Mike Brandon of Fast Kids – Truths be told, he IS Fast Kids.
Fast Kids in session tonight – recorded at RNE3 in Madrid on May 25th of this year at a radio program for the Block Party Festival, coming up this weekend.
It figures, we have to travel some 5,000 miles to hear someone just around the corner. Fast Kids is the brain child of Mike Brandon in Los Angeles. Although it’s not entirely clear if Brandon is based on the East Coast now or the West Coast. Doesn’t matter, he’s making great music wherever he is.
Here is a snippet of an article from the Add To Wantlist website from December of last year, written by Niek:
If you press play and think the voice sounds familiar, you’re not wrong. Fast Kids is the new solo project from Mike Brandon, best known for fronting his ’60s-leaning garage outfit The Mystery Lights. As Fast Kids, Brandon leans into his love of power pop, landing somewhere between the punch of The Whiffs and the gritty pulse of his main band. The songwriting pulls from both worlds—the urgency and jangle of power pop, paired with vocals that carry a naturally haunted garage edge.
That combination gives tracks like (my personal favorite) Too Busy Hatin’ To Understand Love a timeless snap, even with its contemporary message. It’s part of a strong opening run that starts with the single-ready My Advice and continues into the Nerves-esque powerpop’n’roll of Love Parlay.
The B-side wanders a bit further from straight power pop but still delivers—especially the melancholic glow of Goodbye and a handful of well-crafted hooks. Across the whole record you get plenty of tasty basslines and guitar licks sharp enough to chew on. The ingredients may feel familiar, but the way Brandon arranges them makes Fast Kids Forever feel exciting and fresh.
And while I hope Turn Off The Lights isn’t hinting at The Mystery Lights calling it quits, I’m fully onboard on the Fast Kids hype train. LP available to order now from Lolipop Records, shipping early January. It’s not on Bandcamp, but I think the album is available on most streaming services.
So there you have it – head over to Add To Wantlist’s website – bookmark them and give some support – good reporting is hard to come by these days. Trust me.
Press Play and dive in.
