 'American Tragic' was reissued in 2017 on the band’s label Etruscan Gold Records. The group also decided to self-release 'Happy Ending' on Etruscan Gold. Wax Idols’ lineup on this new record is founder and frontperson Hether Fortune (vocals, guitar, bass, organ) with Peter Lightning (guitar, bass, organ, piano), Rachel Travers (drums), and Marisa Prietto (bass, backing vocals). Since the album’s completion, Bay Area musician Greer McGettrick (formerly of The Mallard) has joined the band on bass. Happy Ending was recorded in 2017 at Ruminator Audio in San Francisco, CA and produced by Fortune, Lightning, and Monte Vallier.