Earlier this summer, Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill told MTV News that, on the band’s upcoming Mechanical Bull album, they were getting back to the business of
“There was no pressure this time around; we weren’t coming off the heels of a multi-Grammy winning, multi-million selling record, it was ‘OK, we can make the kind of record we want to make, one that will be fun for us to play,'” he said. “When it stops being fun, that’s when either the music suffers, or the live show suffers. It was fun just to get back in there and everybody have a creative say-so, and just start from scratch. And the result is this new record.”
The result is also the new video Bull’s first single, “Super Soaker,” which premiered Tuesday (August 6), and almost certainly shatters the record for “Most times this band has smiled in a music video.”
Yes, “Super Soaker” shows the Kings actually enjoying their day jobs — a marked departure from their dour Come Around Sundown era — as they show up at what appears to be a 1950’s sock hop, plug in, and play. More often than not, they stare directly into the camera, and, in-between the occasional crack up, thrown themselves headlong into their latest stomper. Notoriously shy frontman Caleb Followill smiles throughout. Oh, and of course, they’re surrounded by a gaggle of good-looking girls, as has always been their way.
Sonically and visually, the entire thing harkens back to the retro-obsessed days of the early aughts, when bands the like Kings and the Strokes made their hay — and delighted in doling out deliberately lo-fi work. It’s interesting how most folks will view “Super Soaker” today — after all, it basically looks like a series of Instagram pics brought to life — and in these times of Twerk, there’s something almost defiant about how straight-laced and sweet this video is.
And, on some level, I suppose that’s the point. The Kings have never cared about keeping up with the masses, and that seems to be a central theme of this new album … especially when one pairs “Super Soaker” with the new Mechanical Bull track the band premiered today, a big-hearted ballad called “Wait For Me.” It’s a one-two punch that proves KOL are less concerned with being cool, and more interested in playing the kind of music they want … that’s part of having fun, after all.
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