KennyHoopla - conditions of an orphan// (Album Review)
Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Written by Maddy Howell
Photo: Brittany Young
When you hit shuffle on KennyHoopla’s discography you’re met with a whiplash-inducing mix of sounds. Across the past few years, the Wisconsin-born musician has gleefully hopped between genres, from pop-punk and emo revival to indie-pop and new wave-tinged alt-rock. The 28-year-old has zig-zagged between sounds at an impressive rate, but on his latest EP conditions of an orphan//’ he plants his feet firmly in the jagged, sweat-soaked world of mid-2000s dance-punk.
Produced by Paramore’s Zac Farro with help from Mike Elizondo (Turnstile, 50 Cent), the five track project clocks in at just over 15 minutes. A short, sharp burst of chaotic personal reckoning, it’s been described by Kenny as “one big funeral after-party”, embodying the conflicting euphoria of dancing whilst tears spill down your cheeks.
The nervous energy of opener charity// sets the tone, its wiry guitars and jittery drums underscoring Kenny’s frantic grappling with inherited trauma and family history.
After a gentle introduction, the bite grows sharper on volatile cut too many jocks turned rockstar//, an explosive attack on industry opportunism and inauthenticity that embraces the absurdity of its bombastic influences.
After dialling things back for the more hushed reflection of naysayers//, the lead single and title-track-of-sorts orphan// comes as the centrepiece of the EP. A hook-driven cut led by an infectious groove and earworm chorus, it sees Kenny explore the lingering grief of his mother’s passing, and the search for belonging that has dominated his life since. That yearning for stability bleeds into haunting closer monalisa, we miss you//, a dreamlike ode to learning to sit with your longing.
As a survey of where Kenny has been and where he’s headed ‘conditions of an orphan//’ is lean, feral, and brimming with conviction. Digging into grief, revenge, trauma, and love, all while channelling the vibrant spirit of the indie discos he grew up in, here he plucks a much-loved genre out from the archives, dusts it off, and reshapes it with sincerity. Retaining all the restless spirit of his earlier works while boasting a newfound confidence, he has never sounded so sure of himself, setting the scene for a full-length debut that’s still to come.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
