The Mayflies USA
Kickless Kids
Yep Roc Records [2025]
“A comeback twenty years in the making—and worth every second.”
Album Overview: Formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1996, The Mayflies USA emerged from the same fertile indie rock ground that gave us Archers of Loaf and Polvo. But where their peers often leaned angular or noisy, The Mayflies zeroed in on chiming guitars, crisp harmonies, and power pop hooks. Over three well-loved albums and countless shows, they built a cult following before pressing pause in 2002. Their early work—often shaped by the hands of producer Chris Stamey (The dB’s)—still holds up, but real life pulled the band in different directions. One member wrote novels. Another toured with the Rolling Stones.
Fast-forward to 2022, when a serious health scare lit the spark that brought them back together. The result is Kickless Kids—their first new album in 23 years—and it’s a beauty. Across 12 tracks, the band sounds more seasoned, more thoughtful, and more locked-in than ever. It’s still unmistakably The Mayflies USA, but with a deeper sense of groove and craft. Guided by longtime collaborator Tim Harper and featuring bookend contributions from Stamey, Kickless Kids plays like both a reunion and a rebirth.
Musical Style: Guitar-driven alt-pop still forms the band’s backbone, but this time there’s more air between the notes. Think power pop with a few gray hairs—jangly riffs, melodic basslines, and smartly layered harmonies, now laced with moments of restraint and dynamic shifts. There’s a clear influence from ’60s and ’70s rock craftsmanship, and the harmonies? Spot on. Rich and bright, they lift the whole record into something special.
Evolution of Sound: Where the band’s earlier records chased down every hook with youthful urgency, Kickless Kids takes its time. The energy’s still there, but it’s more focused. The songs breathe. The players listen to one another. It’s the sound of a band that knows who they are—and isn’t afraid to hold a note or let a moment linger. The performances are confident and cohesive, which is no small feat for a group that hasn’t recorded together in over two decades.
Artists with Similar Fire: If Big Star, Sloan, or Velvet Crush are on your playlist, The Mayflies USA should be, too. Fans of Teenage Fanclub or The Posies will also feel in the right wheelhouse, while longtime lovers of North Carolina jangle-pop—think The Connells or Let’s Active—will recognize the region’s unmistakable musical DNA.
Pivotal Tracks: “Cabbagetown” is a standout, capturing a changed Atlanta neighborhood through the lens of memory and featuring the band’s only track with anything close to a drum solo. “Less Lost” pulls gently at threads of longing and dislocation, while “Thought The Rain Was Gone” channels a quiet unease into melodic gold. And “Calling the Bad Ones Home” might be the most Mayflies track of them all—two minutes of pure pop precision, carried by crisp guitars and a melody that sticks.
Lyrical Strength: The lyrics across Kickless Kids are observant and emotionally sharp. There’s reflection here—but not the usual nostalgia trip. Instead, these songs reckon with time, distance, and change with both heart and humor. The band sounds older, sure, but wiser too. There’s a lived-in feel to the writing, like conversations between friends who’ve been through it and still know how to laugh.
Final Groove: Kickless Kids isn’t just a comeback—it may be the best album The Mayflies USA have ever made. It balances tight songwriting with wide-open moments, blending classic influences with the kind of perspective that only comes from real time away. The harmonies shimmer, the playing is dialed in, and the emotional core runs deep. For longtime fans, it’s a rewarding return. For newcomers, it’s a killer place to start. And if this is what they sound like in act two, we can’t wait to hear any more material from this reunion.
THE MAYFLIES USA LINKS
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