Listening to Kingswood’s third studio outing is like boarding a time machine and voyaging back through the history of rock, from Queens of the Stone Age to Hendrix and the Beatles. Juveniles, penned by song-writing duo Alex Laska and Fergus Linacre across three continents, is a kaleidoscope of sound. For a band renowned for its bombastic riffs, this is an eclectic release—and deliberately so.
Juveniles seems designed for the age where the album matters less than the single, as the band rarely sticks to a sound for more than a couple of tracks; I suppose the same could be said for The Beatles’ White Album.
Album openers ‘You Make It So Easy,’ ‘Bittersweet,’ and ‘Ready Steady’ could easily be mistaken for Josh Homme jams. But they soon give way to the swelling choruses and chugging guitars of ‘Say You Remember,’ which sounds distinctly like ’80s Oz-rock, as does ‘Cigarettes in Bed.’
Sandwiched between the stoner ‘Say You Remember’ and ‘Cigarettes in Bed’ is the indie rock of ‘If Only,’ which isn’t quite Tame Impala but heading in that direction. This is followed by ‘Snake Pit,’ which is as venomous as it sounds.
It’s the final four tracks which dial the experimentation up to 11. ‘Marilyn’ is hot buttered soul and falsetto. ‘One More Dance’ is ’60s jangle and Beach Boys harmonies, while ‘Candy Blue’ and ‘Young, Charming and Funny’ continue that retro sound.
While the album’s 12 cuts are stylistically diverse, Kingswood’s mastery of their instruments and their knack for crafting hooks and riffs is universal. There’s plenty of crunching riffage on Juveniles to satisfy the band’s devoted fans, while there is enough innovation to get the band onto Spotify playlists that they might not have been previously sighted on—winning them new fans in the process.
With the band’s desire to push the boundaries, and their limitless curiosity, Juveniles is a fitting name for this release.
Rating: 7.5/10
Juveniles is due for release on Friday, 13th March and you can pre-order it here for a chance to win a USA-made Gibson Les Paul Classic, valued at $4, 199.
Kingswood commence their 2020 Australian tour today.
You can watch the video for ‘Bittersweet’ below.
TOUR DATES
Thursday, 12 March 2020 – GEELONG, Barwon Club
Friday, 13 March 2020 – MELBOURNE, The Corner Hotel
Saturday, 14 March 2020 – BALLARAT, Volta
Wednesday, 18 March 2020 – CANBERRA, Kambri ANU
Thursday, 19 March 2020 – WOLLONGONG, UOW Unibar
Friday, 20 March 2020 – SYDNEY, Oxford Art Factory
Saturday, 21 March 2020 – NEWCASTLE, Cambridge Hotel
Thursday, 26 March 2020 – ADELAIDE, The Gov
Friday, 27 March 2020 – PERTH, The Rosemount
Saturday, 28 March 2020 – BUNBURY, Prince of Wales
Sunday, 29 March 2020 – FREMANTLE, Freo Social
Thursday, 2 April 2020 – BRISBANE, The Triffid
Thursday, 9 April 2020 – HOBART, Republic Bar
Saturday, 11 April 2020 – LAUNCESTON, Saloon
Sunday, 12 April 2020 – DEVONPORT, Forth Pub
Thursday, 16 April 2020 – BYRON BAY, The Northern
Friday, 17 April 2020 – GOLD COAST, Miami Marketta
Thursday, 25 June 2020 – CAIRNS, The Jack
Friday, 26 June 2020 – TOWNSVILLE, Otherwise Bar
Saturday, 27 June 2020 – MACKAY, CBD McGuires Hotel
TICKETES
Available here.
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