Pool Kids Easier Said Than Done
Pool Kids's Easier Said Than Done arrives as a quieter, more deliberate turn for the band, trading previous skittish math-rock rush for hook-driven songwriting and a softer sonic palette. Across two professional reviews the record earned an 80/100 consensus score, with critics noting how tracks such as “Easier Said Than Done”, “Tinted Windows”, “Not Too Late”, “Leona Street” and “Perfect View” crystallize that shift toward vulnerability and melodic immediacy. Both Dork and Kerrang! point to the title track's climactic anxiety and the sunlit clarity of songs like “Tinted Windows” as exemplary moments, answering common queries about the best songs on Easier Said Than Done with consistent examples.
The critical consensus emphasizes sonic evolution and a DIY spirit - reviewers praised the band for betting on themselves with electronically-treated vocals, hazy guitars and compact hooks that retain emotional bite. Critics consistently remark on themes of anxiety and self-doubt threaded through warmer arrangements, calling the collection a confident step that refines rather than abandons the group's emo revival roots. While only two professional reviews were aggregated, both voice admiration for the record's combination of vulnerability and invention, noting how distance and budget-minded recording choices enhance rather than hinder the songwriting.
Taken together, the reviews suggest Easier Said Than Done is worth listening to for those curious whether Pool Kids have matured without losing urgency; the consensus score and repeated praise for standout tracks make a concise case for the album's place in the band's ongoing evolution and for further listening below.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Easier Said Than Done
1 mention
"the electronically-treated vocals and hazy guitars that open the title track"— Kerrang!
Tinted Windows
1 mention
"Take early track ‘Tinted Windows’, a shimmering slice of vulnerability"— Dork
Not Too Late
1 mention
"‘Not Too Late’ is another standout: a punchy, boppy mid-album sugar hit"— Dork
the electronically-treated vocals and hazy guitars that open the title track
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Easier Said Than Done
Tinted Windows
Bad Bruise
Leona Street
Last Word
Sorry Not Sorry
Not Too Late
Which Is Worse?
Dani
Perfect View
Exit Plan
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 7 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
On Easier Said Than Done, Pool Kids sharpen their songwriting while letting a softer side breathe, making tracks like “Tinted Windows” and “Not Too Late” feel both playful and poignant. The reviewer's voice applauds the band for leaning into vulnerability without losing bite, praising the immediacy of “Leona Street” and the sunset glow of “Perfect View”. It reads like a band moving in rather than arriving, trading frantic noise for clarity and hooks that stick in the chest. That combination makes queries about the best songs on Easier Said Than Done point naturally to these bright, immediate moments.
Key Points
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‘Tinted Windows’ is best for its shimmering vulnerability and diary-like lyric that the reviewer highlights.
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The album’s core strengths are sharper songwriting, hook-laden immediacy, and a softened, vulnerable tone without losing grit.
Themes
Ke
Critic's Take
Pool Kids sound like a band staking everything on instinct and invention on Easier Said Than Done, and the review points to the title track and its climactic anxiety as proof of payoff. The reviewer praises how the electronically-treated vocals and hazy guitars on “Easier Said Than Done” depart from past math-rock skittishness yet keep the same well of confusion and self-doubt. That collision of guitar stabs, simmering beats and Christine Goodwyne’s soothing, catchy melodies makes “Easier Said Than Done” one of the best tracks on Easier Said Than Done. Overall the tone is admiring and often surprised, highlighting bold choices made on a shoestring recording migration.
Key Points
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The title track is best for its bold sonic departure, climactic anxiety spiral and catchy vocal melodies.
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The album’s strengths are inventive production, emotional honesty and achieving a bigger sound on a shoestring.