Every time we hear a new offering from the enigmatic King Krule, we are reminded of the serendipity that binds us in this shared musical realm. We find ourselves in an era where musicians are gifted with the liberty to unfurl their ideas, basking in the acceptance and open arms of their fans. And that’s precisely what Archy Marshall, King Krule frontman does so well. As much as we tend to hate change, when Marshall decides to switch things up with a new weaving of auditory sound, we trust him because it was the right thing to do.
Space Heavy is yet another ethereal symphony of creativity that defies musical norms, effortlessly moulding the sweet familiarity of distinct jazzy moments such as a croon of a saxophone or essence of emotional punk poetry reminiscent of Six Feet Beneath the Moon days. Sometimes even moments that transport you back to his self-titled EP King Krule which hugged the younger, teenage me who lived and breathed that body of work.
Throughout the years, King krule has been a snowballing, ever-evolving sound which has led us to this point. Moments reminiscent of The Cure’s Robert Smith all the way to a woozy Calculator Rock and New Wave-Post Punk. Moments on tracks such as ‘Our Vacuum’ juxtaposes how down to earth lyrics can sound even if they’re speaking on admiring the stars in the night sky. This lullaby features that classic build-up to a high intensity, emotional release before a cool down towards the end.
I feel like a lot of the time a lot of people might forget that King Krule is made up of band members, and Space Heavy is a reminder that an amalgamation of sounds that you never thought would mould together can be really beautiful. ‘Seagirl’ featuring stunning Asian-American songstress Raveena provides the link towards Krule’s obsession with bodies of water as she brings forth a siren-like vocals whereas ‘When Vanishing’ introduces strings. Smooth velvety jazz trickles throughout the album which reminds me of their live shows and rounds everything up by the end of the album on ‘Wednesday Overcast’.
As much as King Krule will wade in deep waters through lyricism and ponder on the enchantment of the moon, Space Heavy blasts us much farther, as he sonically explores a limitless atmosphere across the stars.
9/10
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