THE KOOKS: KONK

The Kooks: Konk

Label: Astralwerks

Release Date: April 15, 2008

Luke Pritchard wrote The Kooks’ hit song “Naïve” when he was only 16 years old, which after release in 2006 catapulted the debut album, Inside In/Inside Out into the UK Top 20 charts and introduced the band to the US. Three years later, the British pop band has released Konk, the band’s sophomore studio album produced by Tony Hoffer. Konk is a continuation of inside in/inside out. While it doesn’t propel the Kooks into any new musical territory, it still serves up some of the same catchy pop anthems that made their first album a success and confirms these blokes as more than one hit wonders. Initially, the title Konk, suggests the bands affinity for another British pop rock band, the Kinks, but it is actually the name of the London studio where they recorded. At its core, this is a pop album and that was the bands intent. These are songs written for girls about heartbreak and
love loss….and in such a way that you can double clap along to most of them. The first track, “See the Sun” is instantly catchy and is a good kick off for the album, but the singles, “Always where I need to be” and “Shine” are a bit of a disappointment and suffer when they pander to a mainstream audience. “Sway” stands out as one of the more memorable tracks for me with its heavier chorus that actually creates a swaying feeling. While lyrically, a lot of the songs are a bit bubblegum, Pritchard’s honest heartbroken voice saves the album and makes the band still seem interesting. And did I mention you can double clap to most songs?

JAV