PHOTO COURTESY OF SHAEMAX RECORDS
Cannibal Kids is a Miami based indie-pop band consisting of South Florida natives Damian Gutierrez, Dustin Diaz, Luke Faulkingham and Jordon Hernandez. The musical project started in 2014 as an attempt to recreate the surf rock sounds of the 1960s.
They describe their sound as alternative rock “with coastal indie-vibes.” Cannibal Kids said they were heavily influenced by bands likes Oberhofer and Local Natives.
With a humble beginning—playing at house parties—the band went on to perform at Vans Warped Tour in the summer of 2015 and garnered attention from SoundCloud releases such as Where Are The People and Graphing.
Cannibal Kids released their first LP, Bloom, on Oct 29.
The lead single Troubled Mind is an upbeat and sunny punk-inspired song. The surf rock influences are clear with lush guitar strumming and a thumping bassline.
Graphing has a funky 70s style guitar and ringing bells. To You, For You. From Me., a song about a failed relationship, is the most melancholy moment of the album. The darker, thoughtful lyrics contrast against the relatively upbeat mood of the song. My Boy/My Girl starts out with stripped-down guitar arpeggios, with hard-hitting drums in the chorus. The band’s Miami roots are evident in the final track of the album, Outro (I Will Always Love You).
The song, the album’s only genre switch, begins with the sound of crashing waves fading into a jazzy bossa nova-inspired melody. Overall, Bloom contains lyrical themes of young love, the ocean and heartbreak.
The songs are catchy, but often monotonous in style. The instrumentation, song structure and use of varying dynamics is consistent throughout each song.
Fans of bands like Two Door Cinema Club and Best Coast will enjoy this release. Though its sound is somewhat repetitive, Bloom is worth a listen for indie pop fans.
