Kings of Leon Embrace Pop-Rock Sound on New Album ‘Walls’

According to their recent performance on Later… with Jools Holland, it seems that Brothers Followill, aka Kings of Leon, have taken a turn towards pop sensitivity for their eighth studio album Walls. The performance was to debut their new song “Around the World“, a track characterized by its more intricate and melodic guitar work, upbeat percussion, and anthem style refrains. You can check out a video of Kings of Leon performing “Around the World” below:

In addition to “Around the World”, Kings of Leon recently released another single off of Walls, paired with a surreal music video. The song, “Waste a Moment“, features their signature wall of guitars, but with a signature, upbeat twist, echoing the style of 80’s rock while maintaining Followill authenticity. The result is very contemporary and clearly the direction rock music is taking lately And considering the underwhelming response to Mechanical Bull, the band’s seventh LP, we think it’s a smart decision to move towards what works.

Walls was the result of a truly organic process, of Kings of Leon members relocating to California, to soak up some rays, some sushi, and overall sunnier vibes. Singer/guitarist Caleb Followill seems to be fairly confident of what Kings of Leon has come up with in three years. In regards to Walls, Caleb Followill stated: “We have more depth on this album and more situations where we dipped our toe in before but never committed. Now we’re wanting to dive in. I know this is a pop-driven world and what we do isn’t necessarily at the top of the heap of music that people are listening to, but I feel like once people discover this album, it’s going to change them.”

Walls is definitely a sign of dynamism, observation, and maturity from Kings of Leon. The new album will be released October 14th. In the meantime, check out their latest video for “Waste a Moment” below: