Welcome to The Fresh Squeeze, where every Monday and Friday, BLUNT gets down to the wire with an up-and-coming act we simply can’t get enough of.
In today’s shiny new edition, we get the juice on Brooklyn pop-rockers The Happy Fits, who with their punchy powerchords, soaring melodies and tasteful slick of smoky, swaggering groove – all accented by headstrong cello playing – hit our radar like a meteorite. The band have earned comparisons to everyone from The Beatles to the Killers, all the way to Violent Femmes. But if you ask us, there’s so much about The Happy Fits that make them so unique, to pull the whole “you’ll like them if you like” card would be incredibly disingenuous. Because you’ll like them if you like bold, energetic pop-rock with a deeply emotive edge. You’ll like them if you like listening to music and thinking, “Hold on, what was that sound!?” You’ll like them if you already like a bunch of pop-rock bands indebted to the mid-2000s, but feel like something a little more adventurous to shake things up.
Basically… You’ll like them.
Who’s in your band, what do they play, and what would be your non-musical superpowers?
Calvin Langman: I play cello and my superpower would be to fly!
Luke Davis: I play drums and my superpower would definitely be super speed!
Ross Monteith: I play guitar and my superpower would be teleportation!
When you’re not tearing shit up on your instruments, what do you legends like to get up to?
Calvin loves playing pickleball in his free time. For those that don’t know, pickleball is like a combination of tennis and pickleball. Luke loves his video games. He was actually ranked Top 10 in the nation at one point, for a game called Overwatch! Ross likes video games too but, he’s an extremely average gamer. He also loves food, and eating is one of his favourite pastimes. He makes his own home made hot sauces for fun! Also, we have recently all been on a Diablo 3 kick!
What would your hometown’s landmark be?
We lived in horse country, New Jersey, in a small town called Pittstown. The whole town is basically just one street with one restaurant, a barber, a pizza shop, a bank and a post office. There is a very old barn in the parking lot of the restaurant, with a huge sign that says “SO THIS IS PITTSTOWN”, and that is our proud landmark. You can see it in the first shot of our music video for ‘No Instructions’ – it’s a beautiful area!
What’s the usual first topic of conversation when you take a break at rehearsal?
It’s usually about what we want for lunch or dinner. We are a very food-oriented band.
What’s your pre-show warm-up routine?
We don’t really have a routine, to be honest. We stretch sometimes, but nothing special. We do, however, routinely panic for the last five minutes leading up to the show. Nerves are hard to break until you get onstage and play your first song!
Tell us about your most memorable show, what made it so special?
Our most memorable show was probably our first Holiday Show in Asbury Park, at the House Of Independence. It was a test to see if we could create our own annual show that people could expect every year, and we didn’t know how it would go. We didn’t expect it to sell out, but it sold out very quickly. We got to play with some of our best friends, and it was amazing. We did two shows at the same venue the next year, and they both sold out as well. It is always an amazing feeling to play a sold-out show in your home state with your friends and supports around!
What band would you most like to share the stage with and why?
The Killers would be a dream for us. We were all heavily influenced by them when we were young, and we really thought of them as legends. Calvin once stood all day in a terrible storm at a music festival just to get to see them in the front row!
What’s the most exciting album you’ve listened to recently?
This might sound unlikely, but Dua Lipa’s album was incredible. It was such a fun album and it had a lot of really catchy melodies. I think she is pretty unique as far as mainstream pop music goes. It really is a joyful album!
If you could be endorsed by one company, who would it be?
Calvin: I would love to get an official endorsement from MLB. I just want to throw a first pitch at a Yankee’s game!
Luke: I’d love to be endorsed by Ludwig because their drums are perfect for me!
Ross: A clothing brand would be awesome! I love Pharrell and Nigo’s company, Billionaire Boys Club (and ICECREAM) but I can’t afford any of it, so that would be sweet.
Why are you going to make it to the top over all the other contenders in the musical arena?
Of course it would be a dream come true to be a massive band, but we are just doing our thing! We are extremely lucky and grateful to be in the spot that we are in, and we would love to be able to continue to grow as a band. We will continue to work hard at what we do and we encourage everyone, in all forms of art, to give it a shot. If you can make a living off your creations, that’s incredible!
‘Another Try’ and ‘Cold Turkey’ are out now via AWAL. Check the former out below, or click here to stream the full release.
Connect with The Happy Fits on Facebook / Instagram / TikTok
