Fitz and The Tantrums, known for their saturated unique approach to pop are back with a solemn, thoughtful new tune. The songs starts with strings that remind the listener of “Canon in D.” By the time we hit the chorus, there are some lyrics that might sound familiar. If the song “Graduation (Friends Forever)” comes to mind, then the band has hit their goal.

Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick’s thoughts on the song are, “School’s winding down, and summer is upon us. However, we wanted to remind everyone to never say goodbye forever. Those middle school, high school, and college friendships make us who we are. Even if we don’t see those same people every day anymore, we carry those experiences forever. This is our tribute to all of those friends and everything they taught and showed us. We just had to shout out Vitamin C in there and bring it full circle.”

The video is an animation of two boats sailing across the sea back and forth with the lyrics appearing in the top center of the screen. The message is timeless. Whether we’re in school or out in the wild, there are people that we meet perhaps for a day, perhaps longer. Saying goodbye and accepting the finality of a bond is a hard thing to do. This song is a reminder to appreciate those people and those moments by not saying goodbye, “just see you later.”

Photo credit: Brett Padelford