Music to Practice Safe Sex To, the 2018 debut full-length from Pool Kids, touted the Tallahassee emo band’s study of the genre across its eras, from the pensive old school math of American Football, the noodling guitars of fourth wave torchbears Algernon Cadwallader, to the mass pop effect Paramore has had on most every band featuring a Gen Z membership. The band’s self-titled sophomore effort levels up, primarily in the frame of the latter with their formation as a solidified four-piece.

In turn, the soaring trajectory of emotive rock anthems promises the scene’s next big star power songwriter in frontwoman Christine Goodwyne, who alongside founding member in Caden Clinton on drums, fully realize their depth in word and hook with the addition of guitarist Andrew Anaya and bassist Nicolette Alvarez. The more intimate details aren’t lost, with Goodwyne’s hushed romanticized reflections crystallizing across electrical lines that stray from the path of conventional symmetry, yet still pull you into their undertow. Still, when Pool Kids go big, they make a splash.

Highlights: “That’s Physics, Baby”, “I Hope You’re Right”, “Arm’s Length”

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