With very colorful album art by Alison Shepard, I was drawn to Drifting. The upbeat, censored and rhyming first track, “Kite,” had me in anticipation of what else was to come from this band. Vocally, Justin Kao reminds me of Will Pugh of Cartel. Music-wise, The Sound Of Growing Up reminds me of Summer Obsession with their pop-rock vibe. However, the short guitar solo in “Swing” has a classic rock feel to it, which threw me off a bit. Like the previous track, there are plenty of “woahh ohhhs” to go around. A ukulele, handclaps and a shaker are present in “Drifting,” which turns off the poppy tempo and replaces it with a mellow, melancholy atmosphere about moving on and growing. Much like the title suggests, “Drifting” is about growing apart from someone and letting life work itself out.
The final track, “I Have No Reason,” brought back the summer radio hit feel but with a punch. “I Have No Reason” has spunky lyrics and a bit of attitude in its delivery. An acoustic and uncensored version of “Kite” appears as a secret track. I personally like this version better because it is simpler and you can really hear Kao’s voice, and the use of a glockenspiel really helps. In a nutshell, the album is pretty good, especially if you’re into ukulele-infused pop rock.
In A Word: Decent
