Run Kid Run

This Is Who We Are (2006)

Matt_Whelihan

The sticker on the disc reads, "Recommended if you like: Yellowcard, Anberlin, Hawk Nelson, MxPx," and yeah, it's true. This is highly produced pop-punk that sometimes leans more in the pop-rock direction. But maybe there should have been another sticker, one that said something along the lines of, "These are the type of guys your mom would like!," because that is the whole vibe of This is Who We Are.

Everything on the album is squeaky clean, from the guitar tones and vocals to the band's lyrics. Run Kid Run do not want to offend, which means that while the melodies are certainly memorable, they are never impassioned, making them easy to recall, but never demanding of participation.

Okay, okay, I'll stop talking about the polish for a second to hit on what's underneath. The songs are energetic and fun at their core, they just don't stand out in the pop-punk genre or even on Tooth & Nail. Yeah, they do kind of sound like Hawk Nelson, who sound sort of like Anberlin, who have similarities to FM Static and Sullivan, who both just sound like peppier versions of Mae, making Run Kid Run just another hook-packed, pop-punk product with the pristine Tooth & Nail production style.