With his rough jazz sound and iconic groaning, Archy Marshall storms back on the music scene with his second full length album under the alias King Krule. The OOZ is a luxurious indulgence, a very repeatable album and could well become a modern classic with the 23-year-old putting his heart on his sleeve.
A range of different styles epitomise the OOZ. From the dark, downbeat tones of Midnight 01 and Logos, where Marshall brings up his months of depression only made bearable through his binge watching of the American TV show, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The more upbeat and even punk-like Dum Surfer show how he’s been coping with said sadness through alcohol and drugs, which permeates a dark tone on the rest of the album. It’s not all doom and gloom but it is the listener who reaps all the pleasure.
In the more bass-heavy tracks, he displays anger rather than sadness, with the disorienting sounds from the album showing the face of one of his inspirations, The Stranglers. To pinpoint the genre or even discover artists related to King Krule is hard considering his unique tone, putting him in a league of his own.
Although there can be seen to be a lack of focus throughout the 19 songs, his glum groans are forthcoming in their ability to set the tone and create a sense of how he feels. He can change the mood with his voice. To be able to do that at his age promises a fruitful future in the music industry.
The OOZ is an excellent third album for Marshall and although it’s focus can lack, he is not trying to create a concept album, merely just trying to write great tracks from within and he achieves that.
