King Charles – Loveblood released on the 20th February
Back in 2007 King Charles looked set to breakthrough into the indie pop mainstream. Having dropped out of Durham University, he embarked on successful tours with Laura Marling and Noah and the Whale, then spent the following year writing his debut album. Towards the end of 2008 his burgeoning career was stopped in its tracks, as he suffered a near fatal skiing accident. Despite a lengthy recovery process Charles refused to give up and in 2010 he reignited his career by becoming the first Brit to win Nashville’s prestigious International Songwriting Competition. This accolade prompted Island Records to sign him and helped secure a US tour with Mumford and Sons. King Charles remained relatively quiet until late last year, when he returned to the airwaves with an excellent new single called “BAM BAM” and completing his comeback from the almost dead.
“Loveblood” is Charles newest single and the next step in building momentum for the spring release of his debut album. The track is an interesting slice of throwaway indie pop that borrows heavily from Vampire Weekends Afro guitar rhythms and the songwriting style of Marc Bolan. Whilst in theory this is a marriage made in heaven, on “Loveblood” the marriage isn’t wholly successful. The problem is that whilst the track is easy to enjoy, it’s also easy to ignore and therefore forget. There’s nothing quite catchy or iconic enough on “Loveblood” to make it stick in the mind and I think on this occasion King Charles might struggle to find his way into the upper echelons of the charts. Yet he is a talented artist full of promise, whose quirky pop persona make him well worth your attention and whose brush with death, might just be the source of inspiration required to propel him to stardom.
King Charles will be performing in Huddersfield at Tokyo, 24th of February, with support from We Were Evergreen, auditCONTROL and Tokyo Corner. Tickets are available at www.wegottickets.com