EP Review: King Nun - 'I Have Love'
It’s been quite a year for Dirty Hit, the label led by The 1975 manager Jamie Oborne. A Mercury for Wolf Alice, two imminent new The 1975 albums (the second of which is set for release in April) and more releases than ever before as the company nears its tenth anniversary. King Nun’s EP ‘I Have Love’ is the latest in this stream of hotly tipped contemporary indie to flow forth from Oborne’s roster.
Initially one could be mistaken for thinking that King Nun are less of a mainstream crossover prospect than some of their labelmates, but these tunes were born to be on the radio. Opener ‘Heavenly She Comes’ bursts out of the gates filled with punk spirit and shouted choruses somewhat reminiscent of fellow Londoners Shame. Meanwhile ‘Chinese Medicine’ opens with dancing Foals-esque syncopated guitars before developing into a more straightforward slice of anthemic indie that wouldn’t sound completely out of place on a Wombats record.
Their gentle hints at pop sensibilities come into fruition on ‘Family Portrait’, displaying their knack for hooks with a singalong chorus and lots of radio friendly ‘oohs’. Reminiscent of Brighton’s The Magic Gang in their unashamed embrace of anthemic indie pop, it’s here that their love of indie’s more mainstream edge comes through.
Some of their influences can feel a little too calculated. ‘Greasy Hotel’ aims for early Arctic Monkey’s observational yet surreal lyricism, evoking a Hotel California-esque setting in which the lead singer observes a girl being harassed, however it lacks the charm to completely pull it off. There’s also something a bit unnecessary about writing a girl into a story only to have her be letched on, even if you do intend to save her.
EP closer ‘I Have Love’ has an anthemic simplicity to it, the refrain ‘I have love, I’m not in love’ drilling into you like a mantra. They know their earworm is bound to burrow deep, declaring ‘Now it’s stuck in our head’ with a nod and a wink at the end of the bridge. It’s a mission statement of a song, burning with ambition and appreciation for their chosen genre.
Sometimes it’s good to remember that, yeah The Wombats did have some bangers and yeah Arctic Monkeys were pretty great until their egos ballooned. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to sing along to an indie banger, especially when the chorus only has three words. It can be a beautiful and unifying thing. King Nun have come out with a set of songs that sound tailor-made for yelling along to whilst having a gentle mosh in a small to mid-size venue - convenient seeing as they’re embarking on a UK tour this week. They’re proving themselves to be an exciting prospect, with a strong vein of joy in what they do running through the EP. It’ll be interesting to see where 2019 takes them.
Words by Hattie Long