indierockreviews.com

Fun’s name itself is the best descriptor of their music. The band’s second album, Some Nights, was released in February, and their single “We Are Young” skyrocketed to the top of the charts, making them the first band since 2002 to reach number one on the Billboard Top 100 with their first single.

Fun’s rise to success seems to have happened overnight. “We Are Young” was featured on an episode of Glee well before it became a hit single, and though the TV rendition gained plenty of notoriety, the band was determined to turn their original into a hit. By March, they were featured as the cover story for Billboard Magazine.

“It’s very exciting,” guitarist Jack Antonoff exclaims. “I mean, it feels very atypical from most chances and how things normally happen.”

The group likes to think of the band as an extension of their respective careers. Each member originally came from a different band, and Some Nights is only their second album together. Their individual experiences of struggling independently makes their newfound success all the more exciting, as well as grounding.

“It’s kind of like the feeling you have when you’re younger and you see your grade school teacher at the supermarket, and it’s weird because you can’t picture them outside of school,” Antonoff says. “It’s like two worlds colliding; and that’s basically how we feel when we look at our ticket sales or hear ourselves on the radio. It’s physically very weird.”

Fun makes their gratitude to their fans abundantly clear, expressing their appreciation regardless of their status as rising musicians.

“When things are kind of happening on a bigger level it can be slightly alienating for a lot of fans who have been there for a long time,” Antonoff explains. “It’s really vital to us that we remind all the people who have been supporting us for years that it’s still us, and we’re still just making songs we like and [are] happy to be able to play them for everyone.”

Coming from different musical backgrounds and having dealt with the music industry through separate paths, each member wants to build their career with integrity. Through their tenure as Fun, they’ve learned and matured together.

“In our early 20s we really hated the idea of being told what to do, and we were all about releasing our own record,” Antonoff says. “But now we have confidence. We know what we want to do and how to execute it. We’ve realized the benefits of being signed to a major label and are very appreciative of it.”

Regardless, they retain their hesitance about the industry. The album’s intro song, “Some Nights,” opens up with the line, “Tea parties and Twitter; I’ve never been so bitter.” However, it seems as if Fun has figured out a way to work on their own terms.

“We have a code that we follow which is basically, in a non-arrogant way, to just do whatever we want whenever we want,” Antonoff explains. “At the end of the day, it’s really us out there; it’s our songs, our faces, our visions. We’re constantly putting ourselves in positions where we’re surrounded by people who really understand that and can help that process. I think it’s pretty rare that we can play by our own rules and also work with bigger companies; usually those two don’t go hand in hand.”

The members of Fun seem comfortable with their current status. Along with huge success, they are happy with the way things have worked out and look forward to continue making music people love. But most importantly of all, they’re having fun doing it.

Fun performs on April 30 at Cabaret du Mile End. Tickets are $16.50.