The new band Kidbug is a real super-group. I know that's an overused word but, really, this is a special project. Featuring Marina Tadic of Eerie Wanda, Adam Harding of Dumb Numbers, Thor Harris of Swans, Bobb Bruno of Best Coast, and, on one number, Dale Crover of The Melvins, Kidbug comes to us with a lot of talent behind the microphones. The group's self-titled debut will be out on Joyful Noise Recordings tomorrow and it's a lot of fun.
"Lovesick" buzzes like something from The Breeders' early years, while "Good Inside" is more spindly and wiry, a nice throwback to the heyday of alt-rock. On "Woozy", a neat approximation of American shoegaze, the players take this into another realm entirely. On that one and the lanky "Together", a listener can hear echoes of Veruca Salt and The Pixies.
Kidbug are clearly having fun on this record, and the neat mix of some past styles suggests that these forms still have a lot of spark in them. On "Stay" and "Dreamy" a listener can almost imagine this was some lost record from the Clinton years. I say that as a compliment, and as a way to highlight how listenable this all is. It's not exactly a re-invention of the wheel, but it's hitting at the pleasure-points so many of my favorite records of the past hit at that I sort of have to love this album.
Kidbug is out tomorrow via Joyful Noise Recordings.
More details on Kidbug via the official Facebook page.
[Photo: Joyful Noise Recordings]