Queensland trio Favourite Kid make their full-length debut with 2 Cents Journal, a warm, candid folk-pop release rooted in mindfulness, imperfection and everyday honesty. Frontman Ethan Roberts writes from his own neurodiverse experiences, exploring anxiety, self-awareness, and the pressure to constantly feel “amazing” in a culture obsessed with positivity. Instead of turning heavy, the band lifts vulnerability into something bright and breathable. Acoustic guitars, rich three-part harmonies, and playful percussion move with ease, letting lyrics sit front and center. Brass and electric textures appear like passing thoughts rather than big statements, giving the album its unhurried, organic quality. 2 Cents Journal is less a diary and more an invitation to slow down, notice what you feel and learn to let things be imperfect.
Track By Track
Eyes on the Road
The album opens with a gentle, measured clarity, like someone finally acknowledging what needs to change. Soft strums and calm harmonies create motion without urgency, mirroring the idea that growth doesn’t happen instantly. The song feels like deep breathing, grounding the record in acceptance rather than ambition. Its quiet confidence immediately signals that this is an album for paying attention, not escaping.
Uncomfy
Favourite Kid leans into discomfort with a knowing smirk. The song wrestles with anxiety without melodrama, showing how everyday emotions sit under the surface of routine life. The warm production keeps the track from spiraling, placing vulnerability into something grounded and approachable. It’s discomfort without chaos, and that honesty makes it relatable.
I Know More
Here, reflection turns into a patient kind of wisdom. The melody feels familiar on purpose, like a realization you already knew but needed to say out loud. Roberts sings with understated confidence, revealing how growth often happens quietly, unnoticed. The trio’s harmonies add nuance, letting understanding feel earned rather than preached.
Done This Before
Repetition becomes self-awareness in this track about making the same mistakes while still choosing to keep trying. Instead of frustration, there’s acceptance. The steady rhythm and playful delivery turn a potentially heavy idea into something liberating. It’s a reminder that progress isn’t linear, and that messing up doesn’t mean starting over from zero.
In Pursuit
The pacing shifts here, widening the album’s perspective. Rather than chasing success, the lyrics frame pursuit as the freedom to move at your own pace. Guitar lines wander and stretch, acting like thoughts working themselves out. The song underlines one of the album’s central ideas: you don’t need to rush your life to live it well.
I Fucked Up
Raw honesty meets gentle humor. The song admits the truth bluntly, but Favourite Kid softens it with buoyant chords and an easy rhythm. Instead of collapsing under guilt, it shrugs at it. The vulnerability becomes playful, turning self-awareness into something that doesn’t sting as much. It’s emotional reality without emotional punishment.
Vulnerable Lane
This track deepens the album’s tenderness, sitting in the uneasy space of being fully seen. The harmonies swell and release, like someone hesitating to open up and finally doing it. The arrangement has a midtempo feel, but also leaves room for silence, emphasizing how vulnerability isn’t a performance. It’s one of the album’s catchiest moments.
How Long
Here, time becomes an emotional question instead of a measurement. The song wonders how long change, healing, and acceptance should take. Its gentle groove mirrors the patience it asks for, resisting any pressure to provide a neat answer. The result is comforting rather than urgent, echoing the album’s core message: there’s no correct pace for growth.
High Time
Lightness returns in a breezy uplift that feels like a break in the weather. The track celebrates small wins, the kind that don’t need applause to matter. Brass accents and rhythmic bounce give it a refreshing energy, as if the heart finally has space to stretch. It’s playful and freeing without trying hard to be either.
Song About Water
A metaphorical slow burn, the song compares emotions to waves that can’t be controlled or fully understood. The imagery carries the emotion more than the melody does, letting reflection become movement. It rises and settles like the tide, giving heaviness a place to rest instead of demanding resolution.
Setback
Quiet and reassuring, the song treats failure like a natural part of growth instead of a catastrophe. Its arrangement feels like sitting with a friend who isn’t trying to fix anything. Setback doesn’t preach; it simply acknowledges what is and waits with you. The restraint makes it powerful.
Feel Like Shit
Honesty takes center stage again in a track that refuses the pressure to sugarcoat bad days. Instead of dramatic production, the band keeps it steady and matter-of-fact. The simplicity becomes comforting, like someone finally saying what you were afraid to admit.
Feel Like Shite (feat. The Lyrical)
The album ends with humor, conversation and perspective. The feature adds personality and a looser, talk-like quality that breaks through emotional heaviness. The song turns misery into something communal rather than isolating, closing the album with laughter, solidarity and relief.
Final Thoughts
2 Cents Journal is a rare album that refuses to rush your feelings or dress them up. Favourite Kid turns honesty into ease, anxiety into curiosity, and imperfection into something worth celebrating. Instead of offering solutions, the record offers space to breathe. Its warmth, patience, and sincerity make it not just enjoyable, but restorative.
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