The Pale Kids are a four piece Post-Post-Punk band based in Glasgow made up of Connor, Jack, Lee and Josh.
First off, What’s my decision? I like them. I like the band, I like the sound and I had an awful lot of fun reviewing their first album.
Before getting a chance to listen to the album I had the opportunity to watch the music video for their song ‘Not Listening’ which was entertaining, touching and fit perfectly with the song and its meaning. You can check that out here.
The entire album Is all the more impressive when you hear that it was all recorded in a bedroom. I have particular respect for them knowing that because as a fellow creative type the most productive thing I get done In my bedroom is ordering notebooks from Amazon.
Now I don’t know if this will apply to just me I hope not because I want you all to enjoy it as much as I did but I found that this album was more enjoyable if you listened to it on the go. I’ve had a really busy few weeks and I’ve been rushed off my feet since I was given the album so I’ve mainly been listening to it when I’ve been travelling to and from and I’ve found that having it as background music really enhanced my appreciation of the songs.
It was the right mix of up and down, of fast and slow and I found that Listening to each song once wasn’t enough. I enjoyed replaying them because I felt afterwards that I understood the group a little better.
The album itself is very eclectic. A mix of powerful music, strange and yet very true lyrics and even the occasional burst of feedback help to make it all very raw and real.
Across the eight tracks their wasn’t a bad song, my only complaint if I had to find one was that a couple of the songs were a little short. But I understand a song is as long as it is, and It can’t be any longer.
The music is described as Melodic Post Punk Pop and as well as being a mouthful to say it provides them with a lot of scope, many bands tend to confine themselves to a genre saying “Yeah we’re rock and that’ll all we’ll ever do” and when they do create something that doesn’t fit that genre they’re stuck with the decision of whether to release it and seem like they’re changing (which isn’t always met with appreciation) or never releasing it and risk going stale. But The Pale Kids haven’t hemmed themselves in because even with the Post punk genre they have a lot of ground to cover and adding pop into the mix only allows them more room to grow. And I for one certainly hope they use every bit of room they’ve given themselves to create and perform.
The band take their name from a group of friends from the animated Disney Programme Recess. On the show the characters (The Pale Kids) stay indoors, rain or no rain and are so pale because they don’t get enough sunlight. The characters are considered geeks and outsiders but it should be noted that they are friendly to a fault and willing to accept what they deem to be outsiders to their own little group. It says alot about the band that they would choose to resemble the recess characters even in name.
Those same themes about social rejection and alienation and being an outsider are central in their song ‘Not Listening’ which is all about living in a society which tries to put people into these tiny little boxes, or label them and its all about dealing with that. Or as the song suggests just not listening.
The band aren’t like every other band that’s out there right now, and from what I’ve seen and heard of them they aren’t worried about finding that commercial sound or going the other way and being completely unique. All they want is to do things their own way and that’s something I can appreciate.
I’m particularly excited about this band because they’re from North Ayrshire. Now I’ve dealt with alot of local bands but not too many are from this close to my neck of the woods. So I have a greater desire to see them succeed because it shows that greatness can shoot up from any place.
My greatest impression from the album as a whole though is the angst and intensity, you can really feel the emotion and the message conveyed to you through a blaring guitar and crashing cymbals and a bass loop. The Pale Kids are new and still young but they do have all the potential needed to make it big and finally have their moment in the sun.
So that’s what I thought of The Pale Kids album ‘Not Listening’ and if you want to check that out for yourself then head on over to Bandcamp. Support the band by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. While you’re at it you can also check them out on Tumblr as well.
First Published on: https://www.newhellfireclub.co.uk
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