Here come the vintage retro sounds of Magic Kids and their happy, happy, happy debut album Memphis. Unapologetically upbeat, Magic Kids are without a doubt a talented bunch of comrades who have crafted an album of cleverly written pop songs with super-on-it production indebted to the 60s California sound and above all else the musical proficiency of Brian Wilson. Sleigh bells, horns, strings, and doo-wopping harmonies, they’ve covered every aspect of their sound and herein is the blessing and the curse, it’s not really their sound is it?
So you have two options: forget Magic Kids and dig out your Pet Sounds vinyl or get over this hang-up and enjoy what is a thoroughly digestible slice of oh-so-sweet pizza-pop. ‘Candy’ is baroque-pop brilliance, with some tasty flutes and bittersweet vocals, ‘Hideout’ sees singer, Bennett Foster milking his croon over the type of orchestration that – you guessed it – Van Dyke Parks would be proud of.
Clocking in at only half-hour is probably a wise move from the band, not that there is a lull as such, it’s just candy-floss to the ears, it’s sweeter than sweet, so better to jump off before you spew your ringer.
