Album Review: Fitz and the Tantrums

Built on a solid foundation

Fitz et al. are a group of musicians that, in my mind, produced one of the greatest albums released during my short years at college. My buddies and I frequently circulated it on our playlists, and to this day, I find myself going back to listen to it regularly. You can basically pick any of the reviews that already exist for that debut album, Pickin' up the Pieces, to find the reasons why we liked it so much. I won't spend time reiterating those reasons, but the album is universally liked by those who've had the opportunity to hear it.

But here's the bad news...

Their self-titled, third full-length LP is the exact opposite of all that. They've completely abandoned their old-school spin for a shiny new pop sound. They've traded their compelling, thematic lyrics for simple repetitive hooks, and their catchy fun melodies were replaced with more simplistic repetition.

For me, it just doesn't add up to anything all that enjoyable. In an interview posted by the band themselves, Fitzpatrick admitted that they found themselves with a case of writer's-block while making this album, and if you ask me, it shows BIG TIME.

Unfortunately, I don't really have a single good thing to say about the record. I still can't help but have affection for the band—again, their first album was the soundtrack to some of the best times of my life! And they are KILLER live—I highly recommend seeing a show.

TL;DR

I just can't recommend buying this album. You're much better off just listening to Pickin' up the Pieces again (and again, and again). If you're dying to give them your money, buy a ticket for one of their live shows instead.