Ever since I first heard major integration of string instruments like cello or violin into pop music, I fell in love. Hard.
The violin progression of “Sober Up” by AJR
“Clarity” by Zedd.
All of the songs listed above contain haunting string progressions, something that never fails to give me goosebumps. However, hearing cello or violin as one of the, if not the main, melody is very rare and hard to find in rock/indie music. Usually, if you feel the need to jam out to strings, you search up Tchaikovsky or Mozart on Spotify.
But during one of my deep dives through the bowels of the internet, I found a band that seems to produce banger after banger after banger while having cello as one of the main instruments– The Happy Fits.
With around 1 million monthly listeners, their names and songs still aren’t as widely recognized as they deserve to be. With a cello alongside the main instruments of drums and guitar, The Happy Fits creates a distinctive sound that never fails to get me “moving, and grooving to the sound of the beat” (from “Best Tears”)..
The band, originating in New Jersey, is structured by three young men named Calvin Langman (lead vocals + guitar), Ross Monteith (lead guitar), Luke Davis (lead drums). Even when they’re not making music, their imagination in creating mesmerizing music videos and silly blogs never fails to make me smile.
Their music videos take the lore to another level, as their most recent album, Under A Shade Of Green, the US Government outlaws pineapples as a dangerous drug. Following this outlawing, The Happy Fits become a pineapple cartel, distributing pineapples to customers under tables and through backroom deals. It’s really silly, and three of their music videos tell a continuous story following The Happy Fit’s illegal pineapple distribution.
Some of my very favorite songs from this incredible band are
- “Best Tears”
- “Cold Turkey”
- “Mary”
- “Little One”
- “Achey Bones”
- “She Wants Me (To Be Loved)”
- “Dirty Imbecile”
- “Go Dumb”
- “Do Your Worst”
- “Moving”