any folks looked at the oppressive , lockdown-and-mask-mandated pandemic and saw a glass half empty . But all Michael ‘ Fitz ’ Fitzpatrick could envision was a more optimistic glass half full . “ And as scary as it

got to wake up in my own bed , see my kids every morning , and put my kids to bed every night for a year straight . And I never get to do that . So as scary and stressful as it was , it was also maybe one of the most magical times of my life .” But the soulful stylist was soon moving again via Head Up High , his lockdown-composed , garage-recorded solo set from last year , in which he addressed current events in cathartic songs like “ I Need a Dance Floor ” and “ Congratulations ,” which he actually sang to a graduating high school class on Good Morning America , in lieu of any traditional cap-andgown ceremony . Talk about meta , he chuckles . ‘ I performed for GMA in my backyard ,” he recalls . “ And I thought , ‘ What is the world coming to ? I ’ m shooting at 4:30 in the morning for East coast time ,

Fitz and the Tantrums ( photo Lindsey Byrnes )

was to be like , ‘ Holy shit ! I ’ m not playing live shows anymore — how am I gonna make a living ?’ There was all this stress in the world , and it felt like the world literally was on fire , especially in California at the beginning of the pandemic ,” recalls the kinetic frontman for Fitz and the Tantrums , who had become accustomed to always being in motion . ” For me , it was the first chance I

in my backyard , doing this performance really quickly , and then running in the house and shutting off the lights so if one of my neighbors calls the cops on me I can pretend we ’ re still asleep !’”

As 2023 kicks off , however , Fitz ’ s cup runneth over . As soon as it was humanly possible , he assembled co-vocalist Noelle Scaggs and his crack team of Tantrums for Let Yourself Free , a jubilant

new band comeback celebration featuring soulsteeped singalongs that get the party reignited , like “ Moneymaker ,” “ Good Nights ,” “ Silver Platter ,” and the choral-pop percolator “ Good Intentions .” “ I am not stressing because I ’ ve got good intentions ,” the vocalist asserts , declaring an end to — if not the coronavirus era itself — at least the bad vibes that have accompanied it for far too long . And the group just appeared for the second time at the annual Macy ' s Thanksgiving Day Parade on top of a Lego float . Can a Fitz record truly save the day ? Could be . But it will , if nothing else , certainly give us a reason to get up , out , and moving again , Good Morning America broadcast or not .

IE : On “ Head Up High ,” you also got to write and sing “ Little Champion ” for your oldest of three sons .

MICHAEL ‘ FITZ ’ FITZPATRICK : Absolutely . And those guys all got to be the backup vocalists on that record . And you know , making that solo record at the beginning of the pandemic , all via Zoom , was a real challenge . I would get together every day , Monday through Friday , with three of my good buddies who were musicians and songwriters , and we kind of did it more just so we would have somebody to talk to and check in and be social with . But we kept writing these songs that felt real-