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Apr 14, 2021 Web Exclusive By Caleb Campbell

If there is one thing that unites the songs on Hey King!, the self-titled debut full-length record from the indie rock newcomers, it is a palpable sense of catharsis. Songwriter and vocalist Natalie London and her partner, vocalist and percussionist Taylor Plecity, unite in intimate chemistry, shouting their love, heartache, and frustrations to the sky amidst gloriously anthemic instrumentals. The duo certainly is not afraid to go big.

While Hey King! showed moments of anthemic bliss on the duo’s 2020 EP Be Still, those moments were usually the payoff to a steady build, shifting gears from tense acoustic lows to larger-than-life symphonic highs. The newest material instead shoots for pure pop rock heights, evident from the opening moments of “Beautiful.” While the band delivers a moody, mostly acoustic cut on “Morning,” the bubbly carpe-diem attitude of “Get Up” is far more representative of the band’s newest work. Sometimes the results do not quite hit the mark, as on the bluesy strut of “Road Rage,” which comes off a bit flat despite its muscular riff and fiery lyrics. But far more often, the duo hit on a lively rush of hooks and rich vocal interplay. It recasts the band as the kind of colorful buoyant performers that they have mostly only hinted at in their most impassioned tracks such as “Lucky.”

This does leave somewhat of a disjoint on the material from the Be Still EP, almost all of which is on the record, which often relied on swirling textured instrumentation more than rushing pop hooks. Fortunately, both sides of the band sport stellar songwriting and exuberant performances. The explosive brassy climax of “Half Alive” still is an absolute highlight, as is the heartfelt, cracked vocal performance on “Don’t Let Me Get Away.”

The undeniable core of the band’s music is the relationship between London and Plecity. Most of the songs revolve around the relationship’s ups and downs, often coming back to heartfelt declarations of lasting devotion. London and Plecity’s voices intertwine, twisting in and out almost in conversation with one another. It adds a startlingly intimate element even to the upbeat highlights, as if the listener is getting an inside glimpse at the pair’s lives.

Notably, of all the tracks on Be Still, the only one that did not make the jump over is the duo’s cover of The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” the only non-love song on the record. Over the course of an album, this could potentially turn rather one-note, but the band adds texture and depth to the lyrics, expanding their lens to take in darker disconsolate moments of conflict and heartache. The dusty cowboy blues of “Walk” abandons all pretensions of romance, insisting “And some day I will settle down/But I won’t settle for anyone around/By my side, by my side.” Earlier on the moody confessional, “Morning,” London sings of the empty comfort of a one night stand, singing “So go ahead, you can sleep in my bed/But if you’re not her please be gone by the morning/If you’re not her please be gone.” Even though the band most often returns to the duo’s relationship for inspiration, these tracks inject some diversity into the proceedings and manage to stand tall in their own right.

With their debut record Hey King! built their songwriting in new directions, dialing up the energy and the hooks from their EP to stratospheric heights. While the results are not quite seamless, they definitely point to the pair’s versatile songwriting and the exciting potential behind the duo. Most importantly, the band stays consistently true to the fundamentals of what makes its music connect—heartfelt songwriting, arresting instrumental builds, and the loving partnership at its core. (www.heykingofficial.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10