Album Review King Nun - MASS

King Nun’s ascent has been a long old tale with precious few chapters followed by an EP in 2018. Worth every second of the wait, though, ‘MASS’ is a gorgeous display of a close-knit clan finding their voice and coming of age.

Chief songwriter Theo Polyzoides is a natural-born poet, and his grappling with love, faith and their respective absence makes up the album’s framework. While there’s ambiguity in his evocative verses, lines like “yes I fucking love you darling / I’ll love you until I die” on ‘Mascara Runs’ paint a pretty clear narrative. Suggesting Nick Cave or Brian Molko, his droll vocal is stronger than it’s ever been but still feels like it might shatter at any moment. It’s the perfect vessel to carry such romantic, bittersweet sentiment.

‘MASS’ also sees the boys step into new territory instrumentally. ‘Low Flying Dandelion’ packs a punch with a meaty bass riff from Nathan Gane while drummer Caius Stockley-Young powers juggernaut belter ‘Cowboy’. James Upton’s guitars flesh out an almost gothic resonance across the record, too. All together, King Nun’s is a sound to be reckoned with - it may seem chaotic and wild to the untrained eye, but these guys are in absolute control and you’d better not forget it.