Ladies and Gentlemen. If you are looking for a band to shake that feeling out from deep within you that there is just nothing new or original about music any more, let me proudly introduce you to Fitz and The Tantrums.

Fitz and the Tantrums are an American neo soul/indie pop band from Los Angeles, formed in 2008. Their debut studio album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, released in August 2010 on indie label Dangerbird Records, received critical acclaim and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. They were heralded as a "band to watch" in an April 2011 profile in Rolling Stone and they signed to current label Elektra Records in early 2013; where they went on to release their sophomore LP More than Just a Dream on May 7, 2013.

The band consists of Michael Fitzpatrick (lead vocals), Noelle Scaggs (co-lead vocals percussion), Joe Karnes (bass guitar), Jeremy Ruzumna (keyboards), James King (saxophone, flute, keyboard, percussion and guitar), and John Wicks (drums and percussion). Producer Chris Seefried was also a co-writer on the band's first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces.

Like many of us, the first song by Fitz and the tantrums that I ever heard was ‘Out of my League.’ This catchy tune, with its poppy alternative hook and relatable lyrics wedged itself into my brain deep enough that I needed to check out their other music. In doing this I became captivated by both ‘More than Just a Dream’ and, their first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces.

Admittedly, I have a high standard for bands that release their third albums, and LOVING this band as much as I do, I knew I was always going to be favorable shall we say. And so, with that said, while some small parts of a few songs on the latter half of the album feature some jazzy flare, it is not frequent enough to have much of an impact on the song, and first single released, the highly infectious ‘Handclap’. Indeed, the first half of the album features songs very similar in sound to 'Handclap' and so I am sure some of these will make their way to radio in the first of follow-up “singles“.

Overall, while wanting to hear something a wee different, I have enjoyed this third album of theirs, yes. Whilst there are seemingly less instruments featured on this album - well, that stand out to me - the overall lyrical quality has not slipped at all. Also, I am sure that seeing them live, the instruments will be on point, as always. Fitz and The Tantrums have a way with taking a pop hook and jazzing it up enough to reach a large amount of musical tastes and this album is lovingly chock full of such things. So check them out live on their Fall tour when it comes to your city. You won’t regret it and you will always remember it!

www.FitzAndTheTantrums.com

FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS - UPCOMING TOUR DATES:

July
14 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
15 - Columbus, OH @ PromoWest Festival
16 - Kansas City, KS @ Sporting Park Stadium - KRBZ's Annual Beach Buzz Ball
17 - North Birmingham, AL @ Sloss Music & Arts Festival
19 - New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theater
20 - Little Rock, AR @ Metroplex
22 - Tulsa, OK @ Cain's
23 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
24 - Austin, TX @ Stubb's
26 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
27 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre