On Friday, October 14, Kings of Leon released their highly anticipated seventh-studio album, WALLS, after a three year wait following 2013's Mechanical Bull. The album is receiving mixed, yet mostly average, reviews from critics, but I am telling you that you need this album in your music library and, more importantly, in your life.
Rolling Stone: 3 stars (out of 5); "Radio-buff rock & roll that could spoon between One Republic's genre-splicing power moves and the Head and the Heart's folk-pop uplift."
The Guardian: 3 stars (out of 5); "It’s as though Kings of Leon’s sound has been put through an unexpected series of aural Instagram filters that really don’t do the band a disservice."
NME: 4 stars (out of 5); "Here they sound more focused and alive than they have for a while."
If you're thinking to yourself, "who are Kings of Leon?" then think again, because you definitely know at least one song by them: the smash-hit, "Use Somebody." The alternative rock band, which hails from Nashville, Tennessee, is made up of three brothers, Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill, and their cousin, Matthew Followill. They released their first album, Youth and Young Manhood, in 2003, and despite reinventing their sound since then, WALLS has been perceived as a settlement into the sound by them that we know and love.
Going along with the trend of making their album titles five syllables long, WALLS is actually an acronym for "We Are Like Love Songs," which perfectly embodies the songs on this album. WALLS is a well-balanced compilation of upbeat songs that make you want to jam out and slower songs that tug at the heart strings, symbolizing the highs and lows of "when the walls come down" between two people.
The album starts out on an upbeat high with the sounds of songs like "Waste A Moment," "Reverend," and "Around The World," all of which could fill an entire stadium. Then, once you hit "Over," you know you've gotten to the heartier part of the album, the relentless chorus repeating, "don't say it's over, anymore"; a song you can easily relate to if you've ever experienced a break-up or a falling-out with a friend. The next track, "Muchacho," with its stripped-down and calm sound immediately pulls you further out of the world and into the music. The album doesn't necessarily leave off on a high note, but it ends on a pensive note with "Wild" and "Walls," making you feel as if you've just finished watching an emotional whirlwind of a movie.
See below to take a listen to one of the best albums of the year on Spotify, and, if you really like it, check out Kings of Leon's tour schedule to see them live in a city near you!
