Black Kids Partie Traumatic CD

Audio Mixer: Lexxx.
Black Kids came bursting out of Jacksonville, Florida, in 2007 with their debut EP, WIZARD OF AHHHS, which generated huge buzz and plenty of eager anticipation for their first full-length release, PARTIE TRAUMATIC. As on their EP (whose tracks are all included here), the band takes the Cure influences, post-punk angularity, and punk-funk grooves that were popularized a few years earlier by the likes of the Bravery and the Rapture, and adds a good-time dance-party infectiousness as well as an indie-pop bookishness all their own. It's a fresh, invigorating sound that can be achieved only by a hot young band just coming into its own.
For almost a year before the release of their debut record, Florida's Black Kids were reliable music blog fodder. First, the breathless discovery, then the breathless confirmation at 2007's CMJ Conference and then breathless speculation on what label the band would end up on (Almost Gold/Columbia) and finally, the question of whether or not the record could possibly live up to the breathless expectations. The answer to that question is a little tricky. It'd be tough for any band to fully measure up to some of the claims and praise being thrown the Black Kids way and they don't. Not completely, though they give it their all. What the band has done instead is make a solid, sometimes exciting, always interesting debut album. Nothing too groundbreaking or unique because, like many 2000s kids, Black Kids are '80s kids and just about every sound on Partie Traumatic can be traced back to that era. Reggie Youngblood's vocals usually channel the Cure's Robert Smith, as do a large percentage of the songs; the perky, cheerleader vocals from Dawn Watley and Ali Youngblood sound like an All-American version of the girls in the Human League, Kevin Snow seems particularly fond of the drum patterns from David Bowie's "Modern Love" (for good reason), and the group employs a wide variety of wonderfully cheesy synths. Bernard Butler's production captures the energy of the band but also gives them a slick, very '80s-sounding sheen for good measure. What the group brings to the table are a couple of things that help them stand out from the '80s bandwagon. One is the goofy, unpredictable lyrics that knock you off guard from the very first (a knock-knock joke involving underwear that could be a deal-breaker but somehow works thanks to Youngblood's feckless delivery) and remain charmingly off-kilter throughout. Another thing that makes the record good is the songcraft. Youngblood seemingly can't write a song without a sticky-sweet chorus; every song could be a single. The best songs on the album ("I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You," "Hit the Heartbrakes," "Look at Me (When I Rock Wichoo)") kick you in the gut with their energy and verve, the rest are only a notch below. By the time the album comes to a frenetic, sweat-soaked close, the sound and the songs add up to something pretty impressive. Surely, the Black Kids backlash is probably getting into gear elsewhere and people are readying words like "underwhelming," but really, Partie Traumatic is a very good debut that manages to earn a huge chunk of the hype that was thrown willy-nilly in the band's direction. ~ Tim SendraSpin (p.95) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[W]ith production from ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler that maximizes both the band's playfulness and the heartbreak it conceals."
Spin (p.49) - Ranked #22in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "Reggie Youngblood sighs and swoons over garage-pop melodies given a carmelized sheen by producer Bernard Butler."
Alternative Press (p.162) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Singleworthy EP tunes like 'Hurricane Jane' pack serious dance-floor punch..."
Q (Magazine) (p.141) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Youngblood writes terrific, instantly memorable pop songs, their fashionable new-wave cool rubbing up against an urgent, almost disco undertow."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.106) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "PARTIE TRAUMATIC is an album big on shimmering guitars, party friendly beats and call and response choruses."
Blender (Magazine) (p.84) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Youngblood's tunes are so clver...He can reference '90s rappers Positive K and '70s electronic jokesters Sparks in the same song without sounding like he's trying too hard..."
URB (Magazine) (p.84) - "Despite the hype that surrounds them, Black Kids' conviction and raw talent has made a record that far outshines a majority of their blog brethren."