Black Kids - Partie Traumatic Review
Posted by Vanessa Willoughby on 10.04.2008
With tongue-in-cheek tracks such as "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend To Dance" and "I Wanna Be Your Limousine," Black Kids are all about mixing the retro with the modern. But can they get by on just witty titles and synth-heavy beats?
Hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, Black Kids formed in early 2006, releasing their debut EP, Wizards of Ahhhs the following year. They gained both a considerable critical and fan acclaim, which helped Partie Traumatic go to #5 on the UK charts in July 2008. One of the first things I thought when popping my Black Kids CD into my stereo was: Robert Smith, is that you? Reggie Youngblood, the lead singer, could be the stylistic soul mate of The Cure’s red-lipstick wearing, high-voltage hair sporting, British icon. Youngblood, with his melancholy yowls, definitely has been listening to Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me.
However, unlike The Cure, Black Kids are all about exploring the New Wave-dance-synthesizer influenced rock of the 1980s, rather than the evocative musings of bands like The Smiths or even Depeche Mode. Partie Traumatic is the soundtrack to a wild night out on the town, complete with hipsters in American Apparel, sipping on Red Bull cocktails and blowing smoke in each other’s faces. And surprisingly, despite what seems to be the target demographic, I can’t get enough of them. Because unlike the shallowness of the hipster persuasion, Black Kids aren’t trying to be anything more than they are. This isn’t to say that the record is lazy or uninspired. In fact, it’s just the opposite. The album is all about the excitement of living in the moment and throwing away your worries as you throw back the cocktails. Although this may easily be labeled as a dance album, there's still an underlying and ever-present rock flavor that prevents Black Kids from fading into a fifteen-minute fad.
The opening track, “Hit The Heartbrakes,” is addictively catchy, crackling with energy, wit and spunk. The chorus is pretty simple and standard metaphor: “It’s not me, yeah, it’s you/You’ve been hittin the heartbrakes hard/It ain’t no use, cause we’re still gonna crash.” Maybe some people will think that Black Kids deal with lyrics strictly for the under 25 set, but it’s their unapologetic favoritism for the contradicting simplicity and complexity of youth that make them so charming. The title track, “Partie Traumatic” sounds like something extracted from the David Bowie, circa Ziggy Stardust. With detached, almost alien-like vocals, Youngblood croons with the help of Dawn Watley and his sister, Ali Youngblood.
One of the highlights of the Partie Traumatic is “Listen To Your Body Tonight.” The lyrics are fun, light and peppy, although not undermining the song’s undercurrent of sexuality and desire. The bridge is a literal dialogue between Youngblood and his “body.” (“What do you want my body?/I wanna feel somebody on me.”) Worthy of The Bard or Oscar Wilde? Perhaps not. But like the title of the record states, Black Kids are all about the fun, the fast, the easy and the free. Maybe they’re not going to win a Pulitzer anytime soon for outstanding lyrical arrangement, but chastising for this would be to greatly overlook their obvious assets. Just like Bloc Party or Interpol, Black Kids pay tribute to the retro without turning into a forgettable set of wannabe clones.
Black Kids are currently on tour until the 15th of October. From what I understand, most of the venues are small, more intimate clubs. The group came to a club in my neighborhood, but unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to see them. However, if you have the opportunity to catch them live, I HIGHLY recommend it. I can only imagine how insane the energy and the crowd would be, especially if in a smaller venue. Black Kids is the type of band that sounds amazing on a record, but I have the hunch that they would absolutely explode in a live setting.
The 411: Produced by former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, Partie Traumatic is equal parts heartbreak with equal parts cavalier. Upbeat, infectious and hip, Black Kids are a band full of promise and vivacity.
