Kings of Leon, WALLS | Track Review 🎵

Kings of Leon releases one of its most unique singles with “WALLS,” the second single from the forthcoming album of the same title.

Kings of Leon return after a three-year hiatus (Mechanical Bull, 2013).  The new album, WALLS, arrives in October, led by single, “Waste a Moment.” In the quest to promote WALLS, the band releases a second single, title track “Walls.” The results are great, if surprising.

“WALLS” opens mysteriously. Piano and acoustic guitar enter in, helping the record to settle in.  Caleb Followill delivers clear vocals throughout.  One of the most notable lyrical moments occurs during the second verse:

“I could never point you out / waste of space in a faceless crowd / tell me what I have to say / if you know what’s right then you’ll walk away.”

The question is, who is Followill referencing? Is he being fictional, or could he be in some regard referencing meeting his wife, Lily Aldridge? If that is the case, has he added some fictionalized elements? “WALLS” is confounding (in the most brilliant way possible), because it raises plenty of questions that go unanswered by the conclusion.

The chorus is incredibly repetitive and simplistic.  Because of this, question marks remain.

 “When the walls come down”

By the bridge, “WALLS” picks up a bit more oomph, intensity.  While “WALLS” was sound regardless, it needed contrast or more energy to make it well-rounded.

“You tore out my heart / you threw it away / a Western girl with Eastern eyes / take a wrong turn and found surprise awaits / now there’s nothing in the way…”

Final Thoughts

All in all, “WALLS” is a beautifully penned song.  The lyrics are a bit hard to follow – it’s somewhat open-ended an open to interpretation.  Regardless, the title track impresses more than promo single, “Waste a Moment.”

Kings of Leon • Walls • RCA • Release: 10.14.16

Photo Credit: RCA