After a worldwide arena tour, the release of their 2018 UK Top Ten album ‘Let’s Go Sunshine’ saw The Kooks topping the bill at festivals across Europe and at home. The streaming boom had opened the Brighton band up to a new audience of young fans who loved their distinctive brand of indie rock. Coming off the back of a punishing tour schedule, frontman, Luke Pritchard vowed to take a bit of a breather. But instead, found himself right back in the studio.
Spending much of his time in Berlin, Pritchard found himself working on The Kooks behemoth of a sixth album, ‘10 Tracks To Echo In The Dark’. Flirting with genres from 80s synth-pop to funk to prog rock, the album is still, at its core, an indie record, and a Kooks one, at that. It’s a record that takes that classic Kooks sound and adds something of a retro-futurist slant – both sonically and in mindset. It’s an album about being hopeful and seeing the great in the world, despite the darkness. You get a sense that we’re hearing from a new Pritchard – one whose demons are behind him and is optimistic about the future.
The band have been experimental over the years – something that has been key to their longevity, but getting back to what people love about The Kooks was front of Pritchard’s mind. As The Kooks continue to reach an ever-growing audience of young fans, ‘10 Tracks To Echo In The Dark’ feels like a mission statement. It’s a celebration of getting through troubled times and a rallying cry for our future.