Custom Kings
Great Escape
Liberation Music
It’s around this time of year that you start planning your great summer escape. One of the many festivals maybe, a south-east Asian island adventure or, perhaps, a road trip along the coast.
There’s nothing like stopping off by the beach to lay on the sand, as sound of crashing waves soothes your soul and the salty smell of freedom fills your heart with joy.
That’s the trip local quartet Custom Kings take you on with album number two, Great Escape. It’s country in its freedom and moody in its own laid-back way. Opener ‘Wild Leaves’ sets the pace nicely, introducing the gentle indie harmonies that flow throughout, and from there it’s a sweet-tempered ride across the more relaxed end of the sonic spectrum.
The band’s debut, At Sea, was exciting and catchy, and it sounds like they’ve tried to develop that sound with Great Escape, with a slightly more low-key result. The band has shaken its fresh-faced edge, replacing it with something more mature — an easier listen.
There are some lovely moments here, the synth-tinged ‘I Remember the Good Times’ and ‘Who Will Be The One?’ are the album highlights. There is also something distinctly Beach Boys about the vocals on many of the tracks, although at times the melodies and harmonies do fall short of what you long for. But when it comes to conveying that feeling of care-free abandon, Great Escape does remarkably well.
