theweekendkids
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | SELF
Music
Press
CD: Run This Town
Artist: The Weekend Kids
Label: Self-Released
Rating: 4.5/5
Best Song:Numbered Days
Reviewer: Dustin Blumhagen
The Weekend Kids are playing pop punk at a time when it is seeing a resurgence in popularity. To be fair this isn’t your dad’s Ramones influenced music, nor is it your kid brother’s hardcore pop punk. These guys blend technical guitar work with plenty of sing along opportunities.
Lead track “We’re All Wasting Time” starts the EP off strong, with the catchy whoa ohs mixed with layered vocals. The EP is full of the band’s friends from local bands; this song in question features Kevin Klemp from ska punk band Feast or Famine. The song shows growth from their previous output, but it really stands out when the screaming trade off begins at 1:43, showcasing the passion and intensity of their live set. Guitarist Pete Nguyen kicks this one up to the next level, blowing away any preconceptions of what the follow up to their debut full length will sound like. They follow this with the slowed down pace of “Run This Town,” which features a more complex Moneen style sound and Matt Murphy from folk punks Audio/Rocketry, with some great gang vocals. Drummer Daminh Nguyen has his work cut out for him on this one, with the drums taking a beating. Murphy resurfaces on “Drop Dead” alongside Freshman Years’ James Frost. Once again, this song exhibits noticeable growth from their already quality debut. “A Lesson in Moving Backwards” continues to focus on friendship with their roadie and all around great guy Kristopher Olafson. The surprise comes right at the end, with “Numbered Days.” It starts off like recent Blink 182, with atmospheric acoustics allowing the vocals to shine, which contrasts lead vocalist Andrew Nguyen’s smooth whine with the gruff warble of Fire Next Time’s James Renton. The song slows things down from their regular pace and shows that they have more range than the average pop punk outfit.
Intelligent lyrics blend with professional level music to create an interesting album that should be sought out. Fans may be disappointed that this is only an EP, but the high quality and growth that Run This Town exhibits should be more than enough to satisfy until their next release. Hopefully they are already working on the followup. The inclusion of friends creates a welcoming vibe to the album, adding depth to their sound, while opening the door for fans to comfortably sing along. In a genre that is all too often plagued by cookie cutter bands looking to get rich quick, the Weekend Kids stand out by releasing an album that focuses on quality over quantity. - The Punk Site
Edmonton, Alberta’s The Weekend Kids have been bringing their high-energy pop-punk to western Canada for the past five years. In that time, the band, made up of three brothers and their cousin, has released two EPs and shared the stage with acts like Death by Stereo and The Flatliners. The Weekend Kids self-released their first full-length album, Of Friends And Foes, on April 23th of this year, followed by a tour of western Canada.
My first thought upon hearing Of Friends And Foes? “I can’t believe this band isn’t signed!” Recorded by the band in marathon weekend sessions in between work and studying, each of Of Friends and Foes‘ ten tracks is a stand-alone piece of catchy, well-written anthemic pop-punk. The album seems to focus on what it’s like to be young: having a good time with friends, falling in love, making mistakes and trying to figure out both yourself and the world. Imagine Take This to Your Grave- era Fall Out Boy, with Taking Back Sunday’s call-and-response vocal approach and Blink-182’s sense of humor.
The album rolls out the gang vocals and hand claps early on “The Only Way To Stop Sinking,” Of Friends And Foes first track. The momentum continues with second track and and album standout “Twenty-something, ” which grabs you right away with an opening of “God save the queen/ You know what I mean / Thank God I’ve got friends like this.” “Emotherapy” would have been right at home on Blink-182' Take Of Your Pants And Jacket with its humorous take on the emo scene including a breakdown consisting of repeatedly singing “Here comes the breakdown!” and detailing what a typical emo breakdown sounds like.
In addition to musical talent, The Weekend Kids seem to have a good grasp on arranging and producing. The previously mentioned hand claps, gang vocals and call-and-response vocals are all perfectly orchestrated to add power to the songs without overwhelming them. Of Friends And Foes is a testament to the power of D.I.Y., proving that you don’t need a major label record deal to make a great record. “The highlight of recording was doing it all ourselves,” said frontman Andrew Nguyen in an interview with Edmonton indie weekly VUE Weekly, “It sounds funny to say, but I feel proud of us. Are you supposed to proud of your own band?” If your band is The Weekend Kids, then the answer should be a resounding YES. - ourstage.com
Discography
EP: Run This Town (2011)
Full Length: Of Friends and Foes (2010)
Single: Twenty-Something
Photos
Bio
Everybody might be working for the weekend, but Edmonton pop-punkers The Weekend Kids are working longer and harder than anyone else on the weekend. The band has spent plenty of weekends playing shows, recording albums and going on tour in order to spread its message far and wide.
Whereas other bands are formed, The Weekend Kids were born. Consisting of three brothers and a cousin, the band went through a number of different names and styles as its members grew up together and became more adept at their instruments, eventually settling on its current identity—consisting of the edge and energy of lighting a cigarette at a gas plant.
“We've spent years experimenting with music, playing shows, and building up a sense of what we wanted as a band,” explains guitarist Pete Nguyen. “In the past year we started fresh as The Weekend Kids.”
That fresh start and wealth of experience informed all of the decisions the band made while recording its debut album Of Friends and Foes. Foregoing the usual studio experience, the band holed itself up in a makeshift studio for long hours every weekend for a month in order to capture the band’s true essence.
“We spent time with producers and engineers in the past and went to legit, expensive studios to record albums in the past and we've learnt a lot from the experience, but in the end the final product always sounded not as energetic and spontaneous as we are live ... there was something missing,” says Nguyen. “We kept things simple, and kept everything to a complete minimum; there were no doubled guitars or vocals, no back tracks, no vintage mics and gear, extra effects or added instruments—it's exactly how we sound live.”
That DIY ethic informs everything the band does—from recording to making the CDs, to touring and promoting, the members do it all. It takes a lot of energy to do everything DIY, but if you listen to the music on Of Friends and Foes you’ll realize that energy is something the band has in spades, in addition to a healthy independent streak.
“DIY is the purest form of sending a message,” says Nguyen. “It's the rawest form of what you write and play and present without anyone telling you that it's not going to work a certain way, or that it's not standard to do this and that. You begin to ask yourself questions about why you're doing this instead of just paying someone and letting them deal with it. DIY really makes you trust what you do—it's your baby, and you take responsibility over it.”
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