Bleep

It’s been nearly 10 years since Archy Marshall fully stepped out of the shadows and announced himself to the world as King Krule. His auspicious 2013 debut LP 6 Feet Beneath The Moon fulfilled the promise of those shadowy early singles first surfaced. With a sound that mixed jazz, R&B, indie pop, rap, and electronica up into a smoky, downtrodden haze, King Krule tapped into something uniquely tuned to the harrowing times, portraying himself as something like a streetwise town crier. Marshall has explored all those would-be avenues and more in the time since, releasing music under a (admittedly still grey and quite dreary, but also emotionally stirring and expertly rendered all the same) kaleidoscope of genres as King Krule.

His fourth and latest LP for XL Recordings Space Heavy then feels like a culmination of the first King Krule era. Both a victory lap and a neat survey of everything he’s achieved with the project thus far, Space Heavy certainly dabbles with sound and feel from prior efforts, but pulls together all of his tricks in a way we have yet to see. Dynamic and luxurious in equal measure, King Krule has built his sonic world here, inviting listeners to join him and the band at their level. Tracks like the duelling ‘Seaforth’ and ‘Seagirl’ splash around in similar King Krule waters, but attack those vices with a newfound confidence and maturity, pointing towards new paths forward. Space Heavy has allowed King Krule to look ahead by looking back, and given his usual track record, whatever comes next will be something else entirely.