blackstarkids - Puppies Forever

If it wasn’t immediately obvious from its playful title, ‘Puppies Forever’ is, for the most part, a breezy slice of carefree pop. The follow-up to last year’s album-but-not-an-album ‘Whatever, Man’, it sees the Kansas City trio take cues from just about anywhere: ‘Fight Club’ mashes hip hop with ‘90s computer games, ‘Piss Drunk Kids’, despite its name, makes like a teen movie soundtrack. ‘I Hate Being In Love’ owes no small debt to the atmospherics of Joy Division, while bratty standout ‘Jimmy Neutron’ is right up there with the current pop-punk resurgence. Sure, it might have the tendency to go a little soft in places (opener ‘So Sweet’, the chorus of ‘Revolt Syndrome’ two cases in point), but there’s more than enough charm throughout its 12 tracks to make up for it.