The self-titled debut from the Waterford-based Irish dance outfit King Kong Company has been a long time coming.
It’ll be interesting to see can they now turn its release into genuine momentum. The single ‘Scarcity Dan’ was a strong, opening calling card: impressively constructed and arranged, it has a driving, wide-screen, horn-infused energy, and will doubtless sound good at festivals – for which the King Kong sound feels ready-made.
‘IPop’ and ‘The Sins Of Freck’ with female vocals are perhaps more radio-friendly, but they will also work on the dancefloor. The cinematic ‘Game Over’ goes well until it devolves into a concoction of annoying – well, to me – organ sounds and a grating repetition of the word ‘bass’. In contrast, ‘Pol Pot Rocks’ is powerful stuff: dark, deep and gritty, with some nicely distorted vocals. There is a hypnotic, trippy quality throughout the album, so it’s no surprise that the highlight is ‘Feel The Marijuana’, with its reggae-infused bassline and nice line in trumpets. ‘Donkey Jaw’ offers an entertaining voiceover that bursts to life as a full-on, energetic, bouncy, banger.
There are elements here of The Prodigy and I am also reminded of the Run Lola Run soundtrack. If that makes it sound a touch retro, then King Kong Company would hardly disagree. This is the culmination of years of work. It’s good to see them bringing in the harvest.
King Kong Company is out now.