What a surprising treat this album turned out to be! I must say, in the past I’ve been a fair-weather fan of Kings of Leon, but they may have just forced me to give their entire catalog a fair listen with their first release in about five years, When You See Yourself. If your first single can hook me the way “The Bandit” did, then you’re onto something good!
I meant what I said before in that I am a pretty mediocre fan of Kings of Leon. They’ve been making music together longer than I could appreciate good music, so I caught them in the middle of their career, where top 40 radio latched onto them and then over-played the crap out of songs like “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody.” For me, songs like “Radioactive” and “Pyro” are beautiful in their own way and have stood the test of time. I feel like that’s what they’ve managed to achieve with this new record! A break did them good!
Like I said, straight off the bat with their lead single, “The Bandit,” I knew I was in regardless. Luckily, most of When You See Yourself follows suit. There is a nice mix of rhythm rock and quiet, thoughtful songs to give this album the flexibility to fit any mood your in. For instance, I don’t know that “100,000 People” is a song that I would normally gravitate towards, but I know it will be perfect for when I want to listen to something that will make me just feel. It is somber and beautiful. “Echoing” is almost on the opposite end of that spectrum and had me vigorously tapping my foot from start to finish.
Aside from “The Bandit,” “Stormy Weather” and “Golden Restless Age” were instant favorites. There is just something about them that immediately clicks in my brain. “Stormy Weather” has a bass line that I have a hard time getting out of my head after the fact. Aside from catchy guitar riffs, Caleb Followill’s vocals are as strong as they may have ever been. It still sounds like a Kings of Leon record, but there is just an incredible amount of maturity to it. Once the pandemic settles down, I hope to catch these guys live. I’ve tried to twice in the past, with both attempts cancelled for one reason or another, but this time I know I’ll be more appreciative of the performance.