Album Review: Alex The Kid ‘Speak Up’
Perth punks Alex The Kid have released their debut album ‘Speak Up’ and it’s a must-listen for anyone keen to check out some good Aussie punk music. The 5-piece have been busy since winning triple j’s 2016 One Night Stand Unearthed comp, supporting Smith Street Band and The Bennies, and releasing their latest single Skate Or Lie.
The album opens with Punchface Champions, a strong-sounding, upbeat song that introduces the aggressive, emotive vocals that remain prevalent throughout the album. The song makes reference to the album title, with the chant chorus proclaiming “gotta speak up, we’ve gotta speak up tonight“. Next track, Hashtag Yolo Swag not only has a great title, but also a great little catchy guitar riff. The band seem to be a fan of using one line, repeated as a chorus, but it works well for them.
Third song, Catastrophe sounds a fair bit like Brisbane punks Columbus, while third track Vinyls has a bass tone and guitar riff very reminiscent of blink-182 during their ‘Take Off Your Pants And Jacket’ era. This is nice though, it feels more like the band is giving nods to their influences, rather than directly copying them.
“Let’s Blow This Joint has the classic pop punk humour, opening with a spoken word segment of someone ordering a heap of food.”
Lead single from the album Skate Or Lie is a solid track that showcases what the band is capable of, but is sadly followed by two weaker songs, It Ain’t Over and Nightman Cometh. Both of these songs are short, and don’t add a lot to the album.
Phil Collins Birthday is one of the heavier tracks on this record, and while it demonstrates the drummer’s chops it’s not as catchy or strong as other tracks. Let’s Blow This Joint has the classic pop punk humour, opening with a spoken word segment of someone ordering a heap of food. The song then segues into a song about getting high, with the chorus “let’s get high, let’s get high tonight. Let’s get high, let’s get so high!”. From this point on, the album seems to get its second wind.
“…it’s a great debut album which shows the real potential this band can live up to.”
Unbearable Kid, a single the band released last year, makes an appearance on the album followed by one of the strongest songs on the record, Tenderloins. The dynamics on this song are super cool, with a catchy little guitar line thrown in too. Next song, Chapman Road is a catchy, fast punk number, at just a minute long.
Closing the thirteen track album is Not For You, another song that demonstrates the dynamics and energy the band is capable of. The song opens soft, slowly building into an eclectic track with overdriven bass, high-pitched guitar, energetic punk drumming, and emotive vocals. The album fades out with gang vocals, screaming “I’d be lost/I’d be lost/If not for you!”.
The overall sound of the album is a little bit blink-182, a little bit Real Friends, plus some Columbus and Trophy Eyes thrown in for good measure. While not the most solid album ever, it’s a great debut album which shows the real potential this band can live up to. Definitely give ‘Speak Up’ listen if you feel like checking out what modern Aussie punks have to offer!
Read our album review of blink-182’s ‘California’ HERE
Speak Up National Tour Dates
SAT 3 SEP
459 Bar, Perth
FRI 9 SEP
TBA, Brisbane
SAT 10 SEP
Dicey Rileys, Wollongong
SUN 11 SEP
Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney
WED 14 SEP
Phoenix Bar, Canberra
THU 15 SEP
Public Bar, Melbourne
FRI 16 SEP
Bendigo Hotel, Melbourne
SAT 17 SEP
TBA, Adelaide
Get Tickets HERE
