If you thought rock n’ roll was dead at the end of the 2010s, you’re in for quite the wakeup call when you press play on the new single from Floridian rockers Kings County, “All That I Want.” Riddled with the sort of chaos-inducing chills and violent riff-rocking intensity that made rock the most powerful genre in the world (at one time, that is), “All That I Want” is a premium slab of overdriven thunder coming to us directly from Kings County’s self-titled debut album, and though it’s only one of many gems to be found on the group’s rookie offering, it just might be the most potent of the lot.
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The riffs in this track are admittedly pretty processed and heavily equalized as to sound as scooped as possible, but this isn’t a negative attribute at all – quite the contrary, actually. The textured distortion they’re filtered through helps to balance out some of the more plasticized elements in the tonality, and while it’s not quite as crunching as something you would expect to hear in a concert performance, it gives us a pretty hearty idea as to what we could expect from Kings County on the stage.
I really like the lyrical attack being utilized by the lead singer in “All That I Want,” and though it’s one of the more anthemic styles I’ve come across in the last couple of years, it doesn’t sound like an overindulgent throwback to 80’s hard rock at all. I’m not saying that Kings County don’t have some pretty major classic rock influences – that’s obvious even to the most novice of critics – but by and large, I wouldn’t describe their music as being archaic in the sense of looking backward more often than it is forward. The beefiness in their sound is 100% modern, as is their angsty attitude both lyrically and musically.
The production quality aside, there’s a lot of raw energy in “All That I Want” that is essentially bottled up until a point of uncontrollable catharsis towards the end of the song, which is something I haven’t been able to say about a lot of the singles coming out of the mainstream end of the rock spectrum lately. Kings County don’t have as much depth as they potentially could here, but with just a little more definition in their sound, I think they’re going to become one of the heavier acts to emerge from their scene in the last half-decade.
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Listeners who live for chest-beating rock n’ roll vitality should consider what Kings County have just released in “All That I Want” a must-listen this January, and I’m far from the only critic saying so right now. “All That I Want” is unsophisticated, often unpredictable and guaranteed to get you headbanging to a sensational beat, and in an age that has left a lot to be desired on this front, these qualities aren’t something any of us should be taking for granted. I’m intrigued by their sound, and overall, can’t wait to hear more.
Clay Burton