Fitz and the Tantrums
by Fitz & the Tantrums
  • Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: Jun 10, 2016
Metascore
56

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 7
  3. Negative: 2 out of 7
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  1. Magnet
    Aug 2, 2016
    95
    All of [the tracks are] meaty, beaty, big and bouncy. [No. 132, p.53]
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  2. AllMusic
    Jun 9, 2016
    80
    Ultimately, while Fitz & the Tantrums' contemporary dance-pop sound is decades away from the aesthetic of their debut, it works, and it's hard to imagine fans not wanting to take make the leap with them.
  3. Boston Globe
    Jun 9, 2016
    50
    The band’s glossiest record yet seems geared toward merging its brassy, retro-glam aesthetic with a commercial-minded agenda. For a time it succeeds, meting out earworms with take-no-prisoners rapidity. Eventually, though, Fitz’s mainstream pop ambitions outpace its once-emblematic sense of funk (and fun).
  5. Rolling Stone
    Jun 29, 2016
    40
    It's a self-titled affair but it lacks the calling cards that originally made them interesting.
  6. PopMatters
    Jun 14, 2016
    40
    It’s the residue of that band making a cynical attempt to polish the gloss off their music to a dull matte to the benefit of the lowest common denominator of pop listeners.
  7. Consequence
    Jun 9, 2016
    25
    Fitz and the Tantrums is an album that feels, by some bizarre paradox, like both a product of contemporary market forces and a depressing relic of an era of the music industry best forgotten.
  8. The 405
    Jun 9, 2016
    20
    Each and every track on this album is so jam-packed with garbage pop flourishes that it can get exhausting.

User Reviews

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User Score
4.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 24 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 24
  3. Negative: 11 out of 24
  1. sunugly
    Jun 12, 2016
    4
    This album all but abandoned what made Fitz and the Tantrums great to begin with. The full band R&B sound is lost and replaced with heavyThis album all but abandoned what made Fitz and the Tantrums great to begin with. The full band R&B sound is lost and replaced with heavy auto-tuned vocals, poppy synths, and generic drum beats. Disappointed to say the least. It's catchy and it's fun, but it's not unique and it's not F&TT.… Full Review »
  2. Methusalah
    Jun 23, 2016
    2
    Why did they abandon a unique, catchy, but still quite radio-friendly sound for this? They're gaining nothing and losing everything that madeWhy did they abandon a unique, catchy, but still quite radio-friendly sound for this? They're gaining nothing and losing everything that made them stand out from the crowd. More Than Just a Dream started them down this path, but managed to balance the full on pop songs with songs that carried on the legacy of their first album. There isn't a track on this generic trash pile of an album that hasn't earned a place in the landfill of forgotten and discarded pop detritus.… Full Review »
  3. ConnorFilm
    Jun 12, 2016
    8
    The pop sound works for the most part for Fitz and The Tantrums. Yes, it might be disposable. It might be repetitive hooks. But this might beThe pop sound works for the most part for Fitz and The Tantrums. Yes, it might be disposable. It might be repetitive hooks. But this might be their funnest album yet.… Full Review »
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