The Happy Fits – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN – November 28, 2025

The Happy Fits (with Double Standard and Phoneboy) at First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN – Friday, November 28, 2025

Review and Photos by Catherine Zons

This show has been one I’ve been looking forward to since August, when the Happy Fits first announced that they’d be on tour with their latest album, Lovesick. I’ve been waiting to see them live again since last April, when I had the great fortune of seeing them in Scotland while studying abroad. Their energetic and engaging performance style is unforgettable, and their show at The Garage in Glasgow has been an experience I’ve been waiting to replicate since my flight home.

Kicking off the night was Double Standard, an indie girl band from New York City. Their driving melodies and powerful, yet light vocals were instantly captivating. Lead singer Lydia Eberling and guitarist/vocalist Siena Chanel traded potent melodies and emotionally relatable lyrics on songs like “to Maine” and “nvr c u again.” Lead guitarist Lauren Dinhofer and bassist Zoe Arora were completely in sync,while drummer Meg Cournoyer held it all together with alternatingly intense and subtle grooves. Double Standard performed like a well-oiled machine while also clearly having a lot of fun; at points Dinhofer and Arora would play face-to-face, and a couple times Chanel did a couple show-stopping backbends while killing it on the guitar. They ended their set with “American Psycho,” an electrifying song from their debut self-titled EP that just released earlier this year. (I absolutely LOVE this song and have listened to it at least once a day since hearing it live!)

Up next was Phoneboy, a band I’ve been trying to find a way to see almost as long as I’ve been waiting to see the Happy Fits! (I almost drove to Chicago to see them last month but couldn’t take the time off!) So when I saw that they’d be one of the opening bands on Friday night, I couldn’t have asked for a better lineup. Hailing from Hoboken, New Jersey, the band started at the Stevens Institute of Technology with singer/guitarists Wyn Barnum and Ricky Dana and what they described as a desire to invigorate the school’s lacking indie scene. Growing to include bassist James Fusco and singer/keyboardist Jordan Torres, Phoneboy has been faithfully releasing music since 2020–just recently adding Heartbreak Designer to their discography.

Phoneboy performed several songs from this newest album, including “I Look Alive,” Jordan Torres’ first vocal feature with the band, as well as “Talking to Heads,” an upbeat song about unrequited love that is probably one of my favorite songs of all time. They also played some fan favorites like “Roses,” “Runaway,” and “Nevermind,” making effective use of their too-short set. It was so much fun to sing along to every song, and to cheer loudly with the rest of the crowd when Phoneboy ended their set with “Hey, Kid!” a fast track exploring the nostalgia of a rebellious childhood: sneaking out and speeding late at night. Phoneboy said goodbye far too soon, but they said they often tour with The Happy Fits, so I hope it won’t be long before I’m seeing them again!

After a short break, I was down in the pit ready to take pictures of The Happy Fits. But when they came out playing “Cruel Power,” I was so invested in singing and dancing along (and lowkey starstruck) that I almost forgot that I was supposed to be taking pictures! It was so unbelievably exciting to be so close to the people making music that means so much to me. “Cruel Power” is a frenzied track–and a song that I’ve listened to no fewer than 80 times since it was released–that explores the frustration of being hopelessly in love with someone who will never commit, and it comes from Lovesick, the band’s newest album. Released in September 2025, it marks the band’s fourth studio album since their inception in 2016. Formed as a passion project by lead vocalist and cellist Calvin Langman and guitarist Ross Monteith in their New Jersey high school, The Happy Fits grew to include drummer Luke Davis–and their debut EP Awfully Appeelin’ (2016) soon blew up with songs like “Too Late” and “While You Fade Away.”

Lovesick comes after almost a year of difficulty for the band. Monteith made an abrupt exit from the group in 2024, Langman experienced a tragically transformative breakup, and Davis had a hellish battle with alcoholism. The album is not only impressive sonically, but also stands as a testament to the strength of the band and their ability to make art out of difficult things. It’s a success story that is both relatable and aspirational, and Lovesick’s release comes at a time in my life where their messages about love, loneliness, and life are especially meaningful for me. The album also solidifies the place of two newly full-time members within the band: vocalist/guitarists Nico Rose and Raina Mullen.

The four performed on Friday night like they’ve always been together. They hit their biggest songs with excitement, energy, and big smiles. Tracks like “She Wants Me (To Be Loved),” “Do Your Worst,” and “So Alright, Cool, Whatever” garnered huge audience cheers. “Cold Turkey” featured a big turkey hat bestowed onto Rose by the members of Phoneboy–and the big puffy headpiece slowly made its way around the band as the song progressed. “Lovesick #1 (Misery),” “The Nerve,” and “Black Hole” gave the crowd ample opportunity to fall in love with the new stuff off Lovesick, while the group’s beautiful four-part harmonies brought the crowd back to 1976 with their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way.” The band talked often and comfortably with the crowd, discussing everything from love advice to the bitter Minnesota cold. They ended with an encore of “Too Late,” and the audience needed no encouragement to belt the lyrics back at the band as we all danced.

This show at First Avenue was one of the best collections of music I’ve seen for a long time. I had an incredible time getting acquainted with Double Standard, getting familiar with Phoneboy, and coming home to The Happy Fits. At one point during their set, Nico Rose of The Happy Fits spoke to the crowd and delivered this incredible line like a punch: she said, “It’s cold as f*** outside, Minneapolis, but it’s hot as hell in here!” We all cheered, but I think that statement also seemed to sum up the whole night. A night spent warming each other up with great company and even better music? As Calvin Langman sings in their song of the same name: “what could be better?”

P.S: Since writing this review, my end-of-the-year music streaming stats have been released–and The Happy Fits were my third most popular artist of my 65,000 minutes of music listening this year! It’s the third year in a row they’ve been in my top 5, and I can’t wait to keep that trend running for next year too!