Kings of Leon, The Bandit | Track Review 🎵

Kings of Leon make a strong comeback with “The Bandit,” the lead single from their eighth studio album, When You See Yourself.

2016. That was the last time that 🏆 Grammy-winning rock collective 🎙 Kings of Leon released a new album (💿 WALLS ). Thankfully, 2021 marks the return of the Followills (three bros, one cousin), with the release of their eighth studio album, 💿 When You See Yourself (🗓 March 5, 2021). KOL released two singles simultaneously: 🎵 “The Bandit” and 🎵 “100,000 People.” No fears, as the results are positive!  

“Chiseled their names in stone / Heavy the load you tow / And the red horse is always close / And the fire don’t burn below.” With “The Bandit,” Kings of Leon gives us just the right amount of song to work with, running north of four minutes. Rhythmic guitar lines kick off the record energetically. Soon enough, we get the full complement of instruments, before 🎙 Caleb Followill begins singing (drums, bass).  As always, on the second track from When You See Yourself, Caleb serves up expressive, commanding, and powerful vocals. He remains gritty and nuanced, cutting right through the production. He has a nice melody to work with on the verses. As for the chorus, it’s pretty memorable:

“And they’re walking around
With their heads in the cloud screaming
Must catch the bandit
Reckless abandon
Rundown and stranded
Must catch the bandit.”

Final Thoughts 💭 

So, was the return of King of Leon worth the wait? Yes. “The Bandit” is a well-rounded, enjoyable comeback for the band by all means.  Caleb Followill is on-point, the band sounds ‘rock’ solid, and the writing is appealing.  It may not be revolutionary but it’s certainly a win for KOL and rock lovers everywhere. 

🎙 Kings of Leon • 💿 When You See Yourself • 🏷 RCA • 🗓 3.5.21

[📷: RCA]