King Krule - Man Alive [2020]

Man Alive continues the melancholy present in much of The Ooz, but here King Krule feels much more desolate. Sparse darkness and a sense of longing permeate throughout the entire tracklist. The two singles, which are both album highlights, are almost polar opposites. On "(Don’t Let the Dragon) Draag On", Krule feels apathetic and depressive, whereas "Alone, Omen 3", offers the listener a surprising dose of hazy sunshine via some of the Englishman's best writing.

Krule has a distinctively harsh and undeniably English way of singing, and there are times when the rawness of his attack is simply cathartic. Man Alive is a record that knows how to build - both "Supermarché" and "Stoned Again" explode with aggression. The former has a chorus of screams and heavy descending guitar riffs, while the latter features great use of guitars in general and an atmosphere that grows to be as hard as nails. "Perfecto Miserable" is another example of fine progression. The tune starts with a focus on Krule's gorgeously multi-tracked vocals and evolves into something that is much more forceful guitar-wise.

Man Alive, despite its tight runtime, is likely Krule's least immediate work. In times like "Comet Face", the artist is bringing his dark sound into new interesting depths, but in others like "Airport Antenatal Airplane", listeners may wonder if he could have pushed himself a bit more. There are also moments like "Theme for The Cross", which are pretty but lack any striking progression. That said, the eerie entrancing loneliness of songs like "Please Complete Thee" makes Man Alive a great record to immerse oneself in during a twilight commute or a pensive night in. Heartfelt tunes like "Underclass" drip with a jazzy sensibility that meshes perfectly with the Englishman's weary way of singing. Man Alive is a quality album full of a hypnotizing atmosphere that makes it easy to leave on repeat.