Krooked Kings, a five-piece Utah-born indie pop band, are just like a lot of us—trying to navigate the realities of life, but falling into harmful habits that only slow us down along the way or bring us down a path we’re not fond of. On their newest album In Another Life, released March 27, the band opens the conversation about these hard topics, discussing everything from drinking to relationship troubles.
The band’s new, introspective outlooks and developed confidence are ready to be received by the world. In Another Life introduces mature themes with attention to detail in its sonic construction, a strength that the band has used to its fullest potential on this project.
In today’s day and age, it’s almost impossible to avoid getting sucked into the online world with the convenience of smartphones and easy dopamine hits from social media. Krooked Kings explores the strangeness of digital connection and doomscrolling in the album’s first track, “Telephobia.” Voicing their fear of this reality with sincere, confrontational lines like “Starting to feel like I’m a clone” and “My attention is hard to keep, it’s true,” Krooked Kings start their 10-track journey of dissecting complicated circumstances and experiences that tangle with their own perceptions of this world and their relationships.
Luckily for those who enjoy climactical, high-energy indie rock anthems, this album is full of them. While using their warm, uplifting indie-pop charm as a base for the album, the band takes it a step further, creating hard-hitting moments with instrumental explosions and action-packed choruses. These succeed in capturing a slew of emotional and identity-related complications paired with confusion—both of which require intense, dramatic moments.
This new sonic path is no coincidence, as Krooked Kings remains in tune with what they want to voice on this album. Pairing their lyrics and instrumentals in a complementary way that hits the nail on the head, there is no conflict with the messages being sent. Instead, these two critical components harmoniously tell a story that leaves little room for ambiguity or interpretation, resulting in a raw, honest album that captures a vulnerable window into the band’s minds.
The second track, “Drinking’s Not Enough,” dives straight into a heavy headspace where a craving for being numb is at the forefront. It’s almost as if they’re falling down a hole that only sees the bottom, rather than the top, falling victim to hopelessness.
When everything comes crashing down, there comes a point where you have to make an attempt to repair it. However, when it seems like you’re doing it over and over, it becomes exhausting. “Damage Control” is a heavy, reflective track that refrains from holding back and tells the situation as it is. The chorus, “I spend my evenings drinking alone / To spend my day doing damage control,” is explosive and emotional, stressing the feeling of being helpless while still unable to break the cycle.
Wanting to repair the aftermath of conflict at the source, “Sleep tonight” is a plea for more time to make amends and “fix all the late nights and the drunk fights,” among other things they promise they will change.
In relationships, there may be “ugly” fronts that are revealed. “Ugly Love” starts with the lyrics “I’m a scumbag, drama queen / I’m hooked on nicotine / You’re an angel without the wings / Find the brighter side of everything.” Although there are flaws in this relationship, Krooked Kings makes it clear that they still crave this love, even if it isn’t perfect or ideal. The chorus, which is yet another climatical experience, caves into this imperfect love: “So give me that ugly love / give me that push and shove / We’re diamonds in the rough / you’re the only one I trust.”
A total vibe shift, “Parking Lot” comes in to introduce a new, fun perspective on love. It’s a sweet, romantic song about daydreaming about a life with your crush, envisioning what the future has in store, all without leaving the parking lot. “Fix This,” however, resumes the album’s darker, deep introspective tone by asking the hard-hitting, impossible question, “Can I fix this by myself,” in relation to the undesirable traits they possess.
“My Friend Max” weaves in a perspective of being disappointed in who you’ve become and feeling as if you’ve let down those who believed in you. In this point of view, the good parts of yourself are buried under your negative self-perception as voiced in the lyrics, “I don’t see what they see in me / I’m not who I was meant to be.” The penultimate track, “Rancher’s Daughter,” is about the harsh reality of rejection. The lyrics are confrontational: “I’m just a place where you put all your pity / And you shot me down like a bird made of clay.” The band uses metaphors to give this heavy feeling a space to live.
To finish the album, Krooked Kings hits home with their title track, “In Another Life” featuring Eleni Drake. Switching up the pace of the album, this ballad slows it down and can be best described as a deep sigh. Coming to terms with the fact that a relationship won’t work out in this life despite trying so hard forces the line “I guess I’ll see you in another life” as the final conclusion. This sentiment could also be applied to the album’s theme as a whole. This life isn’t enough to make amends with your mistakes and harmful habits, but maybe in another life you’ll find that peace and clarity.
Above all, In Another Life is simply human. Krooked Kings has fearlessly revealed their flaws, insecurities and wavering questions to make an album that addresses the imperfection in tackling all life has to offer. When life comes at you, it’s sometimes hard to make sense of it, but this band is trying to, resulting in an introspective, genuine project that goes beyond the surface level.
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