Review Summary: Overly gimmicky but full of great choruses and catchy hooks, Fight With Your Fists is a fun record that will appeal to fans of the genre.
Pop-punk seems to be an increasingly broad genre these days, encompassing everything from pristinely-produced scene giants like
All Time Low and
Forever the Sickest Kids to
Latterman-esque bands like
Spraynard and Get Bent and mosh-centric pit heroes like
Set Your Goals and
Four Year Strong. Texas pop-punkers Kid Liberty fit firmly in the latter category, combining equal parts
Set Your Goals and
Daggermouth with more than their fair share of breakdowns.
The band is certainly capable: vocalist Trey Sexton provides standard pop-punk singing without much whine and plenty of strong hardcore yells and even some screaming. The dual guitarists put forth good riffs and even some solos, but are marred by an overabundance of chug. The drumming is fairly standard with a lot of double bass. As one might expect, the bass remains pretty far back in the mix and generally follows the bass drum, except for the occasional spotlight (the intro to “I’m Not a Person Anymore . . .,” the breakdown in “I’m Right Here”).
Their debut LP,
Fight with Your Fists, doesn’t come swinging out of the gate as its name suggests. The pseudo-epic intro “The Winds of War” begins with a sample of Ennio Morricone’s “Ecstasy of Gold” before going into a guitar solo and some yelling that ends in a digitalized finish. The first problem with this record presents itself as this tune winds down: there is almost too much going on; Kid Liberty is trying to work with many influences and the result is a mixed bag. The first real song, “I’m Right Here,” works as a statement of intent but is much the same: a standard pop-punk tune with a huge breakdown on its tail-end, with a digital effect thrown in.
The songs stay varied and certainly keep the listener hooked, but, again, tend to suffer from an overabundance of tricks and gimmicks. “Keep on Pushin’” is upbeat and catchy
a la The Wonder Years and ends with soft strings before going into a series of harder songs that bring down the first half of the record. The title track and “Telephone Toughguy” are full of brodowns, with the latter possessing this lovely lyrical nugget “I know jealousy’s a bitch/but so are you.” The lyrics rarely go beyond relatable, hitting the standard teenage bases of heartbreak, solidarity, growing up, et cetera. “Coolguy Deluxe!” has gang vocals, synth in its first breakdown, a danceable beat, and a huge roar in its final moments – almost too many ear-catching ploys for one song.
The highlights of the album come in after a short interlude, “The New Recipe.” “The Situation” benefits from its lack of gimmicks and a strong chorus; “I’m Not a Person Anymore . . . I’m a Turtle” is full of vocal hooks. “That’s What She Said” is incredibly catchy and manages to stop itself from becoming too mired in breakdowns.
The album isn’t short of hooks and powerful choruses but the songwriting tends to rely too much on breakdowns and production tricks. It comes across as sophomoric, a bit too childish; fortunately, it’s early in Kid Liberty’s career and they have time to improve. As it is, fans of the genre will find this record very enjoyable, and this band is surely one to watch.
