Artist: Run Kid Run
Album: Love at the Core
Label: Tooth & Nail Records
Release Date: April 29, 2008
Review by: Eric Pettersson

Tracklist:
1. Rescue Me
2. Captives Come Home
3. Fall into This Light
4. One in a Million
5. Love at the Core
6. Sure Shot
7. My Sweet Escape
8. The Emergency
9. Set the Dial
10. Freedom

As soon as I popped this disc into my car, I was ready to go pick up my youth group friends and make the annual trip to Purple Door. Now I’m past the youth group stage and I will unfortunately not be able to make it out to the music festival this year, but my point is that from the opening verse, this music screams of being perfect for that two hour ride. It’s something that everyone can at least moderately enjoy (opposed to, say, Family Force Five or The Showdown, each of which would only have one or two fans in my five-seater sedan), the energy is high enough to get us pumped for the upcoming performances (unlike Denison Witmer or Derek Webb), and the demand for close attention to detail is low enough that we can still have a conversation overtop the music (contrasted to mewithoutYou or As Cities Burn). And this is exactly what I expect from Run Kid Run: a record that is designed for youth group roadtrips and a safe bet for everyone but the snobby hardcore kid to find something he or she can like. The guitars are driving, the vocals are on-the-spot, the drums avoid too much repetition from song to song, the lyrics aren’t cliché or obnoxious, and the melodies are catchy enough for a good sing-a-long. Also, not all the songs are the same, which is an appreciated treat in this genre, as the band goes for a slower feel here and there and pulls it off well. It’s probably not going to be the most lasting record of the year, but it’s still a good release and an enjoyable set of songs.

8/10

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