National fencing champion Ross Monteith and orchestra nerd Calvin Langman didn't exactly get along in high school. However, a chance conversation about the success of Youtube cover bands brought the two together to pave a road to quick fortune. Their mix of rocking guitars and electric cello created a unique dynamic, blending their love of rock artists like The Black Keys and folk bands like The Violent Femmes. Working on covers grew tiresome, and an emotional break-up soon inspired them to write their first song together. The resulting music produced a youthful and chaotic frenzy of catchy melodies and raw instrumentals. When the band recruited professional gamer Luke Davis to join the band on drums, The Happy Fits were born...

Given that The Happy Fits were originally formed to perform covers of songs they loved, it's probably not going to come as much of a surprise to discover that as diverse as their new album Concentrate is, that every now and then you'll catch a snippet of a song you already know.

The album contains 11 songs (38 min, 07 sec) and takes in numerous genres from the rock-based 'Best Tears' which beautifully mixes modern rock with '60s music; folky 'Reasons for Dreaming'; up tempo rock 'Heart of a Dancer'; the 'Personal Jesus' inspired 'Mary'; and the bluesy 'Little Words'.

It's an engaging and enjoyable album, although I can't see it being one that I'll be playing six months from now.

7

Nick Smithson