“Kids in the Night” by Weathers – Review
On every album there are the stronger songs and the weaker ones. Even my all-time favorite albums have either one or two songs that are comparative duds or masterpieces. I could love every song on the album, but that is an inescapable fact. Or at least I thought it was until I heard the debut of a band called Weathers. My thoughts on music have changed dramatically over the course of 2018, with a series of taste shifts and challenged principles. This is far from the first, and I know it won’t be the last.
At the start of this year, Weathers were my favorite band that had yet to release a full album, despite only having two singles. “Happy Pills” and “I Don’t Wanna Know” showed that they had a talent for crafting catchy songs that also contained a lyrical depth that made them stand out more than the many other catchy bands I heard. It would be accurate to say that Kids in the Night was one of my most anticipated albums of the year. It was released as two EPs before being released in full, and I am very glad that I decided to wait until I was able to listen to the final product. Every single song is undeniably strong on its own, but when they come together they become even stronger. This is largely because none of the songs are the lead or the support, but serve both roles at once. Each and every song, from “I’m Not OK” all the way to “Secret’s Safe With Me,” have been my favorites of the album on multiple occasions, and every time I listen to the album, I like them even more.
It is amazing to me that Kids in the Night is a debut album, because it is both beautifully written and expertly crafted. Their music has a very retro sound, but is polished to near perfect smoothness. This could’ve had an adverse effect, as it can come off as strange when indie or alternative music – a line that Weathers treads carefully – sounds faultless, but it was done with such care that it actually serves to compliment the songwriting. This is where the band truly marks themselves as special. The songs have a driving, upbeat, quality that ingrains itself in your head to keep bringing you back and demands you to sing along. Singing along requires you to learn the lyrics, and that’s when you start to actually see the dramatic levels of depth achieved throughout the album. While every song is exceptional at this, the one that stands out most for showcasing their strengths is “I’m Not OK.
You can hardly fault a band for starting off with a bang. “I’m Not OK” is the opening track on Kids in the Night and it is anthemic. It starts off with an energetic guitar and driving drums that immediately inspire a need to move. When the first line comes in, it is the straightforward yet witty and evocative statement, “I can be a handful / But that’s why you have two hands.” Right out of the gates, Weathers takes on the issues of mental health. Many of the lyrics throughout the album are like this, showing an ability to take difficult abstract ideas that many people struggle with understanding and packaging them in a simple, yet effective way. For example, the overall message that is told with this song is: “It’s okay to not be okay.” Mental health is also far from the only concept that Weathers focuses on. They describe their songs as “feel good songs about self-value, self-discovery, and about being betrayed and moving on.”
Kids in the Night is a stunning debut that matches high-octane fun with the struggles of life. The lyrics are moving and the music makes you want to move. Cameron Boyer, Cameron Olsen, Brennen Bates, and Cole Carson may have only been together for a short time, but Weathers is one of the most exciting bands out there.
Final Thoughts: In a year of great releases, debut album Kids in the Night manages to stand above the rest.
Score: 10/10
Edited by Bethany Brubeck
