By Jessica Spottek
Rating: 7.5/10
Key Tracks: #1, 7, 9, 10
FCC: #1, 6, 7
RIYL: Portugal. The Man, Max Frost, Miike Snow
LA has some big names when it comes to the music industry, but it’s amazing to see LA-based artists with new and upcoming music. Electric Guest’s latest album, “KIN”, is genuinely one of my favorites this school year. If you’re looking for a great indie pop vibe with lo-fi tracks, this is definitely the album for you!
Founded in 2011, Electric Guest came out with their first album, Mondo a year later. The biggest track off of this album was “This Head I Hold”. If you want to check out EG’s earlier music, make sure to check out this track! It’s definitely the ancestor of Portugal. The Man’s “Feel It Still” and/or Fitz and the Tantrums’ “Handclap”. This song actually brought some of my closest friends together in high school, as we realized that we all loved the same music. An upbeat track for sure, and something to get you started on your Electric Guest journey.
After a few years hiatus, Electric Guest came back with another LP titled Plural. Much different from their first album, Plural has much deeper vibes and lo-fi sound to the melodies. Maybe the band was doing some rebranding in these five years? Who knows? All I know is that I loved their new sound they’ve created. Electric Guest helped Portugal. The Man on their 2017 spring/summer tour, to which I was able to catch their show with my best friend, Patrick. This was honestly one of the best and worst concerts I’ve been to. Sadly, the worst part was because of Electric Guest’s opener! It was at the Riverside in Milwaukee (one of my favorite venues). For some reason, the band’s laptop and soundboard weren’t hooking up correctly, and some of their music wasn’t playing. This resulted in two mini breaks with the audience and the band playing “would you rather” and “hotseat”. Which is funny because everyone was saying how the singer, Asa Taccone, looks like Aladdin!!!
Kin has definitely been one of my favorite albums from Electric Guest, and will be a hit in College Radio. Top to bottom, I believe it’s pretty solid. Most of the sound and vibes throughout are very similar, and the variety, track by track, is minimal. However, I don’t think that Electric Guest is one of those bands that would be amazing at having a variety of sound anyways. Aka they’re a Black Keys-esque band where if they change their sound, no one would like them anymore. As I said earlier, after Mondo, their “rebrand” into their new sound was for the good! This newer, lo-fi jazzy alternative sound works super well for them. I think that a wide range of audiences would resonate with Electric Guest’s Kin.
Some of my favorite tracks on the album include “Play With Me” and “Basic”. If you want a deep-vibe groove to start your morning, these are definitely my picks. Taccone has a super distinct voice with a higher pitched resonance. But damn, he can sing. I like these tracks because they both really define the overall album extremely well. Some of my other favorites include “Dollar” and “Birthday”.
Overall, I’d say Electric Guest’s Kin is a solid album. Each song is unique, but still has that groovy pop sound to them. I’m not sure how else to describe it, but it’s just a great album to listen to while studying, walking to class, cleaning…whatever you’re doing! Honestly, Electric Guest is a band that you can listen to in any situation or scenario. Definitely check them out, and hopefully, they’ll be on tour soon!
