The wait is finally over – indie-rock stars Kings Of Leon have finally returned with two surprise singles and the release date of their upcoming eighth studio album in tow. Way back early last year, before the pandemic rolled over the planet, the Nashville-based band had already started to tease their next project since the release of ‘WALLS’ in 2016. Let’s just say, it has been a minute.
Titled ‘When You See Yourself’ and due to be released in early March, one can already expect the record to be KOL at their best, with their newly released tracks ‘The Bandit’ and ‘100.000’ giving us a first taste of what the album will sound like. Music-wise, the indie-numbers couldn’t be less alike. On the one side, the gritty ‘The Bandit’ is everything Kings’ fans could have hoped for and in line with the rough-and-tumble garage rock their fanbase has always loved the group for, with its bouncy guitars, addictive bass work and, bristling lyrics “And they’re walking around with their heads in the cloud screaming / Must catch the bandit / Reckless abandon/ Rundown and stranded / Must catch the bandit.” On the other hand, ‘100.000’ feels like a soft, calm wake on a Sunday morning, building on a spacious, synth-spiked production and a brooding bassline and lyrics deeply embedded in the frustrations of the current times “Wide awake encased in a dream / Everything is not as it seems/ All your time is heaven sent / Days and the nights all start to blend.”
After what has felt like forever and in a time that new, enthralling music is needed the most, the alt-rockers of the Followill family has finally peeled back the curtain of what’s to come and we could not be more excited to get a full taste.
Text by: Laura Weingrill
GEM Magazine 