Kooks - Let’s Go Sunshine

by Gus Ironside

published: 3 / 11 / 2018

Label: Lonely Cat
Format: CD

Unappealing and poorly produced comeback album from bestselling act The Kooks

Review

Pop classicists, or the acme of indie landfill? The Kooks have always divided opinion, ever since their hugely successful debut album ‘Inside In/Inside Out’ first landed in 2006. The Brighton outfit can still command huge audiences on the live circuit, but critical consensus has it that their albums have been locked in a downward spiral since that celebrated debut. ‘Let’s Go Sunshine’ is heralded as a return to form, with The Kooks applying hard-won maturity to songwriting rooted deep in the tradition of their near namesakes, The Kinks. The choice of US producers Brandon Friesen (Billy Ray Cyrus, Nickleback) and Chris Seefried apparently signals a desire to break new ground, so does ‘Let’s Go Sunshine’ hit the mark? On first listen, the new production approach is the most salient element of this fifteen track album. Vocals, guitars and drums are smothered in unappealing effects, creating a sonic mush instantly recognisable from countless, producer-led, contemporary chart acts. And so begins the challenge of working out if these songs pass muster; the frankly horrid production is a poor match to The Kooks’ simple, traditional songwriting, adding nothing of value and detracting from the group’s traditional melodic qualities. Repeated listens reveal a weak album spotted with the occasional pleasant but unremarkable tune or two; ‘Fractured and Dazed’ and ‘Four Leaf Clover’ are decent enough songs, but the quality is thin on the ground on an album that will struggle to satisfy even the most ardent Kooks fan. The silver lining? With streaming now the most popular way to listen to music, this clunker shouldn’t generate too much in the way of landfill fodder.

Track Listing:-

1 Intro
2 Kids
3 All the Time
4 Believe
5 Fractured and Dazed
6 Chicken Bone
7 Four Leaf Clover
8 Tesco Disco
9 Honey Bee
10 Initials for Gainsbourg
11 Pamela
12 Picture Frame
13 Swing Low
14 Weight of the World
15 No Pressure