RIYL: Cake, Beck, Marcy Playground, Sublime, Sugar Ray, Incubus

Everybody has a guilty pleasure. For some, this sort of practice may develop into a habit that, with enough misuse, will sooner or later, become something physically or psychologically necessary for their proper functioning. Stoop Kids’ latest single, “Quit You,” is a tantalizing confession of dependence upon a lover, a psychedelic shanty that is as inviting as it is honest.

I don’t think I could quit you unless it was for show. If you give me opportunity, they will never ever know.

Listen: “Quit You” – Stoop Kids

With an experimentally fresh spin on such a vintage sound, the five-piece band toys with eras of music that span over five decades. Based in New Orleans, the group combines elements of ska, jazz, soul, and hip-hop into a sonically kaleidoscopic sound that is as alluring on record as it is live. Lead singer Griffin Dean not only writes the majority of the music, but commands attention from the audience show after show with his on-stage antics and boyish charm, as he scurries amongst the crowd and breaks into The Worm during various solos by fellow band members. Playing house shows, music festivals, headlining and supporting gigs, and charity events, the group’s live presence is magnetic.

Although “Quit You” serves as a profession of romantic fixation to Dean’s lover, it is also a flirtatious ode and recognition that he too is her object of desire.

‘Cause I’m your crush. I’m your vice. A bad habit that you’ve formed.

Their recipe for enchantment: a tantalizing beat created by drummer Joe Tontillo, an enticing bass line by Sam Fruend, and bewitching solos on the saxophone, keys, and guitar by Thomas Eisenhood and David Paternostro. Less than three minutes of lyrical simplicity and musical genius with a rap verse thrown in for good measure.

Entertainers are seen as free-spirited, carefree personalities. As entertainers, Dean and the band entertain. They provide amusement and enjoyment to their fans through their joyful noise. But what this song also provides is an inside glimpse into the weaknesses of the outwardly untroubled entertainers who perform it. “Quit You” is a song that reveals the artists’ giving-in to temptation and the acknowledgement of their carnality. In other words, it is the revelation of human nature at the very core of every person.

With the promise of secrecy, Dean croons longingly to his sweetheart, seducing her to join him for one more fix. With a captivating charisma and a hit song to go along with it, how could she resist?

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