Song, by Toad

One of the worst things in modern music is the lack of craftsmanship, so it’s refreshing to see a band take the time required to really do things properly. The fourteen years since the last New Kids album has been very much put to good use, with this dazzling return to form justifying their insistence on time and craftsmanship.

No other group I can think of show such musical sophistication as New Kids, with their ability to move seemlessly between genres, all the while digesting and exploring, second to none. This new album shows genuine musical innovation as they incorporate elements of classic R&B, punchier new hip hop flavours – or ‘flavaz’! – mixed intriguingly with the angsty dance atmospheres of the Pet Shop Boys and, of course, classic disco.

This new maturity extends to the narrative sculpting of the album as well. A thoughful, more sophisticated approach to their lyrical output results in a nuanced emotional trajectory for the record that is as subtly and carefully constructed as any great novel. They lead us from the solitary self-doubt of Single, touching on themes such as the alienating effects of modern society and the resulting quest for approval in places which will never satisfy, to the more pressing political topics of the day with swaggering confidence. Lyrics such as ‘damn you look so good it hurts me, the design of your body is perfect, I don’t deserve you girl’ simultaneously explore the self doubt in American society, its effects on her citizens and some of the root causes of this crisis in a nation’s identity, namely the suppression of Intelligent Design in a new era of politicised public discourse.

The capacity to blend this sort of intelligent, subversive content with a musical paradigm that can move from the poignant to the pumping in a matter of moments make this one of the most complete records of the year so far, one that is as happy to ironically reference popular culture, such as the deliciously post-modern Dirty Dancing, as it is to tackle the serious issues, such as the dangers of the objectification of women in a culture so fixated with all things sexual. Because at the end of the day, all you need is New Kids and you can bring the sexy all day and all night long.

It’s been a long wait for this album, one which has seen lesser contemporaries such as Boyz II Men fall by the wayside, but with this blistering return to form New Kids have drawn a line in the sand which few current pop bands will be capable of even approaching.

New Kids on the Block- Dirty Dancing
New Kids on the Block- Sexify My Love

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