When asked about their new album, Konk, Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard told NME, “I’ve got an ego – I want the album to do well. I want our singles to come on the radio and for people to literally have their heads blown off by them.”
After the success of their first album Inside In/ Inside Out, this could be a real possibility. What with singles reaching as far as number 5 in the British charts and Lily Allen’s bloody good cover of their song ‘Naïve’ getting a lot of airplay, they must feel pretty empowered.
My head, however, still remains intact having listened to Konk for the last week. Pritchard’s voice immediately stands out from the first listen. Developing a speech impediment has probably helped, as it gives the band a unique tone which sets them apart from the rest of the pre-pubescent looking lad bands coming on the scene.
The album gets off to a good start, with ‘See the Sun’ giving a warm feeling that twinkles your toes. The Kooks understand how to set a tone, and you can tell that they know how to write a catchy tune.
Unfortunately you eventually arrive at the track ‘Do You Wanna’. You may as well add ‘…have sex with me’ to that – the blatant sexual connotations get a bit excessive at this point, and the album falls down from here onwards. Having been praised in the past they must feel that they are in the know, but immature lyrics and naïve outlooks are what will limit the listening demographic of this album to anyone below the age of puppy love.
There is, however, one standout track, ‘Gap’, that sounds surprisingly honest. The strength of Pritchard’s voice comes out and the other members follow suit to create a truly excellent song.
If you’re into one night stands with your music, then this is for you. The next day though, you might be getting annoying texts asking you to pop it back in your CD player. The Kooks are a young and talented band but need to mature a bit before their potential is released.