polaroids of androids

Formula can't hurt right? Formula got bands like Nirvana to big places, formula saved Britney's career and formula gets radio play. Oh and, I forgot the best part. Formula is fucking boring.

I'll try to be objective. Cassette Kids, from all reports, are a fantastic live band. Every time one of my friends describes their Parklife experience they always get drawn into the picture. "Rah rah, so much fun, rah rah rah, so tight, rah rah, great band". I'll be the first to admit that Parklife and that pseudo indie/electro/trash/muted crowd isn’t really my scene. I didn't attend that festival and witness the "kidz" in their awesomeness.

But I believe every word. We Are is full of energy; the drums sound dense, the guitars thick and punchy and the bass throbs. The record is mixed perfectly and there are genuine moments where singer Katrina Noorbergen really steals the show with her voice. However, the hooks are predictable, the instrumentation isn't exactly creative and, well, err, it's bland. It's downright mind-numbingly dull.

There is some show of promise. Meant To Be, the mini album's only down tempo track is extremely enjoyable. Instead of setting the mood to "crunk" and following a verse/chorus/verse structure the band begin experimenting with texture and rhythm. Even lyrically it's different, Noorbergen managing to really come out of her shell.

If I was eighteen, took pills, shopped at General Pants, thought 77 and Bandits were the shit, then We Are would be the perfect record to accompany my aesthetic. So, obviously I already have a predisposition to hate "indie dance" or whatever this genre is classified as. Cassette Kids do what they do and they do it well, but don’t expect any surprises.