The Black Kids Are Alright

Comments (0) By Jose Gonzales Thursday, Apr 23 2009

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If their only achievement was to introduce hipsters to the awkwardness of expressing their affinity of "Black Kids" in our post-racial utopia, then we'd be ready to hoist the victory banners in celebration. Extra auspiciously, though, Black Kids have a bit more mettle in their dance pop mix. Lead singer & guitarist Reggie Youngblood, bassist Owen Holmes, drummer Kevin Show, and Dawn Watley & Ali Youngblood (Reggie's sibling) on keyboards and backing vocals came together in 2006 in Jacksonville, Florida. A year later, some prime attention-grabbing performances at the Athens Popfest and CMJ, and a buzzworthy EP released via MySpace set the stage for their 2008 debut on Columbia Records, Partie Traumatic. Their first single "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You" and current single "Look at Me (When I Rock Wichoo)" typify the Black Kids sound. Reggie Youngblood's croony wails echo like a punchier Robert Smith. Holmes' bass and Show's drums set off the disco strutting but with enough rock scruff to keep things grounded. Watley and Youngblood's synths wrap it all in some new wave gloss while their backup vocals deliver fun and catchy verbal bursts and hooks intent on embedding themselves in your brain.
Sat., April 25, 7:30 p.m., 2009