Dan Vapid

All Wound Up (2016)

CoolHand

Following in the footsteps of Mike Park and Kepi Ghoulie, Dan Vapid has released his first children's album. It's an easy thing to scoff at but, when it comes down to it, would you rather your kids listen to Raffi or a potential gateway album into punk rock?

Sonically, All Wound Up is classic Vapid. Every tune is catchy, poppy and upbeat; exactly what we’ve come to expect from him at this point. Essentially, this is a Dan Vapid and the Cheats album, but with kid-friendly lyrics. You’ll be hearing about fire engines, playing in the backyard, trains and not wanting to eat vegetables. Silly stuff, sure, but every song is bound to get stuck in your head. Just because these are kids songs doesn’t mean this isn’t a great pop punk album.

Tracks like “Robot With a Human Heart” and “When Seasons Change” sound like they could have been cuts from the last Cheats album just as they are. Even the closer, “Green Means Go,” speaks more to someone going through changes than a 6-year-old.

If you’re a pop punk fan and you have young kids, this is a great place to start them off. If you don’t have kids and you’re having trouble looking past the childish lyrics, know that musically you’ll find a solid album here. I look at it as a great excuse to listen to an artist I like when I’m hanging out with my niece and nephew. But I’ll be listening to it a lot when they’re not around, too.