The Happy Fits is an indie rock band from Pittstown, New Jersey.[1] The band was formed in 2016 by lead vocalist and cellist Calvin Langman and guitarist Ross Monteith, with the addition of Luke Davis as drummer following the release of their debut EP Awfully Apeelin'.[2] After finding unexpected success on Spotify, the band members dropped out of college to record their first full-length album, Concentrate. They have since completed multiple headlining tours and released a sophomore album,What Could Be Better, in 2020, and a third album, Under the Shade of Green, in 2022.
History
2016–2017: Band formation
The band members attended the same New Jersey high school, where Ross Monteith approached the classically-trained Calvin Langman to play music together. By the close of their senior year, they had written four songs. As a graduation present, Monteith's parents paid for them to record the songs that would make their first EP.[3] Two days before recording, they contacted Ross's older brother's friend, Luke Davis, to add a layer of percussion. Davis was attending William Paterson University, but he had graduated from their high school the year prior, described by his bandmates as the school's best drummer. Their band name was decided on the way to the studio.[4]
Their first EP, Awfully Apeelin', was released in August 2016. While Langman and Monteith were attending the University of Delaware,[5] "While You Fade Away" was listed on Spotify's Fresh Finds playlist, jumping from under 1,000 listens on the app to over 39,000.[6] It reached #5 on the Top 50 Viral USA Spotify chart three days later and #17 on the Spotify’s Top 50 Viral Global Charts.[4] Following the success of their EP, Davis joined as an official member, and in 2017, all three members dropped out of college to pursue the band full-time.[1]
2018–present: Concentrate and Under the Shade of Green
In 2018, the band released their debut album, Concentrate.[1]
In February 2020, the band finished recording their second album and set out on a tour that was quickly cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, the band focused on their social media presence, with weekly livestreams on YouTube.[7] In August 2020, they released their second album, What Could Be Better. The album was named one of the ten best albums of the year by Fresh Air's Ken Tucker.[8]
On January 24th 2024, the band announced on their Instagram that founding member Ross Monteith would be leaving the band;[9] later that day, they announced Nicole Rosenbach and Raina Mullen as new full members of the band, having previously toured alongside Langman and Davis.[10]
