Source: Album Artwork
The uber cool, uber talented Carré Callaway is the brains behind Queen Kwong, an indie rock collective based in Los Angeles. Their sophomore album, Love Me To Death, the follow-up to 2015’s Get A Witness, is due for release in February 2018 and is the excellent result of the band growing and maturing over the last two years. Callaway has confessed herself that her heart, her blood and her soul go in to the material she makes.
The first track, which happens to be eponymous with the album, is the perfect introduction to a band that is shrouded in so much mystery. It’s fast-paced and wonderfully electric, affirming itself as one of the strongest tracks on the record. ‘One Lung‘ then comes next, and is far more languid than its predecessor but just as alluring.
Callaway has been open about her mental health issues, so while the record was originally supposed to be named after one of the tracks, ‘On The Mend‘, but she explained it was changed as it simply wasn’t true. She stated that she was actually happier prior to the recording of the album than after, and while that’s unfortunate to hear it’s certainly represented in some ways on Love Me To Death. ‘The Happiest Place‘ is a prime example of this, providing a whopping one minute and 32 seconds of haunting instrumentals before Callaway’s chilling vocals join the mix. ‘Old Faithful‘ is equally as bleak, but in the most fantastic way.
Throughout, the album showcases the fact that Queen Kwong is not a band that plays by the rules. To play commercially is the easy route in this world, but this kind of music defies all odds with it’s tongue-in-cheek lyrics and stormy guitar riffs. Callaway’s style may not be fit for worldwide radio play, but there’s no denying that she possesses an impressive amount of talent.
