[News] Fitz and The Tantrums Announce Sophomore LP, Titled 'More Than Just a Dream'

On May 7th, Fitz and The Tantrums will follow-up their explosive soul debut Pickin' Up the Pieces with a sophomore effort entitled More Than Just a Dream. The album, the band's debut with new label Elektra Records, serves as an experiment for the Los Angeles outfit, who have taken the experience as a chance to expand their sound.

When frontman Michael Fitzpatrick spoke to RollingStone recently, he said that he and the band had "obviously grown a lot as a band and as people. We wanted to show people that this band was more than a 'retro band.' We'd all gotten a little bit tired of that one moniker that kept getting applied to us. To me, obviously, there was obviously a lot of Motown, retro-soul influence to (the first record), but there was just as much Eighties influence, indie-rock influence, new-wave and hip-hop all mixed in. That first record was that kind of hybrid, and on this record, we just wanted to push it even more forward and take even more chances, and it just required a lot of experimentation."

The result was 40 demos in 30 days, a ridiculous number by any musician's standard. Fitz and co. have narrowed that number down to include tracks like "Out of My League" (a blend of vintage organs and Eighties drum machine) and "Merry Go Round" (described as the album's emotional centerpiece). For now, we can't hear the fruits of the band's labor, but that time will come soon enough. Stay tuned!