I was late to get on the bandwagon when it came to young Chicago hip hop band Kids These Days, but after listening to band member Nico Segal’s breakthrough solo EP Illasoul: Shades of Blue earlier this year I quickly found the band’s only release Hard Times EP and became an instant fan.

Today the seven piece band released their free mixtape/album (whatever you want to call it) Traphouse Rock which can be downloaded here. Their first long-play effort, it showcases the band’s range that blends various influences of indie, hip hop, jazz and funk into a distinctive sound. You can hear hints of The Pixies through Doo-Wah, Rage Against the Machine in Don’t Harsh My Mellow and The Roots in many of the tracks, specifically Who Do U-Luv, but all these sounds are anchored together with jazz-infused sounds (in particular Nico’s beautiful trumpet) to make a LP that is very listenable from beginning to end.

Keep an eye out on these kids, if this is anything to go by they’ll be around for many years to come.