KIDS-Kids

Jenn Cohen | April 1, 2012 | 0 Comments

by: Sal Christ

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Kontroll Recordings

Youth, more oft than not, conjures happy thoughts: summers spent doing nothing and everything at the same time, late nights whiling the late hours into solitude, the careless flight on a highway at sixteen in a topless car with your hair flailing in the breeze, or believing in the currency of dreams and their ability to take you anywhere and everywhere you want to go. For some, youth never ends, and for the rest, it’s something recaptured over and over by way of the musical turnpike—whether it stretches over on vinyl or eight tracks or the perennially nostalgic cassette tape.

While so much of the Nordic scene produces airy gossamer that floats featherweight and empyrean in its aural rendering, Swedish band KIDS peals out with ‘80s indie pop flair, and a singer whose voice willows reed-like a couple of octaves above the late Nico. KIDS’ eponymous debut EP is meant for those summer afternoons and evenings when carefree is the word, and dancing is all that should be done. Cheery in melody, but occasionally dark lyrically, the five tracks impose a tempting dare to practice stillness. In short: it can’t be done; these tunes are far too catchy and boisterous to clamp a hand on the wiggling.

A reverb-less guitar kicks off “My Sincerest Apologies”—tricking the ears into believing momentarily that KIDS is not a Scandinavian indie pop pair, but a stripped down alternative rock group. However, a blink later, cozy synth pads and effects kick in and summer, sand, and sunshine crash in like uninvited guests at a Beat party. “Two Hearts Together” may well be a poetic ballad, with lines such as, “I love the way you move when we’re together / it’s light years ago, but we’re only beginning forever / we’ll be in this forever.”

Though a fair amount of indie/electro pop rotated around radio speakers over the last couple of years, Maria Pettersson’s bluesy vocals set this band apart from all the rest. Pettersson’s is a voice best experienced instead of merely described—language simply cannot do justice the smoky, matter-of-fact nature of that instrument. The singer’s melodic partner is none other than Jonas Linngård of Swedish surfer indie group, Pets. Linngård contributes the poppy, chirpy sound over which Petterson buoys—successfully creating that hopeful lust of youth that unfortunately ages over time.

Reminiscent of the original Ray Ban wayfarers, neon sneakers, and Aqua Net hairstyles, KIDS pulls off indie electro-pop while staggering away from the sound that’s become associated with Sweden and its neighbors. Though the new generation of ‘80s fashion hounds will never know the association between a ball-point pen and a cassette tape, this duo is certain to keep everyone a little lightheaded with careless abandon during the upcoming summer months.

The KIDS EP is currently available for free download at SoundCloud, Spotify, and Kontrollrecordings.com.