After three years of anticipation, The Cool Kids have finally released their first full length album When Fish Ride Bicycles aannddd….It’s pretty dope.
Full of their trademark laid-back flows, bassy, stripped down beats, and help from the likes of Travis Barker, Ghostface Killah, and The Neptunes, Chuck and Mike have made a great summer LP to chill out to.
You can hear development in their sound as well. The beats definitely sound Inglish-esque, but now are a bit more flushed out and feature a few more samples. This may be due to clearance help from their new record label, Mountain Dew’s (yes, like the soda) Green Label Sound.
The lyricism is of the traditional Cool Kids fare. There are lots of clever lines about cool clothing, cool cars, cool drinks, cool women, and just being cool. My favourite line is a drink recipe from the album’s opener, Rush Hour Traffic: “The Baileys mixed with the Grand Marnier/We call it the Grand Ma-Ma.”
My only concern with this album was that it was a bit over hyped. In a recent interview with Alex Chapman regarding they said “we know what people would have expected was a good album from us, and we kinda shitted on that.” Admittedly the album is dope and doesn’t disappoint, but when comparing WFRB to their most recent mixtape, Tacklebox, there isn’t an artistic leap between the two.
All in all, though, When Fish Ride Bicycles is a dope summer LP and is definitely worth a listen.
Notable Tracks
“Get Right” – Billie Jean-esque bassline makes this track chill and energetic.
“Rush Hour Traffic” – Pops off with a lot of energy, reps old school cars. Not ’57 Chevy old school, but your Grandpa’s ride old school.
“Swimsuits” – Their latest single, featuring Mayer Hawthorne on the hook.
“Bundle Up” – The crunchy kick makes this track live. Check the video on youtube. Its a pretty funny mockumentary.
“Roll Call” – The “Feature Heavy” track on the album, where “Five cats link up like Voltron.” Chuck, Mike, Asher Roth, Chip tha Ripper, and Boldy James tear up this loose beat.
8/10 -Evan McIntyre