Album review: King Nun – Lamb

There was a time, not too long ago, when British rock bands like Nine Black Alps would take their cues from grunge and alternative giants like Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins. More recently, the likes of High Vis have begun doffing their bucket hats to other ’90s icons, harking back to the early days of Britpop, when the walks were swaggier and the claims were braggier.

King Nun fall somewhere in between those touchstones. On paper, then, you’d think that would be a recipe for fishing with dynamite. So why doesn’t this, the London quartet’s second album, make more of an impact?

Produced by drummer Caius Stockley-Young, Lamb has retained the band’s rough and ready delivery. It’s a solid listen, for sure, but it’s also rather on the slight side. There are exceptions, thankfully. OCD, with its Suede-like delivery and climactic squall, is great. So, too, is the rollicking I Must Be Struck By Lightning and the fuzz-tastic Escapism. But that’s what those particular songs are, temporary escapes and diversions on an album that, overall, is so breezy that it simply blows right by the listener.

Much has been made of the thematic heaviness of Lamb. Of its explorations of the power of positivity and embracing our shared humanity, all of which are entirely admirable areas of focus, particularly in an age in which we’re told to be more open about our mental health while simultaneously being buried by a weight of expectation. The problem is, for people to appreciate those messages and unlock those meanings, they have to be hooked in by the tunes they hear. Unfortunately, there simply aren’t enough of them here to do that.

A lamb is used on this record to symbolise vulnerability, but it’s important to remember it’s also a young creature, finding its way in the world. That’s also true of King Nun, so let’s see what they do next.

Verdict: 2/5

For fans of: Sick Joy, Demob Happy, Kid Kapichi

Lamb is released on September 29 via Marshall