Brushes Touches Tongues

The self-proclaimed “Appalachian Cheerleader Metal” quartet, Canʼt Kids, began as a two-piece comprised of guitar/vocalist Adam Cullum, and drummer/vocalist Jessica Oliver. As the duo began writing songs, they carefully measured out precise amounts of energy, dynamics, and wordplay while bending traditional pop song structures. The addition of Henry Thomas on bass & and Amy Cuthberson on cello gave the songs an even stronger and fuller sound that sways between levels of intensity, and can feel from anywhere as comforting as the embrace of a tight hug to the panic of getting caught in a choke hold. The songs are self-aware: prideful and damning, confrontational and confident. All this stirs up a raucousness inside that you haven’t felt since punk rock, only this time there is a frailty from years of dormancy. With “Brushes Touches Tongues,” Canʼt Kids take their songs out of the house where they live (Shredquarters), practice, and oftentimes perform; and bring them into the studio where all of the intricacies that become lost in a crowded room can be showcased. Adam & Jessicaʼs vocals weave in and out of each other, echoing, arguing, and combining to create an album that loves, hates, and feels alright.

“Canʼt Kids remind me of an era when indie-rock actually lived up to itʼs moniker, before ‘the suits’ used it to sell an image to disaffected teens watching melodramatic TV shows.” –We Are the Upstate

“For Can’t Kids, [recording] was more of a catharsis. It required rawness and unity within the timbre, and that is something often lost with over-produced records” –Sereofly Collective