The Kooks – Let's Go Sunshine
The indie-rock stars prove they’ve still got it on a record that epitomises everything the four-piece have done wonderfully for over a decade
Ever since their breakthrough debut Britpop masterpiece, 2006’s Inside In/Inside Out, the momentum has stayed strong and ever-present with the Brighton-founded four-piece. Although they did bring out a ‘Best Of’ album in 2017 – something which usually points towards a band with little left to give – The Kooks' new record Let’s Go Sunshine indicates they've still plenty to offer as a band fully in their prime.
The record, three years in the making, highlights a group striving for distinctly divergent music with a plentiful variety across the wider umbrella of accessible guitar-pop. The LP harks back to the band’s youth, identity and influences, all wrapped up in an uplifting, breezy little package. Tracks like All the Time, Four Leaf Clover and Kids give us the traditional early-days Kooks hooks, while Fractured and Dazed, No Pressure and Tesco Disco are cuts that reverberate with more recent albums like Listen, taking on some more sonic, genre-mashing tones, with inspiration from 60s pop and gospel among other influences.
The record paints a colourful picture of frontman Luke Pritchard’s more recent life, depicting his experiences with love, friendship and just getting through the hardships of life over an eclectic 15-track adventure. Honey Bee captures these personal notes perfectly, with the song innovatively using a vocal patch taken from a demo by his late father back in the 60s, and splicing their voices side by side as a sort of musical family reunion.
Let’s Go Sunshine is a triumph for a band unafraid of pushing their sound, fusing together a variety of influences and flying the indie-pop flag high and proud for all to admire.
Listen to: No Pressure, Honey Bee, Kids