Edited by JOHN DALY
The Happy Fits are appropriately named and introduce their second album What Could Be Better with a cool video “Go Dumb” here.
The Happy Fits started as a casual summer project for longtime friends Calvin Langman, guitarist Ross Monteith, and drummer Luke Davis before they started college. After their debut EP took off on Spotify during their first semester, they dropped out to record their 2018 full-length Concentrate.
The guys have kicked off summer with a bang with the infectious single “Go Dumb” and its time-warped video. The album releases August 28 via The Orchard.
“What Could Be Better is a collection of songs written from the time I dropped out of school in 2017 to where I am now in early 2020,” said principal songwriter, cellist and vocalist Langman. “It explores my trials and tribulations transitioning from being an obedient, structured student in school to becoming an independent, young adult. I documented the new stresses and responsibilities I faced in my daily life as the veil of my sheltered upbringing was lifted.”
Pre-order What Could Be Better here.
“Growing up, I always felt this pressure from my parents and classical music peers to be productive every second of every day,” Langman said. “Six days a week it was nine hours in school, four hours of practice, and countless hours more of studying and rehearsal. As I got older and I discovered my love for writing and being creative, I realized I cared less for formal education and discipline and more about spending my time alone being introspective and imaginative.
“Saying “I want to Go Dumb” is a personal jeer to my past; if spending my time being creative will make me dumb, then I will gladly Go Dumb to do what I love.”
The band brought their music across the country on multiple headlining tours, as well as supporting acts like This Wild Life and the Frights. During the shutdown, they’ve been regularly livestreaming performances.
The band’s upbeat nature comes from a desire to connect with a world that’s sometimes distant. What Could Be Better’s title track was inspired by Langman’s isolation as one of the few Asian-Americans in his hometown. As the band’s stages get bigger, he knows he’s becoming the role model he didn’t have, saying, “It feels really good to be someone that Filipino kids growing up in America could look up to.”
What Could Be Better track list:
01. Go Dumb
02. No Instructions
03. Moving
04. Two of Many
05. The Garden
06. Hold Me Down
07. She Wants Me (To Be Loved)
08. Sailing
09. Get a Job
10. What Could Be Better