Ears Wide Open: KidEyes

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KidEyes (Photo by Angie Piccirillo)
KidEyes (Photo by Angie Piccirillo)

Greg Cahn (formerly of the infectiously danceable L.A. band Mind the Gap, aka MTG) and Ben Epand (formerly of the “rawk”-ous L.A. band Queen Caveat) are starting completely fresh. With nary a trace of their former projects on the interwebs, they’re putting the past in the past as they unleash their new project together, KidEyes. Mid-last year, they released a self-titled debut EP, a collection of earnest anthems and catchy rock songs mining the depths of love under extreme pressure and remembering its initial inspiration.

Their latest single, “Alive,” poses two opposing forces against each other — the constant doubt in the long journey of achieving a tough and elusive goal, with Cahn asking, “Do I even still believe? / Will I make it out alive?” to which he answers in the chorus, refocused, to “Dream hard / Even if it feels so far.” Epand’s accompaniment on drums, synth bass rhythms and guitar evoke the romanticism perfected in the ’80s with modernized production, interesting flourishes and full participation in current loudness wars.

The duo hits all the right notes, vulnerably conveying imperfection in all degrees of frustration, though they remain humble, saying, “There is nothing perfect about any of this.”

||| Stream: “Alive”

||| Live: KidEyes headlines the Moroccan Lounge tonight (early set), joined by Cosmos & Creature and McCall. Tickets

||| Also: Stream their entire self-titled EP