Black Kids have worn a target on their back ever since releasing the Wizard of Ahhhs EP to critical acclaim. It's a target the critics, as well as the naysayers (bloggers), who balk in the name of unoriginality, naturally put on them. Their first full-length album finds them back on the dance floor reserved for only the broken-hearted and fans of '80s new wave. However, It may suit Black Kids better to limit themselves to releasing EPs. Partie Traumatic is basically a prolonged version of Ahhhs. There are solid songs scattered thoughout the album, but as a whole, it is stretched thin by amateurish, disco-pop bubblegum. And it's not that the other songs sound like B-side fillers. The synths, beats, catchy melodies, and Robert Smith-like vocals are in place but aren't constructed compellingly enough to stand alone and differentiate themselves from the EP's songs. Then again, maybe they don't need to stand alone because when meshed with everything else, they fit in nicely to produce a solid dance album.
The album's opener and part of Ahhhs, "Hit the Heartbrakes," is a nice enough tune that pops out of the gate, setting up the rest of the album as it shows its hand early with a strong synth-drum juxtaposition, raging guitar, Reggie Youngblood's agonizing tone, and twee-pop female backup vocals. The problem is, the next two tracks consist of the same tricks and weaken the foundation...and so goes the pattern of Traumatic. "Hurricane Jane"(again, from Wizard of Ahhhs) is an infectious, more hushed song that oddly, when compared to the rest of the album, sounds like it was produced by Barry Manilow. It's easily recognized by a somewhat familiar chorus of: "It's Friday night, and I ain't got nobody." Partie Traumatic then spins its disco wheels until its finest point, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You." The clever lyrics and fun vibe of "Love Me Already" follows and makes for the best song not from the EP, which, in turn, is followed by the forgettable candidate for worst song title of the year, "I Wanna Be Your Limousine."
If Black Kids are simply making a bubblegum dance record suited for teenage and frat parties, then Partie Traumatic can be regarded as a success. This is an album that could be popped into any lagging high school shindig and immediately electrify those skinny jeans. It has the hooks. It has accessible beats and clever—albeit somewhat juvenile—lyrics that may have you thinking it's one of the best albums of the year after the party. In this respect, Partie Traumatic shouldn't be regarded as a failure because it simply achieves what it sets out to do. In another respect, it is too weak song for song to be regarded as anything other than a fine dance album.
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