Kid Down

At a time when Gothic makeup, lengthy band names, ridiculously protracted song titles, faux hawks and Queen cover tunes have defined modern rock’s hoi polloi, Kid Down arrives like a fresh gust of air. Courtesy of an exciting new alliance with the world-renowned, Örebro-based Burning Heart Records (Millencolin, Turbonegro, The Hives and Refused), Kid Down…And The Noble Art of Irony is – quite simply – a kick ass song-cycle that draws on everything from Pinkerton to punk as it marks a new start for this quartet from Åmål, Sweden, formed in 2001 A must-have for any fan of big, buoyant hooks, Kid Down’s song topics are aimed squarely at its generation – which the band collectively jokes on its Myspace page is capable only of “watching porn and eating snacks.” But in all seriousness, any fan of Taking Back…, Panic At…, Fall Out…, Weezer or Foo Fighters would be hard-pressed to resist the charms of Kid Down. Recorded while the foursome was in transition – they had just cut bait with their former management and wriggled their way out of a less-than-favorable record deal – Kid Down’s dynamic, gimmick-free concoction of punk & roll never suggests it was realized in such a fragile state. From the disturbingly catchy, riff-tastic “Red Lights” to the urgent, poppy skatepunk of “Who’s Your Villian” and the symphonic rock of “If you are Sark, then I’m Vaughn,” The Noble Art of Irony is as remarkable as it is infectious. While a couple of the tunes – such as “Nothing More, Just A Lie” and “A Kid Called Down” – date back to the aforementioned EP, that material has been reworked on the new disc to reflect the group’s outlook. Launched by the latter, the group’s signature, semi-autobiographical anthem sets the pace for Irony’s twelve explosive, cathartic numbers. Which leads to Kid Down – a leading force in Sweden’s up and coming scene. One of Sweden's largest newspapers awarded Kid Down the award "Myspace act of the year" at Rockbjörnen 2008. They also performed live at the award show.