There was this song that was everywhere several summers ago that was supposed to make your hands clap.  And a few summers before that was the one that hit with some catchy whistle bopping at the start. 

I’m talking about L.A.-based band Fitz and the Tantrums.  Their new album titled Let Yourself Free drops on November 11^th.  The first two singles “Sway” and “Moneymaker” are pretty much what you’d expect if you know their last two albums, in fact, a little more pop lean than anything.

Truth be told, I miss the days of yore with the alternative lean.  I went back and listened to “Out of My League” from More Than Just a Dream recently and it brought me back to a really fun vehicle I was driving at the time, cruising on backroads that snaked through towering pine trees.    

Let Yourself Free is not that.  In fact, it’s really hard to believe this is their fifth studio album.  Comparatively to their earlier work, it almost feels like a regression to a more juvenile sound.  It’s incredibly polished, but I don’t know that their sound has necessarily grown with the initial fan base for their music.  This is a band who has taken an average of three years between all their albums and have worked the live music circuit incredibly hard between drops.  “Moneymaker” truly feels like “HandClap 2.0,” which isn’t a bad thing.  But it’s a thing and the sound. 

At this point in the year, it feels like a bit of a random sell as the year winds down to a close and we’re in the mood for pensive style material, however, it also feels a little refreshing.  There’s nothing lyrically or musically riveting here, and we can appreciate that simply for what it is.  It’ll make a great option for any collection craving an indie-pop easily digestible sound.

@siliconeandvinyl