Kid Freud – American Boy

My initial reaction to the opening of Kid Freud’s EP American Boy was one of brow furrowing hesitation. The title track, “American Boy”, sounds like a snotty British b-side channeled through the Jack White filter. But I stayed the course, as one song does not make a band – even if it IS the title track. 

Fortunately, the remainder of this four track undertaking picks itself up quite gracefully after stumbling out of the gate. On the whole, there’s some excellent work here cobbled together from a myriad of respectable influences without feeling derivative (The Arctic Monkeys and The Walkmen among them). It’s full of attitude and swagger but not without the songwriting and performance to back it up.