British band The Kooks are back two weeks after performing at SXSW, with the release of a new video for the band’s song “Down.” The groovy new tune premiered two weeks ago as Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record, and it brings a new style with it for The Kooks.
Brett Padelford
The almost-R&B influenced track is catchy, mostly because of its energetic drum beat and punchy harmonies. The song was written by The Kooks vocalist and guitarist Luke Pritchard, but he had some help from young hip hop artist Inflo. The band recorded the track in London and L.A. The Kooks haven’t released an album since 2011’s Junk of the Heart, but they’ve announced the possibility of an album being released sometime in 2014. “Down” will be released on digital platforms on April 1, and the band will also release a remix EP later on next month.
The video for the hit track is just as much fun as listening to the audio, featuring dim lights and silhouettes of the band dancing, with swirls of changing bold colors against a background scrim. It’s a short video–only 2:48, but it’s enough time for The Kooks. The new track shows that the band may be breaking free of its pop/post-punk influences to branch out into a different kind of genre. The band has never been a stranger to success–The Kooks signed to Virgin Records just three months after they became a group, and their second album Konk debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. With such a huge following, it seems like the hit indie group is in the mood to try new things, and “Down” is evidence of that.
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