Kid You Not - Get Bigger Louder

By : Columnist Ward Hughey

Sometimes in life we need a pick me up. Maybe we need to shout at the world with a good helping of honest punk rock abandonment. Well, I am happy to say there are four guys from Florida with exactly what we need.

With two full length albums of punk bangers already underneath them Kid You Not is a band that has earned the respect of many. Hailing from Saint Augustine, FL these guys write catchy hooks that stick deep while rocking hard enough to be a staple act in recent years for The Fest crowd. On October 30th they are releasing their newest album, Thanks, I Hate It on Deep Elm & Bipolar Records. Consisting of 10 tracks totaling 30 minutes of blistering melody, the album continues their aggressive sound while also displaying some newness sonically. One thing is clear, these guys did not waste time during quarantine. 

Musically Thanks, I Hate It shows growth from the band. Still very much punk with some pop sensibility, this album has what I can best put in words as a fuller sound.  It is big. It brings to mind bands such as Hot Water Music and others living in that space between punk and post-hardcore. As cliche as it is to say, this is a more mature sound.

One of my favorite things about this band has always been how they make you feel included. Track after track Kid You Not aggressively grabs you and has you shouting along. You could be sitting in a quiet waiting room and the experience from headphones is a crowded pit pressing towards stage with all your closest friends. Much like The Bouncing Souls and other punk greats, the earnest vocals and high octane rock gives a sense of we are all in this life together. Considering the topics that this album touches on I am thankful for the camaraderie. We need it. 

With references of substances, mental health and other struggles, Kid You Not is touching on the growing pains of life, especially those of which many have experienced during the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020. Never a band to pull punches the lyrics hit as hard as the music. No fluff. All truth. Adulting is tough, but when singing along with this album one cannot help getting honest and facing the music. Through it all there is that previously mentioned sense that we will overcome struggles together. Like they say on “Handbook For The Recently Deceased”, “we could have the time of our after life”, or after covid life at least.

Turn it on. Turn it up. Take on the world.

Thanks, I Hate it releases October 30th. The new single “Fantastic Drugs and How To Take Them,” and other Kid You Not releases are available now everywhere you find music.