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Lively alt-indie-pop trio The Happy Fits are on a roll, taking the world by storm, and showing no signs of slowing down. Finally, they have announced their highly-anticipated third studio album, 'Under The Shade of Green'.
The album is a moment of processing the last two years for each of the three band members, and invites listeners to join them. In typical Happy Fits fashion, however, the band blends serious subject matter with inescapable hooks and melodies, beaming instrumentation and unparalleled charm.
We had a chat with the band to find out more...
Introduce yourselves and tell us a bit about the band!
"Hello! We are The Happy Fits, a 3-piece indie-rock outfit from New Jersey. Ross Monteith plays guitar, Luke Graydavis plays drums, and Calvin Langman plays cello. We all sing, too!"
How did you meet and when did you start making music together?
"We started making music together in our senior year of high school in the Spring of 2016 and released our first EP 'Awfully Apeelin’' right before going to college that fall. After we started getting some traction on Spotify, we decided to drop out and pursue our dreams together. We DIY toured in 2017 & 2018, and released our first album 'Concentrate' in that time. We got a booking agent in early 2019 and did two headlining tours that year as well as support This Wild Life on their national tour. Our 2nd album 'What Could Be Better' was recorded in February 2020 right before the pandemic. Once the pandemic hit we turned to live-streaming and gaming with our fans. Our fans are the backbone of everything we do and we are so grateful to have such a supportive base like we do!" Is there a story or meaning behind the band name?
"Calvin was always a really happy guy to be around so the name felt fitting to have the word “Happy” in it. His original idea was Smiley Fits but the two quickly realized it was an awful name. Ross’ mother Agnes suggest The Happy Fits and the rest is history." Based in Brooklyn, how, if in any way, have your surroundings inspired the sound?
"We moved to Greenpoint to be close to our manager & producer Ayad al Adhamy’s studio, Diamond City Studio. We moved officially in June 2021 and recorded our third record there for 6 months until leaving for our first 8-week national headlining tour since the pandemic. It was fantastic getting to experience city life and I think being in New York City especially has inspired our larger-than-life, euphoric vibes on this next record."
How would you sum up your music in a sentence?
"Our music is a fresh medley of 2000’s & 2010’s indie rock - think Arctic Monkeys, Two Door Cinema Club, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Killers, Alabama Shakes, & Young The Giant." Is there anyone that inspires you musically?
"When we started making music together, we were in love with Alabama Shakes and Dr. Dog, so there’s a little blues/folk twang in our earlier recordings. Recently we’ve been super into indie bands like Lunar Vacation, The Greeting Committee, and Del Water Gap." Who would be your dream artist to work / collaborate with?
"Hands down, our dream artist would be Bombay Bicycle Club. They have such an amazing way of reinventing themselves every record but still having it sound unique and rocking." How has the reaction to one of your recent singles, 'Dance Alone'?
"The reaction has been just a dream. I remember when we used to release music and be losing it to getting 1K streams on a track in a day. Now its like 10’s of thousands when we drop a track and that is the greatest feeling in the world knowing when you release music, it’s going to reach so many listeners." Tell us a little about it!
"The song grew out of the social anxiety we felt coming out of the pandemic. Being alone for almost two years made us socially inept, and the idea of approaching a girl at a party and trying to connect seemed almost impossible. We feel like we can’t be the only people that feel this way, so it was nice to put the sentiment in a song. We probably spent 3 years with the track and went through 3 separate choruses before landing on the hook-filled one we have now." The video for the track also dropped close to the release -what were the inspirations or ideas behind that?
"We knew we were going to have a week in LA on our most recent Winter/Spring 78-day tour, so we collaborated with our label to make it an awesome house party. They were able to lock down the Cameo house in Beverly Hills for free which was probably one of the nicest houses we’ve ever seen. We reached out to hundreds of fans on our Community text line to come be a part of the shoot and it was so great to involve some of the people that have been supporting us nonstop for the past 6 years."
You've just announced tour dates in the UK which is super exciting! What can we expect from your live shows?
"We’re super pumped to be going across seas for the first time. Ross is a dual citizen in Scotland so he’s been over there a few times, but Calvin & Luke have never been out of North America. We’re most excited to be playing our new album and seeing our fans sing along - this is probably our most singable record yet!" is there anything else that we should keep an eye out for in the near future?
"Calvin and his girlfriend Adele just moved in to an awesome spot in Easton, PA where we’re setting up the livestream room to get that going again! Expect a lot of zany content coming up this summer and buckle up for our third record, we hope it knocks your socks off!"
'Under The Shade Of Green' is coming soon. Pre-save HERE
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