Never/Know

Following the multiplatinum success of their 2006 indie-rock debut <i>Inside In/Inside Out</i>, the Brighton-born Kooks showed an admirable desire to not simply deliver more of the same. Subsequent releases saw the band incorporate elements of hip-hop, soul and even opera into their sound, managing to both hold on to their original, trilby-sporting fanbase and attract an entirely new generation of fans. For their seventh album, however, the band wanted to shake off the expectations of a two-decade career and approach it in much the same way as their first. While <i>Never/Know</i> recaptures that carefree, bushy-tailed spirit, it’s a far cry from scruffy, early-2000s indie rock. Also serving as the album’s producer, singer/guitarist Luke Pritchard embraces an eclectic and inventive palette of styles and sonic tricks—be it the breezy New Wave skank of “Sunny Baby”, “All Over the World”’s collision of breakbeats, Serge Gainsbourg basslines and Studio 54 swirls, or a sparkling cover of Wings’ 1979 track “Arrow Through Me” (as an indicator of the group’s self-preserving attitude towards notions of “cool”, Wings and The Police are the two most obvious touchstones throughout). Ultimately though, as it was on our first introduction, it’s Pritchard’s winsome melodies that charm the most.