Fitz and the Tantrums

Break-ups are nothing new when it comes to inspiration for songwriters, but it's definitely rare when the person who breaks a songwriter's heart also provides the tools for creating an entire record. That’s what happened to Los Angeles songwriter Fitz, who received a phone call from his ex (who he calls “the heartbreaker”) one day informing him of a church organ that her neighbor needed to get rid of ASAP. That was the start of Fitz and the Tantrums. That night Fitz used that organ to write “Breakin’ the Chains of Love”, the first song from Songs For A Break-up: Volume 1, their debut 5-song EP.

Born in France, raised in L.A., Fitz cites his influences as late-sixties AM radio, Motown and early Hall and Oates. He’s pretty much dead on. It would be easy to lump them in with the Mark Ronson/Amy Winehouse retro revival movement, but there's something more sincere in the songwriting and genuine in the band's delivery that makes for a surprisingly original sound, which shines through on Songs For A Break-up: Volume 1.

Check them out on tour now with Flogging Molly and Hepcat. And be sure to do yourself a favor and spend the $4.95 to download Songs For A Break-up: Volume 1 over at Amazon.

Fitz and the Tantrums – We Don't Need Love Songs

Fitz and the Tantrums – Breakin' the Chains of Love