Just Because

Kings of Leon Album Review: Because Of The Times

So they release their debut album ‘Youth and Young Manhood’ and Kings of Leon are instantly pigeonholed as Southern Indie-rock boys - the world has them sussed. Then ‘Aha Shake Heartbreak’ follows and no one knows what to think - a post-fame hangover if you will. A couple of listens through later and you’re hooked…again. KOL’s latest release, ‘Because of the Times’ shows that the Followill’s adaptability and earnest experimentation is paying off. The album feels bigger, vibrant soundscapes and hooks that keep you coming back for more. They manipulate a sense of mystery through contemporary topics - including one that is continuous across all albums; women - and layering, in order to create a fuller and richer sound. The atmosphere they engineer is constantly changing, from the haunting ‘Knocked Up’ to the brooding and Pixie-esque basslines of ‘Charmer’, the menacing ‘My Party’ to the yearning ‘True Love Way’, the utterly ambitious ‘Arizona’ to the anthemic ‘On Call’. Their bonds have tightened, their family ties stronger than ever before producing a confidence that will send these Indie boys to heights unimaginable. Nathan Followill, the eldest sibling and drummer, comments on the pressure to produce albums after such increased initial success, saying that,

You can’t get caught up in that whole ‘You have your whole life to make your first record, you have three months to make your second, and your third is gonna make or break you’.

Due to their sincerity and courageous vision, this KOL album certainly won’t break them and is quite possibly their best yet.