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HEY, KING! release debut self-titled album

• 13th Apr 2021

After much anticipation, Hey, King! has released their self-titled debut album today; listen to it HERE. Comprised of Canadian songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Natalie London and her partner, Tucson, AZ vocalist and percussionist Taylor Plecity, Hey, King! approach music with a childlike curiosity and adventurous spirit—fitting for a band whose name comes from a line in Where the Wild Things Are.

Produced by 3x Grammy winner Ben Harper, the songs on Hey, King! are bursting with life, color, and charm. Take the bubbly ‘Get Up,’ where London and Plecity shout, “Get up, come on, you’ve been sleeping all day / Let’s tear down these blackout shades.” On its surface, it’s a rousing call for seizing the day but according to the band, it’s more funny than that: “I had writer’s block for a little while and Taylor dared me to write a song from our dog’s perspective,” says London. On the chorus, the two joyously yell, “I can’t tag without chase / I can’t tug without war.” But even without knowing the playful backstory behind them, these songs are so inviting you’ll feel like you’re part of the inside joke too.

Last month the band released the biting electric guitar and drum-driven anthem ‘Road Rage’. For the song’s video, the band was joined by twenty-one women – including TikTok star Lauren Burch, The Original Bad Girl of Comedy Luenell, Brooke Marham (In The Dark), Cheryl Texiera (Girl Meets World), Rachel True (The Craft), and the iconic Debra Wilson (Mad TV), lip syncing to the song, resulting in a powerful video that portrays the universal yet unique strength and fierceness of women of all ages, backgrounds and superficial differences.

“Rooted around the swagger of Natalie London’s blues-rock riff, the track builds to a furious climax, where leads are used sparingly to great effect, hitting all the right, emotive notes for that euphoric final chorus,” said Guitar World of the song. Watch the video HERE.

The arrangements on Hey, King! are muscular, driving, and anthemic, recalling the most fist-raising Arcade Fire offerings and the most ornate songs by Sufjan Stevens. The best example of this comes in the stunning and epic opener ‘Beautiful,’ whose video has nearly 50k views; watch it HERE. The track is an absolute force with London and Plecity singing in harmony, “Come on now come on and get me / Cause with you, the world that I see / Is beautiful” in its cathartic chorus. It’s a hopeful salve and reminder when there’s much worldwide uncertainty. Even though no one knows what life will look like in the future, there’s excitement and beauty in the journey. London explains: “With all the uncertainties, insecurities, and worries, you just say ‘I don’t know where I’ll be or where I’m going but I do know it’s going to be beautiful.'” This is the ethos of Hey, King! and hearing these songs will give you that same optimism, even when things are dark.