Kids These Days' New Video Is "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Set In CPS

By Jon Graef in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 28, 2012 9:05PM

Dark, sinister, and chaotic aren't normally adjectives one would assign to local up-and-comers Kids These Days, whose youthful, effortless, but ultimately benign mix of soul, hip-hop and rock has propelled them to the top of Chicago's musical class. But once music fans hear the band's claustrophobic new single, "Don't Harsh My Mellow," those adjectives will readily come to mind.

Over a menacing piano and beats not entirely unlike those found in the city's drill scene, Kids These Days gradually introduce trumpets and trip-hop noisescapes to ultimately produce the world's most avant-garde party anthem.

The new video for the song, released yesterday, has a "Smells Like Teen Spirit"-as-set-in-a-CPS-school kinda vibe, which adds to the anarchic fun. "Don't Harsh My Mellow" shows a huge musical progress for Kids These Days, whose live performances always show a teenaged band with professionalism miles beyond their years, although often producing average music. Not anymore. If their upcoming Traphouse Rock is filled with tracks like these, it'll be the album to beat for local record of the year.