You know who keeps summer real? Not those fucking hipsters dressed all in black, smoking on the street corner. And not the moms with their too-tanned busts and too-low tank tops, either. It's not even the perfect people with their perfect bodies lounging by the side of the local beach. No, no, no... It's the kids running through sprinklers, catching fireflies, and painting their mouths blue, red, and green with a steady diet of freezer pops. It's kids like 12-year-old Asya and 10-year-old Chloe who create and force summer to remain a magic time where anything can happen with the right frame of mind.

Of course, Asya and Chloe are not your average children; average kids don't create a fantastic indie keyboards and drums duo called Smoosh, nor do they even know who Cat Power is, let alone thank her in their second album's liner notes. My little sister (adorable and sweet as she is) sure as hell hasn't accomplished anything like that.

The thing is, Asya of Smoosh can write moody songs (listen to "She's Right" and "Gold"), but no matter what, there's an air of hopefulness. Maybe it's simply because this reviewer knows how young these two sisters are, or maybe it actually is because of how young they are, but Smoosh always has a silver hopefulness which radiates around their music in a way that few older artists can even dream of accomplishing. Whatever it is, there's a pure joy that floats through songs such as the title track and the dour fun of "Organ Talk" which can make a grown-up dance on the hottest, most humid day of the year. Also of great interest is the point of view these two girls bring to their subject matter: Asya comes in only bringing in the baggage accessible to (what seems to be) an ordinary 12 year old. Like I said, she's occasionally moody; but what soon-to-be teenaged girl isn't a little moody? Asya appears throughout Free to Stay as the relatable friend any shy girl would have loved to have made in middle school. And of course, there's Chloe, who at the age of 10 shames most college-aged drummers with her intuitive and skilled drumming. A lot of the time, despite all of the lauding for Asya, Chloe's drumming keeps the band from descending too far into a pool of sugar sweet goo that could nauseate.

Of course, Free to Stay will not be accessible to all. There is a distinct aura of girly cuteness that surrounds the album, with its high female vocals and liquid piano sounds. There's also a worry as to how exactly Asya's voice is going to evolve. There are moments such as "Gold," where she sounds like a young Cat Power, which are immensely exciting, but there are also moments where her voice could very well steer towards the Lilith Fair terrain of female singer-songwriters. But, really, what business do future worries have in the summer? The winter is the time for worrying. Now is the time to enjoy the blueberry popsicle joy in every keyboard note and hi-hat click of Smoosh's Free to Stay. Slurp it up.

Reviewed by Megan Giddings