I’ve been on holiday to Bradenton in Florida quite a few times. It’s a lovely part of the world; the sun always shines, the people are relaxed and the beaches are immense. It’s no surprise then that a band from the area sound like all of that summery goodness rolled into one package. We The Kings sound like Boys Like Girls or All American Rejects, short, sharp bursts of pop-rock with hook-filled choruses. It’s hardly rocket science, it’s certainly borrowed, but it’s actually quite good.
‘Check Yes Juliet’, for example, sounds like something you’ve heard before but will still have you singing along with gusto before the end of your first listen. And it’s a knack the band have managed to catch, writing songs that shouldn’t be as catchy as they are, seeing as though their sound has been borrowed from a hundred bands before them. There’s an Ataris edge to ‘Stay Young’ and their youthful exuberance carries them through on ‘Whoa’ and ‘Skyway Avenue’ – a track about the town‘s famous bridge, which I’ve had the pleasure of travelling over.
If the sun is shining and you need a quick pick me up, We The Kings could be the band for you. It’s not original or earth-shatteringly new, but it’s fun and addictive and they have a clutch of singalong songs that will have you tapping your foot along in no time.