A couple of weeks ago, Archy Marshall once again emerged as King Krule. It was the first we’d heard from the project since 2013, and it felt different. Turns out Marshall has a new LP on its way, and this announcement has been accompanied by ‘Dum Surfer’. This one… doesn’t feel as different. It is centered around a more uptempo beat, sharp guitars and brash, deep vocals – yet wrapped up in a haze of melancholia. Although this is much like his earlier work, this new cut also feels refreshed. ‘Czech One’, the initial crawl out of hibernation and ‘Dum Surfer’, the throwing down of the gauntlet, the statement. Marshall just seems to push his poetic genius further with every step and the arrangement perfectly backs his aggressive, yet mellow vocals. It might feel familiar, but this is a version of King Krule that also seems completely in control. It doesn’t matter what he wants to explore, every element he’s found, every element he chooses, is in its right place and is moulded into a sound that can only be… King Krule.
King Krule’s new LP, The Ooz, is out October 13 via True Panther/XL Recordings.