Black Kids

The Disney-created, tween phenomena is widespread and well-known, but there is another in-between scene dominating the 18-34 set. Though it seemed to come out of left-field, the kitschy, kitchen sink-pop of the likes of Architecture in Helsinki and I'm From Barcelona—singing about teamwork and puppy love—felt nice, warm, fuzzy…and still weird. But, like anything else that gains renown, the floodgates hath opened. A cast of lukewarm pretenders cashed in on the cute quotient, but now the wheat is separating from the chaff and bands with some quarter-life crises worth telling have checked in.

Apart from their somewhat shocking name, The Black Kids gained attention from discerning tastemakers and thousands of MySpace fans by doling out instant gratification with their debut single, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You" and its Cure-inspired light synths, echoing call and response vocals, doo-wop ad-libs and dizzing guitar melody. The only worry was that the rest of their songs would sound exactly the same, with less hook. Partie Traumatique showcases cute, well-packaged pop songs, rotating emotions and influences at the same speed as the CD spins. Where other bands wax poetic and day dream in their lyrics, Black Kids offer an honest perspective to dealing with life, love and time spent on the dancefloor. Opener "Hit the Heartbrakes" provides confessions of unrequited love ("What can I do? / It's not me it's you"), while the title track reverberates with angular guitars and ghostly woos, begging their peers to "be aggressive / impress us" in confident frustration.

Partie Tramatique is mature power-pop suitable for college kids and parents of obsessive tweens alike. If the Black Kids continue dancing their way through the rest of their 20s, we're all in for a great soundtrack.

—Danielle Allaire
08.01.08

For almost a year before the release of their debut record, Florida's Black Kids were reliable music blog fodder. First, the breathless discovery, then the breathless confirmation at 2007's CMJ Conference and then breathless speculation on what label the band would end up on (Almost Gold/Columbia) and finally, the question of whether or not the record could possibly live up to the breathless expectations. The answer to that question is a little tricky. It'd be tough for any band to fully measure up to some of the claims and praise being thrown the Black Kids way and they don't. Not completely, though they give it their all. What the band has done instead is make a solid, sometimes exciting, always interesting debut album. Nothing too groundbreaking or unique because, like many 2000s kids, Black Kids are '80s kids and just about every sound on Partie Traumatic can be traced back to that era. Reggie Youngblood's vocals usually channel the Cure's Robert Smith, as do a large percentage of the songs; the perky, cheerleader vocals from Dawn Watley and Ali Youngblood sound like an All-American version of the girls in the Human League, Kevin Snow seems particularly fond of the drum patterns from David Bowie's "Modern Love" (for good reason), and the group employs a wide variety of wonderfully cheesy synths. Bernard Butler's production captures the energy of the band but also gives them a slick, very '80s-sounding sheen for good measure. What the group brings to the table are a couple of things that help them stand out from the '80s bandwagon. One is the goofy, unpredictable lyrics that knock you off guard from the very first (a knock-knock joke involving underwear that could be a deal-breaker but somehow works thanks to Youngblood's feckless delivery) and remain charmingly off-kilter throughout. Another thing that makes the record good is the songcraft. Youngblood seemingly can't write a song without a sticky-sweet chorus; every song could be a single. The best songs on the album ("I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You," "Hit the Heartbrakes," "Look at Me (When I Rock Wichoo)") kick you in the gut with their energy and verve, the rest are only a notch below. By the time the album comes to a frenetic, sweat-soaked close, the sound and the songs add up to something pretty impressive. Surely, the Black Kids backlash is probably getting into gear elsewhere and people are readying words like "underwhelming," but really, Partie Traumatic is a very good debut that manages to earn a huge chunk of the hype that was thrown willy-nilly in the band's direction. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide