Type the words "cool kids" into the search bar on YouTube, and many things pop up, from teens gone wild with prank wars, to a dance off video between high school stereotypes, and even a commercial for M&M's candy. But without a doubt, the best result from this search is the official music video titled, "Cool Kids," by the ever humble band, Echosmith.
Play the video, and the initial sight is blurry and out of focus, forcing you listen to the voice over; a clip that has been pulled from a previous interview, and it is breathtaking!
Interviewer: "What does being 'cool' mean to you?"
Sydney's response: "Cool to me is kind of being unique and being someone who you want to be, like how you see yourself..."
Images of everyday people flash across the screen representing kids just being themselves, in every which way they come, different races, different backgrounds and home lives, and different stories to tell, which leaves you thinking and captivated by the tune we all know and even love. Before the song even starts, we are singing along: "I wish that I could be like the cool kids/'Cause all the cool kids, they seem to fit in/I wish that I could be like the cool kids, like the cool kids..."
Images of high school come into view shortly after; the lockers, the never ending hallways, and the whiteboards, essentially bringing us back to one common place. Without missing a beat, we instantly feel a connection to this song, as if it were personally written for us. You can watch the "Cool Kids" video, here.
Although it was released in 2013, the tune is still catchy, and the song itself, right along with its deeper meaning, is timeless. This is something we all forget! As listeners, we tend to forget that the words, those lyrics artists produce, can sometimes mean something a little bit more than words that sound charming because they simply fit into a melody.
There is something more to this new, fresh faced band with a spunky name; Echosmith is full of personality, raw talent and heart.
If you haven't listened to them beyond "Cool Kids" and their latest hit song, "Bright," or cannot recognize their sound from the rest, Echosmith is an American rock and pop band that formed in early 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Yet, this four "man band" has one important tie, bonding them all together...that is, they are all related! Yes, that's right. Echosmith is one of the very few top bands that is constructed of strictly all siblings.
But taking a peak at how these four grew up, it is almost not surprising that these kids banded together in terms of their music. The group grew up in a musical household playing multiple instruments throughout their childhood. The band has said in previous interviews that a range of rock artists including Coldplay, The Smiths, Joy Division, and Fleetwood Mac have all influenced them while growing up, which ultimately encouraged them to make music together and start the band in the first place.
Echosmith's youngest member, Graham (16, far left), plays the drums. The only female member of the band, Sydney (18), is the lead vocalist for the band, and often contributes on tambourine and keyboard. Next in line, Jamie (22), the oldest member of the clan, sings and plays guitar, and lastly, Noah (19, far right) plays bass and sings back-up vocals for the band. But together, as a whole...they write.
So, what are their parents' thoughts on their children's recent success? Well, their father, Jeffery David, doubles as the kids' producer.
“Musically, it's important for us to not be someone else or try to do something because it's popular or because it's in right now or because people tell us to do it," Jamie explained, echoing the message of "Cool Kids." “We've never been about that. We want to do what we want to do. For us, that's all there is."
Cool enough for you yet?
These kids are not just little kids anymore. They are emotional ambassadors for youth all around the world because at their age, they know how to communicate their thoughts and their feelings in a mature manner; through clear cut, lyrical gold. They know the deeper meaning to life, which is simplistic happiness, self love, and have a sense of a greater freedom of sharing feelings of being self aware with strangers.
Nothing is more powerful than being able to recognize for yourself, your own worth. And as a band, they truly show that with how far they have come and how well they work together as a cohesive, family unit.
Echosmith is a band you need to know, and it's a band you need to remember, because they are going places. Check out more of their music on YouTube, Facebook, or even add them to your Pandora station; you won't regret it.





















