The Other Stars – ‘We Were Kids’

By Ben Tipple

The Other Stars find themselves in good company. Their indie-emo style places them firmly among the Front Bottoms meets Modern Baseball cohort, both comparison points they are unlikely to shake with ‘We Were Kids’. Still, this is by no means a carbon copy. Drawing the story-telling expertise from the former and the emotive melodies from the latter, the Massachusetts four-piece grasp onto their own heartfelt design. Take the teary melody of ‘Very Okay’ or the contradictory bittersweet nature of ‘Caffeine’ as an example of The Other Stars’ emotional power-play.

There’s a consistent depth to The Other Stars’ sometimes whimsical style. ‘You Looked Better At The Party’ presents a superficially light tone laid over lyrics such as “did I ever tell you how sick I felt when you were all fucked up on drugs and screaming in your prison cell,” as ‘Green My Eyes’ marries a similar style with an unmistakably country feel. Where ‘We Were Kids’ could lack innovation, it instead welcomes subtle shifts and changes that do more than just channel the best bits of The Other Stars’ counterparts.

BEN TIPPLE

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