I’ve always been a bit of an old soul in terms of musical taste, so the sweet 60’s inspired pop sound of The Sticker Club hits me right in my toe-tapping retro happy place.
Oh, and the kids seem to dig it, too!
The Sydney based band is comprised of musicians with plenty of grown up indie-cred ( Nic Dalton, Alison Galloway, Nellie Afford, Ben Whitten, and Dizzi Cassidy ). They have turned their rock guitars (heavy on the wah-wah pedal), trombones, flutes, tambourines, and hearty helping of hand claps onto kids tunes on their first album Scratch ‘N’ Stiff (ABC Music).
The 16-track albums opens with “Can You Do the Peanut,” a dancey call-and-response tune that brings to mind vintage songs with their own dances like “The Twist” and “Mashed Potato.” You can put this one straight onto your kid’s party playlist.
“Darcy,” with big brass accents, asks every kids’ favorite question – “what do you want for your birthday?” Suggestions like “a Spiderman mask or a Superman cape” plus the “ba-da-ba-ba” refrain make you think Darcy could be a kid from just about any time in the past 50 or 60 years. Similarly on the theme of eras of children’s toys, “Where Have All the Loom Bands Gone?” ponders the fad toy with “rubber bands are like confetti in the street now.” (The “turtles choking on them in the sea” line is maybe a little dark for a kids tune, but probably also true). I get a kick out of a line in the hula hoops verse that says, “now you tell me in the middle of my song, the hula hoop never went away.” We oldies do have a way of over-lamenting things.
“New School Tomorrow” hits the perfect tone for nervous kids. It asks, “I wonder where I’ll sit” and “I hope I don’t get shy” without ever getting even a touch condescending. The upbeat tempo gives a hopeful tone, while recognising the real worries of the night before school starts.
For me, The Sticker Club really shines in a few songs that embrace the innocent wonder of childhood, particularly the darling “Caterpillar,” which can both be about a caterpillar – one of those simple, marvelous discoveries that delight young children – and the way a beloved child grows and grows. “Tree Girl” is an imaginative, peppy story song about a “little girl who lives high up in a tree.” Puddle jumping, perhaps the most perfect childhood activity, gets its due in the driving “I Can Jump Puddles.” “The Big Yawn” is a classic Aussie family road trip straight to bedtime – “are we there, yet?”
Finishing on a bit of a (family-friendly) psychedelic dream, Scratch ‘N’ Sniff closes on “Magic Flower Power Hour.” Just like any respectable 60’s band dabbling in post-pop enlightenment, there’s a sitar break, and a few referential nods to where we’ve been. It’s good fun.
Some of the lyrics on Scratch ‘N’ Sniff lean towards the pre-school and younger set (“can you hear the woof woof doggie,” “here come the dinosaurs,” etc.), but that hasn’t thrown my 6 year old off from grooving to these tunes. Musically, the songs appeal to any age, from the grandparents who remember 60s pop to little ones who will just find them delightfully happy and danceable. Bright and joyful, The Sticker Club gives the whole family a musical meeting ground.
This review is self-funded and independent.
Scratch ‘N’ Sniff is available in stores (Australia) and through streaming services. The Sticker Club is on Facebook and Instagram.
Read the rest of our Listening Ears On reviews for more non-annoying children’s music!
Littlefolk by Angie Who
Little Steps, Big Adventures by Tiptoe Giants
Hey Hey, Let’s Play by Nay Nay
Helpful Songs for Little People by the Teeny Tiny Stevies
Beyond the Little Star by Benny Time
Season One by The Vegetable Plot
Here Comes Science! by They Might Be Giants
Storytime Singalong Volumes 1 and 2 by Emily Arrow
Bunny Rumble by Bunny Racket
Keep It Real! by Caspar Babypants