SINGLE REVIEW: Kings of Leon - Mustang
Just short of 24hrs since this gem of a single dropped and fans of KOL are going a little bit mad for Mustang.
The band has lifted their silence, clearing their social media to make room for the new era that is Can We Please Have Fun that is due to be released 10th of May.
My curiosity peaked as my private messages, emails and my own Spotify alerted me of the drop.
Since then, I have listened maybe 10 times total and spent some time scouring reddit for other opinions and even revisiting older albums to try and figure out and conspire what could be next for Kings of Leon.
So here are my thoughts on the new single…
Presented right away with a low steady driving guitar riff and the iconic rasp of Caleb’s vocals. One by one, instrumentals drop in and out and we are introduced to the warm and pulsating bass riffs. The tones of all these strings have a fuzzy laid back tone contrasted with the sparkling softness to the synths.
All of the layering adds an apprehension and intensity, although the formula is repetitive, it’s the drive that is key for the track. Much of the solo work is hidden in the background to pull through the lighter and brighter tones within the bridge creating an almost other-worldly and unhinged atmosphere, before ramping up that final chorus and finally stops abruptly.
It feels like something is missing from this stop and it makes me uneasy there is no finished resolution. However I love that it has me wanting more, a very nice touch for marketing.
The newest single isn't exactly the exciting show stopper we hoped for, however it’s very fresh and exciting. The redditors find it dull, perhaps too repetitive with the usual suspicion of division of fans debating how it sounds different from their older content vs newer.
For me dissecting, I find there is rich flavour in depth and layering. The lyrics are clean and catchy, there’s a sense of wonder and curiosity, I’d say it’s an overall solid song that would widely appeal to a lot of people, it feels like the perfect driving song to wind the window down, let your hair blow around and just blast out. I feel like this sets a taste for the coming release.
If I had to place stylistically where the album belonged it sounds very much on the lines of ‘Because of These Times’, ‘Only By The Night’ and perhaps borderline ‘Mechanical Bull’. These albums are pure treasure to the hardcore fans of KOL and really hits true to their alt-rock and country infused style and I left out mentioning ‘Walls’ and ‘When You see yourself’ as these are on the tender, romantic and reflective side that I and others would put down as their experimental phase.
Overall, I’m very impressed and excited for what’s to come next for Kings Of Leon, Mustang is already down my street and I’m sure it is just the beginning of something much bigger than what we have been given.
