Album Review: King Nun – Mass

Album Review: King Nun-Debut LP, Mass

On Dirty Hit Records. Due out: 4th Oct 2019.
“Confident, Charismatic And Complex Debut”

Album Review By Von Goloka. Rock at Night, Manchester, UK

In Von Goloka’s world, debut LP’s deserve special attention. Much like studying new stars one feels an obligation to make an informed guess as to whether those first sparks may go on to grow into fabulous phenomena or if they are doomed to fizzle out, as so many do, starved of the stuff of creation. That’s the deal here and it’s not without risk, I can tell you. In seeking to determine whether we are looking at the beginning of something or the end of everything lots and lots of product falls way short and pronouncing an obligatory death sentence can hurt. It really can! So imagine my relief when it turns out that “Mass”, the debut LP release from King Nun, is actually good. But why?

Well first up I’m going to quote straight from the horses mouth (aka the label promo blurb) in more or less affirming that this is a “confident, charismatic and complex debut LP”. That’s a good start. I surprise myself! So who are King Nun? And how is it that they sneaked past my hyper critical filters steeped as they, of course, are in Darwinian principles. Well basically King Nun are four lovable lads from West London that appear to have found an uncanny knack for smashing out genre blending rock bangers. Promising start. But there’s more to it than that. The guitar work and phrasing is intelligent and the 11 songs on “Mass” rattle along with an alternative rock edge and a commendably raw post punk pace evoking traces of early incarnations of Wire, Suede, The Killers or even the Blockheads and there are lots and lots of guitars. There is great production value to “Mass” too with songs and lyrics that shout out about the angst of youth, with a stark, rebellious and endearing honesty all wrapped up in stylish compositions cloaked in expansive vocal arrangements. Yep, they pack a punch and this is going to play well with young music fans that want more than just another cliché act to adore.

I’d like to think that in time King Nun will go on from here, mature musically to conquer the difficult third LP, grow their hair and spin off on some tangential trip into immortality. They have the talent for it. They only have to follow their gut, avoid classification, take a calculated risk or two and it is possible, I suspect. With “Mass” they’re off to a solid start.

Standout track and probable future fan favourite: “I Saw Blue”.

Von Goloka’s picks: “Intravenous” & “Bug”.

Check Out King Nun Below!

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Von Golaka

Keeping to the shadows Von Goloka has spent a lifetime creating, collecting and absorbing music. That’s all music from all places in all times and that takes dedication. Emerging from the wasteland after the introduction and attempted enforcement of the 1986 public order act in the UK (where free assembly and listening to repetitive beats became a crime) The Duchess of York in formally northern and latterly not so much so Leeds offered sanctuary where every night was rock night. Happy days all too briefly over. The new century found VG living a simpler life far away from the cities content with raising awareness of how to combat an impending global climate catastrophe and source the essence of “it” (that rarest and hardest thing to grasp) in recorded music. This work continues to this day to hold out the promise of “being there” when the next wave breaks.

Geniuses on VG’s top shelf ; Anton Newcombe, The Cosmic Jokers, Herb Alpert and Bob Calvert.

Geniuses on stage: The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Inner City Unit, Bon Scott.

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