Fitz and The Tantrums

With their blazing horns, electric synths and funky soul-pop, Fitz and The Tantrums are determined to get you to move—even (or especially) when life’s beating you down. “We like to bring the dance party,” frontman Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick told Apple Music. That mantra has steered the Los Angeles sextet through every turn of their career since they formed in 2009. It all started with Fitz buying a $50 church organ whose timbre practically inspired the funky, vintage-hued “Breakin’ the Chains of Love” to spring forth from his fingertips. He immediately got on the phone with a college friend, saxophonist/flautist James King, who then helped bring on co-singer Noelle Scaggs, drummer John Wicks, bassist Ethan Phillips (later replaced by Joseph Karnes) and keyboardist Jeremy Ruzumna. The instant chemistry continued thanks to a mutual love for ‘60s Motown, ‘70s funk and ‘80s New Wave—not to mention that sizzling vocal interplay—which translated into a rollicking live show and the throbbing neo-soul of the Tantrums’ 2010 debut, Pickin’ Up the Pieces. Indie audiences may have grabbed onto their infectious bops first, but Fitz and co. were soon climbing pop charts around the world with 2016’s “HandClap”, a dizzying, bass-driven anthem utterly uninhibited in its feel-good indulgence. That lust for life powers the group’s charm whether they’re addressing personal neuroses or political pain in their lyrics—as on 2019’s All the Feels. Through it all, they serve up heart-pumping pop celebrations to answer the question Fitz said he continues to ask himself: “How do we talk about anxiety, stress—depression even—and still make it a song that you want to dance to?”