Album Review: Nostalgic Interference by My Kid Banana

If you are an avid CPRW reader with an incredible memory you might recognise the name My Kid Banana from being one of our Bands Of The Week or from our first compilation album we released in June 2019. They are a four piece band from Saint Paul, Minnesota, who write pop culture punk songs. Way back in February the band released a new album named Nostalgic Interference and it’s taken me far too long to get around to checking it out.

The first of the album’s nine songs is Bologna And Chips. My Kid Banana start things out with a super sweet pop punk love song about meeting someone special and clicking perfectly. The track doesn’t reinvent any wheels but, as I’ve said many times, sometimes great music doesn’t have to. The song has this truly infectious chorus that you’ll pick up immediately (and features some great harmonies) and the punchy way in which the verse is delivered really grabs your attention. The second track, I Love My Cat Way More Than You, is another super simple song that gets stuck in your head. There’s definitely The Mr T Experience vibes in the track which I really enjoyed. Subject wise it’s a bit silly but I’m sure there’s a lot of people who will really relate. Up next is The Charles Bronsong. It’s dedicated to the American actor and not the English serial killer. This song shows a heavier, more melodic skate punk side of My Kid Banana. It’s like if you crossed The Vandals with Bad Religion (there’s some great “oozin’ aahs”).

The fourth song is titled I Wanna Be Like Rambo. This is My Kid Banana’s version of an inspirational song. It’s about finding your inner strength to make a change in your life when things aren’t going your way. It’s a mid-tempo song which shows off a softer side of Nick Holmes’ voice. It also keeps the run of insanely catchy songs that open the album going. Decepticunt is an angrier song as you might be able to tell from the title. The song is about getting out of a bad relationship with someone you thought was great but in actuality is an awful person. Despite really hating the c word, this is one of my favourites on Nostalgic Interference. I imagine the song gets a great reaction at My Kid Banana live shows. The Exorcism Of My Girlfriend is the song that appeared on our Fifth Birthday Compilation. This shows the more hard rocking side of My Kid Banana but also includes the pop harmonies that have been sprinkled all over the album. The lyrics show off a lot of imagery which I found quite impressive, especially considering it’s not the most serious of songs.

Boy Wonder is the poppiest song on Nostalgic Interference. It’s a slow, quiet song that you could easily find yourself whistling along to. There’s what I believe is a keyboard featured quite heavily in the chorus that could easily be replaced by someone whistling. You don’t often hear things like this and I got a real kick from it. The penultimate song is Let Us Form Voltron. For those who don’t know, Voltron is a popular animated TV show that was originally popular in the 80s and is about a team of five space explorers who pilot a giant super robot named Voltron. My Kid Banana bring the punk sound back for this song about finding someone special, taking a leap of faith and having a life of adventures together. The final track is named Gleaming The Pubes. The song is an ode to the band’s love of skateboarding as kids and how it’s shaped their lives. Much like in The Exorcism Of My Girlfriend, the lyrics display a wonderful amount of imagery that really give the song a nostalgic feel. This is a perfect way to finish an album that is packed full of nostalgia.

This isn’t an album that’s going to change your life but there’s a really good chance that it will make you smile. I’m all for this type of music – it’s fun and inoffensive, you’ll be humming it all day and most probably annoying anyone who encounters you that day. What else do you want?

Stream and download Nostalgic Interference on Bandcamp here.

Like My Kid Banana on Facebook here.

This review was written by Colin Clark.