Influenced Becomes Infectious

With the bevy of upstart music in the past decade it was only a matter of time until a band soaked it all in like a sponge and decided to wring it out on their own album. Enter the interracial Floridians aptly titled Black Kids and their all encompassing good times sound. While their Wizard of Ahhhs EP showed us a glimmer of hope and subsequently a stir in the journalistic community, it took a jog across the pond and a sit down with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler to iron out the bands flurry of noise. The end result is a social gathering of influences that simply wants to dance its pants off with Partie Traumatic.

From frontman Reggie Youngblood’s shouts (Los Campesinos!) to the funk party atmospheres (CSS) and its abundance of synth (Killers), the five-piece kids have a hard time finding their authentic sound. But what’s wrong with that? From the Go! Team-like bash shouts on the albums’ title track to the closing curtains of hellishly hip ‘Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo)’; beats ceaselessly surge. And when they don’t fit just right, the lyrical banter takes on a first rate task: for being green beans these kids have human knowledge as old as time. Simple is the new complex when you are talking about these Dr. Suess rhymes: I must repeat: I think you’re sweet / But ain’t no way that I’m gonna meet / your mother, your father, your dog or your brother, your nephew and niece, girl, / I just can’t be bothered. These kids take solace by seemingly laughing it off.

What Partie Traumatic does ask of you is time. In fact, most of the songs are borderline asinine to the point of saccharine sweet with their slick as shit production. Yet you’ll find yourself humming and revisiting each track in your head if not on the dance floor. In fact, one could argue that Youngblood and Co. may just make mainstream what we’ve known for the past few years - the indie dance scene is much more ubiquitous than hip-hop, retro night at the club, or rap has been for decades. Sure it’s a shame that those influences may never reap due credit but if they would have done it this well we’d be singing a different tune - possibly theirs.

Sean Kendall