King Krule gives Mike Skinner a run for his money with this haunting portion of poetic self-loathing. Releasing his debut album on his 19th birthday, “6 Feet Beneath The Moon” takes the best of Archie Marshall’s previous outlets as Zoo Kid, DJ JD Sports, Edger the Beat Maker and King Krule to make this perfect blend of raw guitars, bleak lyricism and ambient jazz beats.
Now signed to XL Recordings, Marshall’s often-sporadic recording style seems to make more sense on a full-length album. This doesn’t mean there aren’t unexpected moments of built up angst and teenage anxiety. Still hard to inchoate, King Krule’s evident overload of eclectic ideas entails a sense of romantic chaos.
Unlike previous releases under the King Krule name, thought-out melody fills the ambient space, making for more coherent song writing from the jazz loving teen. Instead, vintage guitars and drum machines now accompany the emotive vocal rather than complicate it. And with what seems like the weight of the world on his shoulders, King Krule bares his soul and more through dominant lyrics such as “Where’s the fucking fat bitches” and “I’m gonna tear you apart from the inside to the out.”
Highlights include radio ready single “Easy Easy”, with its questionable lyrics and catchy chorus riff, as well as old EP favourites “Out getting ribs” and “Ocean bed”, which still ring as fresh as they once did.
Reminiscent of Joe Strummer’s prettier moments, Archie Marshall’s violent lyrics are accompanied by raw melodic guitars and a rush of adrenaline-inducing drum and base beats throughout. Full of beauty and anguish, “6 Feet Beneath the moon” lures you into a sense of optimism and melancholy, putting King Krule 6 feet above anything else of the moment. No wonder the likes of Frank Ocean and Tyler, The Creator are vying for his attention.
8/10, out now, Amber Ainsworth
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