Black Kids – Partie Traumatic

Black Kids - Partie Traumatic
2008, Columbia Records

The trumpets heralding the release of Black Kids’ debut began blowing a year ago, when the Jacksonville band made their demo EP, Wizard Of Ahhhs, available for free download.

The EP was a rollicking good time – the perfect soundtrack to every out-of-hand house party or ill-advised hookup you’re looking forward to regretting – and they instantly became one of indie rock’s greatest Internet success stories, but it remained to be seen whether Black Kids could maintain their danceable intensity for more than four songs at a time. How well the band’s scrappy energy would be conveyed in a professional recording was also unknown, so it is under no shortage of pressure that Partie Traumatic arrives, the rare case of a debut album trying to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump.

Listeners looking for the band to go beyond Wizard may be disappointed. Though the EP officially had four tracks, those familiar with the extended eight-song version may be dismayed to find that Partie Traumatic consists of re-recordings of seven out of those eight songs, and adds only three new tracks (“I’m Making Eyes At You”, “Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo)”, and the title track) to the mix. But for those not as familiar with the band’s previous work, this LP will be as delightful a surprise as Wizard was to the band’s early-comers.

Just as Wizard Of Ahhhs did, Partie Traumatic opens with “Hit The Heartbreaks”, and the song sets the stage beautifully, introducing the band in a hail of raunchy guitar and quirky keyboards. The song is a perfect microcosm of the Black Kids aesthetic, from the playful call-and-response vocals between frontman Reggie Youngblood and sister Ali, to the way hair-swinging dance freak-outs dissolve into breakdowns that cool things off just long enough for the listener to catch their breath.

The song, like all the other ones last heard in demo form, features only minimal changes. Other than the occasional rephrased vocal or tweaked fill, each track wisely remains nearly identical to its demo version. There was no need to mess with the blood-pumping perfection of the songs, and the majority of improvements lie in the production, not the compositions. This isn’t a sequel to Wizard of Ahhhs so much as it is a refinement of it, an upgrade of the previous design to a sleeker, more efficient model.

From “Listen To Your Body Tonight”, to “Hurricane Jane”, and “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You”, the album bounds along so smoothly, and is so consistently enjoyable, that it is easy to not notice when one song ends and another begins. “I’ve Underestimated My Charm (Again)” peppers its ‘50s pop charm with the hammering drums of ‘70s punk and the eccentric keyboards of ‘80s new wave. “I Wanna Be Your Limousine” is yet another success, its final chorus backed by an “oh-wee-oh” chant that is as catchy as it is cheeky.

Nearly every track on the album could be a single, and any rawness lost in the transition from demo-recorded roughness to studio-produced sheen has not cost the band any of their immediacy. Some may feel let down by the relative absence of new material, but one can hardly blame the band for thinking that their existing works warrant professional treatment. And, based on the strength of Partie Traumatic, when it finally is time for Black Kids to record their second album, a sophomore slump needn’t be one of their concerns.

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2 thoughts on “Black Kids – Partie Traumatic”

  1. Thanks. I was originally just going to have it be a picture of the “Hang In There!” cat, but then I remembered that reviews should usually consist of some combination of thought, insight, reasoning, class, and/or professionalism. I have however decided that, the next time Weezer put out an album, my review will consist solely of an audio track of me simulating farty noises and giggling.

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