Interview with : The Problem With Kids Today
Take It! is the third and latest album released by The Problem With Kids Today, the
Connecticut-based trio of Tate Brooks, Silas Lourenco-Lang, and Reena Yu. The album was
recorded in a shed in Tate’s backyard in Branford, CT with Joe LeMieux producing. They are
releasing Take It! via their In The Shed Records imprint on CD, digital download and streaming
services on August 22.
Following an eye-opening experience in a large studio as well as their first ever tour, The Kids
were ready for a change. They were tired of being corralled by pencil-pushers, desk jockeys, and
Suits. They were ready to take back control. So they did.
Why pay to go to a fancy studio and be told what they can and can’t do? There was a perfectly
good shed in Tate’s yard. Why hire a producer who may or may not understand the sound? They
had long-time friend and Connecticut DIY staple Joe LeMieux who was passionate about the
project. Why wait for some label to deem it worthy to release? They’ll just put it out themselves.
So, the band and Joe cleaned out the shed and turned it into a home studio even Guided By
Voices would be jealous of. Finally, it was time. For 8 days in the middle of October, Silas,
Reena and Joe moved into Tate’s house. Wake up early. Record all day. Drink and smoke into
the wee hours before catching a few precious hours of sleep on Tate’s floor. Do it all again the
next day. That was the routine. There were only two rules. Keep it simple. Keep it fun.
The result is Take It!. An album that wears its Pastels badges proudly on its sleeve. The group
takes inspiration from the long canon of English rock, from the mod-infested beaches of
Brighton to the cobblestone streets of Glasgow, still reverberating with a DIY ethos. Bands like
The Jam, The Who, and The Replacements bled into the brains of the band and informed the
album as a whole - from the songwriting to the cover and even the photo shoots. It might finally
be the answer to the age-old question: “Mods or Rockers?” …and the answer might be Both.
Lead single “I Dunno” captures the energy and rawness of youth in a bottle, with all the stress
and insecurity that comes along with it rising to the top. “The Beginning of the End of the
World” touches on the poppier side of the group, with the yearning categorically reminiscent of
iconic Sarah Records groups like East River Pipe and the Sugargliders. Some hits, like
“Anymore”, are right out of the Mod playbook and others, like “What Happened to You?”, are
born to wear leather. Most carve out a space all their own. One of the many highlights of Take
It! is the medley that comprises most of the second half. While on one hand it illustrates a step-
up in the ban;s songwriting, it also encompasses the principles of The Problem With Kids
Today as a whole. Uncompromising, unceasing, unstoppable.
Take It! is the culmination of 20-something years lived, a turn away from youthful indulgence
into informed expertise. It sits at a new height of Tate and Silas’s songwriting, with razor-sharp
performances and unforgettable melodies, and a determination to be heard. Mods and Rockers
will riot on the streets once again from the first strum of Take It! by The Problem With Kids
Today.
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