The first time The Kooks entered my life was at my 16th birthday. A boy from school walked through my back gate, gift in hand. He walked straight up and said, ‘Hey, do you like The Kooks?’, I nodded, kind of unsure if my response would forge promising or unpromising social activity moving forward. ‘Because if you don’t, I’ll have this back’, he laughed wryly. I assured him I did – and the next day, I decided that I REALLY did. The Kooks, ‘Naïve’ – was awesome.
The Kooks are one of those bands, you love them, and if you don’t, someone who has stronger feelings than you should probably take these glorious musical sounds away from you – because you don’t deserve them.
Listen, is another taste, albeit a very different taste of the extremely talented UK band. Produced by hip-hop producer, inflo, the album shares a different side of front man Luke Pritchard. The same mellow vocals that I (and you) have loved, are still echoing lyrics of love and adventure – but the beat is thicker and kind of makes your want to bounce a little more – maybe even twerk.
‘Around Town’ and ‘Down’ are by far the heavier hip hop influenced tracks, both with brooding base lines and catchy chorus lines – even gospel singers. The other tracks kind of blended for me, but in a transfixing way. As one track melts in to the next I was left thinking I’d just been at a really cool party, and had fun.
8.5/10
Reviewer: Marley Tinnock