Stewart
Kicks
Self-Released
7/10
Goddammit. I am slightly ashamed that I find Stewart’s Kicks so damned catchy. Simple riffs, simpler drum beats, fairly low-end production values and the misnomer of a man-name with a lady singer– any of these have the possibility to irritate me to no end, yet I find myself listening to it long after was necessary to write this review. Simple? Yeah. Catchy? Hell yeah.
Clocking in at just under 27 minutes across 9 tracks, they have obviously discovered the DNA of writing pop songs designed to catch the attention of the audience. While Andrea Tarka’s vocal work and songwriting definitely show an emotional investment in the songs, they are not emo-crybaby songs. Think more in the vein of Weezer, old Get Up Kids and maybe even some Nada Surf. The LP (BARELY an LP, by the way, Stewart!) ends with a super minimalistic (root notes and vocals) and then a “dance remix” of “Who We Are,” the catchiest of all the jams, bringing in some synths for good measure.
-Jonathan Yost