Album Review: "American Kids" by My Girl Friday

I've been pestered for a while to listen to My Girl Friday, and hadn't actually gotten around to it, but the new EP, American Kids just dropped this week and I figured now was as good a time as any to start listening to them.

Part of me wants to send the whole EP to country music execs and remind them how it's possible to toe the line of country and rock without a fake drumbeat backing a song. (That could yield a rant though on my current levels of disappointment in the country music scene in general, so I'll spare you.) The title track, "American Kids", calls out Springsteen, and it has that feel to it, the old Boss songs from the 90s / 80s that were happy, easy to listen to and about growing up or just living. Probably a result of listening to too much of the Boss and Mellencamp, but when I was 20 I was doing the same thing. The whole EP actually samples from that kind of sound, simple songs that don't get so specific in their topics that someone in different shoes can't relate to the words.

I have a hard time with the 'alternative' tag that iTunes gives the EP, because I'm not sure it fits, because it doesn't seem to encompass the light hearted feel of the EP. It's a 'sound track for your summer' collection of songs, with happy beats that are easy to tap your toes to. Makes me wish it was warmer out to pop it in the stereo on the car while driving at night with the windows down. Sadly I'm sitting here with a scarf on waiting for winter to end.

It's bound to be a guilty pleasure music, probably better to speak to a generation below me (I know if I was 19 it would speak to me more), but I can see myself going to it when the day gets hard, or work gets too long, something to get through the day. What else could be the point of a song like "Love Will Find You" besides hope?

As a whole the 6 songs are easy to listen to over and over again, with catchy tunes that get stuck in your head. It's completely reasonable that I'll wake up humming one of them, but really? That's not the worst thing.

Pick American Kids up on iTunes.

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Posted in: album review, my girl friday