We have a bit of a party album here. Poppy like early Madonna, yet unpolished enough to sound fresh and slightly left of the mainstream. Not every song is a winner, but the atmosphere is infectious.
The splendid ‘I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend (How To Dance With You)’ is the obvious hit on the album. A singalong pop record with witty lyrics and a sunny sound that reminds me a lot of the Cure in their ‘Lovecats’ period.
Black Kids are struggling a bit to hold that level of songwriting over the rest of the album. The standout tracks on the album are ‘I Wanna Be Your Limousine’ and ‘Listen To Your Body Tonight’, both prime slices of 1980’s disco pop and quite different to ‘Boyfriend’.
The title track ‘Partie Traumatic’ is quite strong and so is ‘Look At Me When I Rock Wichoo’, a clear attempt at repeating the success of ‘Boyfriend’.
Apart from the Cure, there are loads of other 1980’s references on ‘Partie’. If you are into one-hit-wonder 1980’s pop by the likes of Orange Juice, Haircut 100 or Altered Images, then ‘Partie’ is going to be a veritable treasure trove. Even the Florida-based band’s stab at contemporary R&B has a tongue-in-cheek 1980’s flavour: ‘Hurricane Jane’ owes more to Miami Vice than Kanye West.
The Black Kids have build quite a following on the back of ‘Boyfriend’ and made it to number 8 in the BBC Sound of 2008 poll, voted for by BBC listeners. If you are looking for a bit of uncomplicated fun, you’ve come to the right place.
Listen Here to ‘Partie Traumatic’ and download the album from iTunes.
Thanks to our reader Tara from Dublin for suggesting the Black Kids review.
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