The Weekend Kids – Of Friends and Foes

From a purely musical standpoint, Edmonton, Alberta’s The Weekend Kids never need to find a label.  After five years on the circuit, two EPs, and a lineup bound by blood (the band is a family affair), the high energy pop punk four-piece release one hell of a debut full length.  Had they been based south the border, you can bet they’d be tearing it up on No Sleep Records with the likes of I Call Fives and alumni actThe Wonder Years.

Firing up Of Friends And Foes ignites a powder keg of youthful anthems sure to get your head bobbing and toes tapping.  Filled with handclaps, melodic guitars, and enough jump to put bouncy castles everywhere to shame, the group channels the youthful energy of Tell All Your Friends-era Taking Back Sunday with the sunny, feel good vibe of The Starting Line and New Found Glory.  Truthfully, part of me never really fell in love with that alt-tinged style of punk, so in this regard The Weekend Kids are something special.

Made up of young hearted vocals traded between the brothers’ various styles, the group celebrates life’s journey with blind optimism, embracing discovery and celebrating the accompanying twists and turns.  On “Twenty-Something,” the grainy pitch of vocalist Andrew Nguyen makes known “I’ve got a smile on my face and a picture to prove it… let’s get lost tonight, baby you can be mine,” which might feel a tad forced if not for all the echoed gang vocals and following chorus about of beating the odds.  Further, the group knows how to appreciate moments in life as they happen; and most importantly before they pass.  “I can’t believe we’re still alive, broken skin and bones and hearts, they were the best days of our lives” Andrew shouts on “A Good Year,” without a hint of regret, maturely taking the song into the present, declaring “now we’re chasing lucky stars, living washed up dreams and moving on, finding out who we are,” to which he emphasizes, “that was a good year,” insightfully appreciating that “good times like these don’t last too long.”  Wise beyond their years, The Weekend Kids understand that as fond memories fade to nostalgia, better ones surely lay ahead.

Like an optimist caught in a moment of weakness, a hint of anger surfaces on “Waiting For Something To Change.”  With a self-defeating anger, riff sequences pound and halt, punctuated by statements like “I’m so selfish, I’m so bitter.”  But even in moments of uncensored passion The Weekend Kids hope for change, transforming the tone from bitter to hopeful with gang vocals chanting the track title, unwilling to give up and let those dark moments take over.  If you thought the sentiment was insincere, look no further than “Emotherapy.”  Here the group celebrates the lure of weekend shows in sweaty basements, pseudo-satirically singing to the therapeutic draw of emo lyrics and front-row moshing.  “Here comes the breakdown, make it sound like you’re dying for me,” he repeats, and to which he playfully adds “I’ll see you there.”

“There’s something in the air that will start a riot… you can’t tell me that you don’t want it, you can’t tell me that you don’t like it now” chimes the band as the album wears on – and Of Friends And Foes has the potential to do just that.  At ten tracks in just over thirty minutes, The Weekend Kids make for an easy listen with enough fist pumping energy to ward off the worst of moods.  It’s an album memorable in energy and tone, and can be fondly picked from a lineup.  Even if some of their musical reference points might be dated, these kids know how to party, and will surely get play time both on, and off, the weekend.