If it wasn’t documented that Cheshire pop-rockers Blitz Kids formed in 2009, it would be forgivable to assume that the quartet have existed since the emergence of modern rock music. Stalwarts on the underground circuit for some years, this isn’t the first time they have found themselves on the revered brink of the big time since changing their name from Rig Up Explosive.
2010’s debut EP initiated mumblings under the surface that grew exponentially as their first full-length, ‘Vagrants & Vagabonds’, reached fruition. Released off the back of tours with comparable heavy-hitters Mayday Parade and Craig Owens’ D.R.U.G.S., the album’s Hassle Records release drew significant attention from the media yet failed to propel them quite as far as everyone had expected.
In part due to the departure of original members Billy Evanson and Eddie Hawx, the band lost the momentum they had gained in the process of recording album two. Now fast forwarding to the release of ‘The Good Youth’, Blitz Kids find themselves back for a second go, and this time ‘The Good Youth’ is preceded by high profile support slots with Mallory Knox and plenty more besides, hoping that this will be the catalyst for a launch to the bigger things many of their contemporaries are moving on to.
The progression from their debut full-length is clear from the opening moments of ‘All I Want Is Everything’. Treading similar water to 2012’s ‘Never Die’ EP, their sound switches between expansive melodies and guitar infused pop. Still an alternative album at heart, Blitz Kids are clearly aiming their sights more broadly, catering to a wealth of music fans – not least the commercial market.
‘Run For Cover’ is as camp as it is catchy, led by frontman Joe James’ immensely improved vocals. ‘Perfect’ opens with synths and melody that could just as easily break into a euro-pop track rather than the bouncy pop-rock number it becomes, while ‘Keep Swinging’ clashes radio friendly pop with twinkling guitars and the occasional gang “woah”.
Superficially, ‘The Good Youth’ is an inherently catchy and straightforwardly entertaining record. With the focus firmly on the song composition, each track has its part to play. There are the upbeat pop numbers, the ventures into dance territory and the obligatory ballad, ‘Long Road’, complete with the fittingly retrospective lyrics “it’s a long road to the top. It is a melodic rock record that won’t break any musical boundaries, but does what it does very well.
Yet the longevity of the record remains the elephant in the room. Blitz Kids have honed a style before – one that found critical acclaim. Ultimately that style failed to lead them to the top. With ‘The Good Youth’ the band have placed themselves in a more fitting niche than through anything they have released previously. It doesn’t quite have the substance that makes for a truly superb record, but as an accessible, enjoyable and danceable record, ‘The Good Youth’ is set to turn some heads.
BEN TIPPLE