Yeah, Sure by Middle Kid

It’s truly the season of Indie and Alternative in Frederick.  Genres that are still popular and growing in the larger national perspective, albeit harder and harder to push the genres forward.  Middle Kid is one of our favorite new Frederick indie rock bands to see live because of their honest stage energy.  Excitingly the band is about to release their first EP and we snatched a first listen.  Middle Kid is part of that coming of age 90’s-suburbia-generation (millennials, if you prefer buzz words) that grew up on the remnants of grunge, golden era emo pre slick haired monotone nasal boys, and the “northwestern” sound of indie rock.   It’s a generation that grew up too fast and has a lot to say about inner turmoil and individuality.  The new EP from Middle Kid entitled Yeah, Sure is on the level of an ecto cooler Hi-C box to sip on when juice box flavors were everything.  

As any good EP should, it’s just enough to wet your taste buds at six songs and make you want to put Middle Kid on your local list of bands to follow.  The nuggs in this EP are the song lyrics that colorfully sketch little moments in time and that are further bolstered by Zack Willis’ nuanced vocals fitting every sonic occasion.  In a short sprint, Middle Kid covers a lot of distance.  As with many new bands, the abbreviation EP could easily stand for “Exploring Potential” or something similar.  Shell initiates things in a fun raw style while 53rd Birthday and Commoner close somber with a polished pop rock feel.  Dear Uncle is a third extreme; a heavy whiner full of pounding guitar chords and drum beats coupled with vocals that fist bump Screamo.  We’re always partial to pure unadulterated fun, and have a particular affinity to the two minute anthem-esque Middle Child which roughly captures the apathetic feeling produced by the grind of persevering as an average kid in the 90’s.  Black Out is another track that's peanut butter on the roof of your mouth, showcasing those charming vocals and melancholic lyrics.  In a nutshell, there’s plenty of heartfelt and relatable lyrical content coming out of Zack and the band (Evan Braswell on bass and Matt Henry on drums, both also members of popular indie pop punk band Lilac Daze) including Zack additionally on guitar carries a tight energetic rock sound spanning and mixing beloved 90’s influences in this EP.  

Middle Kid live at ArtomaticFrederick 2016