Fitz & The Tantrums At The Dome

Fitz and the Tantrums perform at the House of Blues in Dallas, Texas, on July 23, 2016. Fitz and The Tantrums won critical acclaim with its throwback soul but, crafting the group's latest album, frontman Michael Fitzpatrick suffered months of debilitating writer's block. Until he had an epiphany -- go pop, and don't think that's a "dirty word." — Laura Buckman/Getty Images
Fitz and the Tantrums perform at the House of Blues in Dallas, Texas, on July 23, 2016. Fitz and The Tantrums won critical acclaim with its throwback soul but, crafting the group’s latest album, frontman Michael Fitzpatrick suffered months of debilitating writer’s block. Until he had an epiphany — go pop, and don’t think that’s a “dirty word.”

PUBLISHED: November 3, 2016 at 9:38 a.m. | UPDATED: December 12, 2018 at 3:27 p.m.

Fitz & the Tantrums make music that’s meant for the dance floor, the gym, or the bedroom. This is not mopey, melancholic, downer pop. It’s not tear-in-your-Red-Bull-and-vodka music. If you want to banish sorrow and maybe do some cardio workouts, Fitz & the Tantrums have the jams for you.

They’re from L.A. — of course. The band’s self-titled third album came out earlier this year. Fitz & the Tantrums’ synthy sound pulls from Cameo-flavored R&B, double-dutch rhythms, and the choppy radio/club hits of Katy Perry and others.

The opening track on the new record is “HandClap,” which kind of encapsulates the band’s priorities: interactive zeal, percussive accents and sonic motivation. There’s a cool robotic-soul-review element to the band’s visual style, part James Brown, part Max Headroom.

Fitz & the Tantrums perform at The Dome at Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre, 95 S. Turnpike Road, Wallingford, Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. 203-265-1501, livenation.com.