Surfin' In Memphis

Sure, it is stupid to say a thing like “If it makes you sad, it’s bad music”. But it would be really sad for people to judge Magic Kids solely on the basis of that line. For while we might disagree with their way of thinking, we can hardly disagree that the Beach Boys-scented Memphis band’sHey Boy is so adorable it should replace the world ‘adorable’ in the dictionary.

Their debut album, Memphis, on the other hand, tries to become the official synonym for ‘sugar-coated’. It’s all harmonies and choirs, chimes and oooh-ooohs, guitars and vocals that should be tagged as ‘not suitable for diabetics’. It calls for breezy sunny days, soft rain drops falling on your head, blissfully cool summer nights. Hey Boy is a pop gem like few: the boys’ choir, backing vocals, the crescendos, that very moment when they slow the pace and all you can hear are wooo-hooos and chimes, the explosion of the chorus. Good To Be is insanely catchy, every second making it impossible for you not to sing along. Sailin, Candy and Phone sparkle with pop perfection and heavy 60s goodness as if recorded to fit the Boat That Rocked soundtrack.

But no matter how much you love the bubbles that surround Magic Kids, it is all too tiresome. Interest fades, the lack of sound evolution or significant variations makes for a desire to press next. Too much of the sweetness almost makes you sick and you do end up wishing Magic Kidswould forget, at least for a second, that sad music is bad. A little angst hidden amongst the mountains of sugar canes and darkness in the layers of cotton candy would’ve made Memphis a lovely debut. In its true shape, it is a debut that makes you wish these kids would grow up a bit and discover new playgrounds.