Pool Kids // POOL split EP: a juxtaposition of two musical truths

Pool Kids by Per Schorn

Imagine being in a band riding high on the emo resurgence wave. Your latest album's lead single has surpassed a million streams on Spotify, and you're about to embark on your first-ever U.S. headline tour. So, what's the next move? 

Well, if you're Pool Kids, you decide it's time to release a split EP with your hardcore alter egos, POOL.

POOL initially started as an April Fool's joke back in 2019. The band publicly announced their departure from emo and math-rock, presenting next as a fully-fledged hardcore band. But when Paramore’s Hayley Williams shared a very public shout-out about the band on the exact same day, Pools Kids clarified that the whole POOL concept was just a joke, going on to totally flip expectations and release two tracks as POOL, raising funds for MOTE, a marine science advocacy group.

Last month, this long held dream of releasing a split EP, finally came true. Simply titled Pool Kids // Pool, the EP consists of six tracks recorded over a tight nine-day schedule. The quick turnaround seems to have brought out the best in both sides of the band. 

The EP is neatly divided down the middle, with the first three tracks by Pool Kids and the last three by POOL. Pool Kids' three tracks include a recent B-side and two reworked versions of songs from their self-titled sophomore album. On the other hand, the three POOL tracks are entirely new creations.

The opening track “No Stranger” showcases the band's melancholic side. Originally intended for their self-titled LP out earlier this year, “No Stranger” was put aside when vocalist Christine Goodwyne struggled to find the right lyrics and vocals. Goodwyne only completed the final lyrics on a tour bus during their recent European tour, describing the track's release on the split EP as "so happy this song found a way to live independently and serve as a bookend for the entire record's lifecycle."

The other two Pool Kids tracks, "Talk Too Much" and "Arms Length", are reworkings that pair nicely with "No Stranger." They offer more atmospheric retellings of the originals, replacing the driving mid-2000s emo-esque guitars with layered, ethereal, math-rock-inspired counterparts. Instead of taking the more traditional route and recording acoustic versions, Pool Kids continues to subvert the norm shows and commit to creativity, constructing new versions that stand on their own feet. 

In contrast, the second half of the EP featuring three POOL tracks is driven by pure anger. We will say, while you can take the emo out of the emo math-rock band, taking the math-rock out proves a little more tricky. And not in a bad way. The heavier tracks still showcase intricately rhythmic framework and mathematical precision.

There's no hint of parody here. POOL takes a similar approach to The Bronx transforming into Mariachi El Bronx or Sum 41 becoming Pain for Pleasure. POOL is an earnest hardcore band, ready to unleash unbridled anger upon us. It's as if the simmering anger beneath the surface of the EP’s first three tracks has finally boiled over, with POOL defiantly flipping us off as the anger erupts. These tracks serve as the perfect counterbalance.

This EP arrived at just the right time for me and I’m sure many of our readers will resonate with the juxtaposition of two musical truths. I couldn't help but connect it to my own mental state where two distinct voices coexist, occasionally at odds. 

It would have been easy for this EP to be a joke, a throwaway project between tours, but it’s clear that Pools Kids created space to thoroughly explore their storytelling and musicality in different ways.

Pool Kids // POOL split EP is out now via Big Scary Monsters in the UK.