New Music: Kings of Leon

By Rachel Woodward, October 18 2016 —

Kings of Leon returned to the airwaves this month with their seventh studio album WALLS. The album plays to the familiar Kings of Leon sound while also showing some new emotionally intimate aspects not seen in their previous work. Although the timing of the beachy release feels strange while we all settle into the beginning of winter, it will still resonate with long-time listeners of the group. 

The band known for  “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” returns with a peppy sound that begins on an anthemic tone. Opener “Waste a Moment” is incredibly upbeat and starts the album on a positive note. The track is similar to what you’d expect at the end of a romantic comedy when the main characters finally decide to give up the fight and get married while the camera pans towards the sky to start the credits. While it’s a song I’ve heard a hundred times before, it still comes off as fresh and fun.

The album moves the band farther away from their rock roots with “Around the World,” which features a repetitive chorus and jumpy guitar riffs. While the tracks seem to flow into each other, as the album progresses it shifts toward more pensive listening.

With “Muchacho,” the album takes a turn as the simple and rhythm-based track slows it to a halt. The tracks following continue this pattern of slower and more in-depth music.

The title track is an entirely different moment of self-reflection. While literally speaking of “walls coming down,” the track settles any upbeat vibes from the opening few tracks down to earth. It’s a soothing track that ends the album on a peaceful and melancholy note.

The 10 tracks of WALLS move through an audible journey from fun to heartbreak to somber reflection. The album feels entirely complete.