Album Review: Kids Can't Fly - Strength In Numbers
Kids Can’t Flys’ latest serving of infectious Ska Pop Punk titled “Strength In Numbers” (an ode to their ever growing and supportive fans) is a near perfect collection of hooky tunes with more energy than a syberian husky on a plethora of recreational highs!!“She Called Shotgun” Kicks off proceedings at a heart-pounding rate with main vocalist Robin punching the line “You’re so spoilt and you get what you wanted” and instantly your drawn in by the sheer energy and it’s impossible not to bounce your head and feel like a teenager in the pit again!! The horn lines are so impressive that OC alternative punk rap rockers Zebrahead asked the boys to join them on stage on each night of their latest UK tour to rasp it up! “She Called Shotgun” is essentially a pop song in form and although this is nothing new you can’t deny that this is addictive pop punk at it’s absolute best.
There is a nice blend of three vocal tones, which compliment each other perfectly and it’s easy to imagine that a Kid’s Can’t Fly live show would be nothing short of epic. Drummer Scot consistently provides the beats and chops you’d expect from a punk stickmun and then some, all of which help to cement this relentless wall of pop punk together. Track two titled “Tune In” offers more of the same though slightly laid back at the beginning with a really slick vocal melody which by now I’m sure you’ll liken to Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, although I find Robin’s tone has more depth and character especially on bonus acoustic tracks “Tune In” and “Writing Letters”
Nostalgic summer song titled…. wait for it …..“The Summer” does what it says on the tin. It opens with some airy picked chords played over the snare rim shots, which lead you into the main motif of the song that is as melodic and hooky as ever. The song is about a guy meets girl, guy likes girl, guy never sees girl again scenario set in the summer, and while the lyrical content isn’t particularly that deep I don’t feel that it needs to be as Kids Can’t Fly are obviously heading straight for the pop market. Let me be straight though this is cool, hooky credible pop punk that is deserving of the main stage and are far from being your average throwaway pop project we see too often.
The two bonus acoustic tracks at the end of the EP showcase Robins’ vocal, which is the kind of vocal that could sell a million records without a doubt. Translating songs acoustically is always brave but Kids Cant Fly pull it off beautifully and prove that their songs have the strength and ability to go all the way.
4/5
'Strength In Numbers' by Kids Can't Fly is available now.
Kids Can't Fly on MySpace
Ben Bridges
