There’s no reason for me to go into a huge history of this band, because they’ve been all over the blogosphere lately, and if I remember correctly Pitchfork was all about their current EP “Wizard of Ahhhs”. In typical idiotic me fashion, for some reason, despite all the press, I wrote the band off and didn’t bother to give them a listen. It took, and this is sort of sad I guess, a Rolling Stone article about The Black Kids being one of the ten bands to watch in 2008 to get me to give them a chance. I can’t help it, they said they sounded like The Cure without the black lipstick plus a bit of teen spirit. With a Cure comparison I had to check them out. So I did.
“Hit the Heartbrakes,” is the lead-off track of their aforementioned EP and it’s a killer one. The opening riff that breaks into some sort of mutant fusion of Arcade Fire and 80s brit pop hooked me immediately. The production and mix is a bit messy but it works perfectly for what they’re doing here. This song has an undeniable groove. The synths are 80s gold, and the male vocalist sounds like Winn Butler channeling Robert Smith, while the female vocalist sounds like a long lost Motown girl group singer. The verses are huge, and the chorus is huge too. Hell the whole song is huge! Just listen to the “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” style synth string riff before the mid-song breakdown! This is another song I’d love to shake my ass to at a party. The rest of their EP hasn’t hit me quite yet, but it’s still quite boss, and I’m sure I’ll be addicted to it soon.
Hear the song here at The Black Kid’s Myspace!