Black Kids are finally back, and their new album, Rookie is out. The record, their first release since their 2008 debut album Partie Traumatic, was recorded and co-produced by Andy LeMaster at Chase Park Transduction.
Black Kids are now on their US tour — check out the dates and cities below.
BLACK KIDS TOUR DATES
9/29 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
10/22 – Washington, DC – DC9
10/23 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right
10/24 – Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle
10/26 – Cambridge, MA – Sonia
10/28 – South Burlington, VT – Showcase Lounge
10/29 – Montreal, Canada – Petit Campus
10/30 – Toronto, Canada – The Garrison
Why did it take the band ten years to record a new album, you ask???
“Much like Odysseus and Co., on our journey to make the ‘difficult second album,’ shit got rough,” singer Reggie Youngblood says. “A few of us heeded the siren call of ‘side projects.’ Tumultuous relationships and periods of Imposter Syndrome also impeded progress. Worst of all, I couldn’t write a chorus. And for a band that worships The Chorus, this was problematic.”
After touring exhaustively in support of Partie Traumatic, Youngblood and his bandmates — bassist Owen Cohen and keyboardists/vocalists Ali Youngblood and Dawn Watley — resettled around the U.S., in Brooklyn, Portland, and Athens, Georgia. Reggie started a power-pop group called Blunt Bangs. Owen released records on Kill Rock Stars under the moniker Gospel Music. Ali and Dawn sang and played and crafted. In late 2015, the four convened in Athens to make “Obligatory Drugs”.
Rookie is more lyrically earnest than its predecessor, and Youngblood notes that the “bratty-ness” is toned down — “but just a lil’ bit,” he says. “Yeah, the themes from our debut are still firmly in place on our sophomore: I love you, but you don’t love me; you love me, but I don’t love you; you’re mean, I’m mean—shall we dance?” Ugh, FINE.
Musically Amusing 