If you’re in the streets for a bit of punchy pop-punk, going all the way from the retrofitted 60’s rockabilly to the uber-modern punk rock, then Venetian band King Size is here to give you just what you need.
Based in Venice, King Size is a quartet whose sound has been admirably described as “Chuck Berry wearing a mohawk and having a jam session with The Clash”, and we can not do much better than this. The band sounds fresh on their brand new, eponymous fourth LP. The guitars are overdriven and performed with all sorts of rocking intentions, the songs are charming and little, the group singing is impassioned and energizing, and finally, the production is crisp. The sound of King Size LP is genuinely refreshing.
Recorded in Treviso in Italy, under the supervision of producer and friend Marco Dall’Acqua, and released by Hot Studio Records under Kazemijazi Management, the album’s 10 fresh songs rarely cross the 3 minutes mark, choosing to pack all their hefty punche in increasingly condensed frames. Genre hopping, the exciting music goes from the peppy pop banger ‘Rolla’, right at the top of the album, featuring Rolling Stones-inspired riffage, to the hillbilly anthem of ‘Million Stairs’, with its sweet licks, lyrics, and progressions, to the fire-breathing rocking vibes of ‘It’s a Game Over’, which would sit right at home on any album by Kasabian. The band’s variety is inspiring, and the range of sounds they comfortably pull off is astonishing. A standout track to me is ‘Making No Sound’. A melodic, slower-paced ballad that reminded me of Cage the Elephant’s more sentimental cuts. The song’s heartfelt words and stunning melodies were a show-stopping moment in the middle of all the hectic tempos and blistering punk paces on the rest of the album, and following it with the sinister, unforgettable riffs of ‘Screaming’ was a brilliantly orchestrated one-two move, following the melodic with the totally menacing.
Such a wonderfully recorded and mixed album as King Size would be an utter shame to miss. From the lovers of pure punk to slightly less hard punk to the far harder punk, from country-inspired punk to pop-inspired to rock-inspired, King Size (the band) has got us all covered with King Size (the album). ‘Outside’ is the crowning jewel of the album, and we dare you to not skip all the way to it. This album seriously deserves some time to sit and listen. Waiting for much more from King Size in their newest -and most promising- chapter.
