Two piece punk rockers King Canute of Essex and Guildford have released a brand new four song EP called Drive, which is due to be released on 1st September. The band, which consists of Johnny “JC” Lett on bass and vocals and Chris Woolams on drums and vocals, have a previously released debut EP Cutting Teeth and have had a hefty touring schedule ever since. The debut EP displayed the bands capability of writing heavy hitting ‘in your face’ rock riffs and the Drive very much follows the same intent in style.
The first track of the EP, ‘Cocaine Skank’ is an immediate indication for new listeners of what the EP will sound like and King Canute’s musical style. Heavy bass led riffing, solid drum accompaniment and a subtle dash of attitude, ‘Cocaine Skank’ is an energetic but not necessarily a strong opener to the EP. The riffing and the song itself seem a bit old fashioned and we initially found the vocals off-putting; they seem a tad whiny and unnatural but after a few listens, this was something that we could overcome.
Thankfully things do improve with the next song. Title track ‘Drive’ is a better example of King Canute’s capabilities to right cool, groovy riffs with a catchy chorus that really helps put this song on a much higher level than the EP opener. And although there are some close to cringe-worthy moments within the song such as the “TWO! THREE! BASS!” announcement before a bass breakdown, the track is still worthy of good marks.
‘Trash Talk’ follows by example to ‘Drive’ in being another strong track with its anthemic qualities and an obvious more intentional effort into the song-writing. The drumming in this track are much more creative and Woolams deserves much credit as well as the notable and successful bass solo that Lett performs at the end of the track. ‘Hellmates’ is the final track of the EP and has a continuously heart pounding characteristic to it. However, it is not able to compete with the two middle tracks and unfortunately, the whiny nature of the vocal performances are emphasised on this track.
On listening, you can tell that King Canute’s songs are written to be energetic and in your face, which we are sure they successfully display during live performances. However, it seems that they have struggled to transfer this energy onto their recorded music. The songs lack an ‘OOMPH’ and the punchy edge that would really blow up these songs; it could be an issue with production or the fact the band don’t have an official guitarist but either way it sounds like something is missing. The EP carries a lot of potential but it requires more mature song-writing and King Canute need to find a better way to portray the powerful sound they strive for, on record.
