When they state the line, “I can tell you ain’t seen shit like this before“, it sadly upsets us, as we’ve seen shit precisely like this before, it’s just that Kids Of 88 do it remarkably well. So let’s swallow the tougher pills first then…this music indulges in pop clichés, traipses through over-used, muddy soundscapes and packs in the generic and rather plain lyrics. There. We. Said. It. Why? To get those thoughts out of your system so you can now listen to them in the right frame of mind. That is, mainly without a care in the world. You see, this is music that’s not for the intellectual, snobbish fan, with their Trilby attitudes on. This is the sort of music they miss out on because their inner hipster tells them not to enter that club, even though everyone’s blatantly well and truly having it inside, amongst the pretty snogging girls and funny coloured teenage shots. This duo from Trenchtown, New Zealand, jam out proper pop hooks of the simplest form. It’s all big fuzzy synth chords and four beats that always, always have a clap on the snare. Massive choruses, with lyrics that talk of the opposite sex, that although being rather obvious, fit the tone of these dancing pop songs perfectly. You know exactly what is coming for each set of sixteen bars, but it still grabs you in the right places, mostly by your testicles to be honest. OK, so this is music heading for the charts, rather than the underground, but parts of it will remind you of the kind of music The Beloved mastered back in the 80s (see Ribbons Of Light), albeit with lyrics pinched from Girls Aloud. We asked for their 2010 single, Just A Little Bit, but haven’t received it yet, so we instead list their earlier track, My House. It lacks sophistication but we can’t have every artist pushing the boundaries, right? There’s got to be room in the musical landscape for that word music critics despise, but in this case find accurate, FUN. You will see their videos nearly always show off scantily-clad, beautiful babes, but they’re made with a certain watchable quality too. Like their videos this is music that teeters on the edge of being crass and tacky, but thankfully falls down the side of credible, but only just. Welcome back to your inner teenager. (MB)
Find them here: Myspace
Hear them here: KIDS OF 88 – MY HOUSE
