There’s something immediately unflashy about Torn Between Age & Perseverance, their album landed on our lap so we thought we would dig in see whats going on. King Colobus doesn’t come steaming in with a grab-you-by-the-collar opener designed for playlists or TikTok dopamine hits. Instead, this album feels like have lived a bit, thought a lot, and finally decided to put the weight of it all down in song, consequences be damned. It’s an alt-rock record made by someone who isn’t chasing relevance.
It kicks off with 7 Billion Bugs, a title that sounds daft until you hear it unfold into something twitchy and uneasy, like a man staring at the state of humanity and quietly losing his patience. There’s a gnawing tension in the production, baritone vocals sitting low and heavy, as if Macpherson’s voice has seen too much to bother shouting. Don’t Trust Anyone follows and leans harder into sludgier territories, the guitars grinding rather than soaring, giving the song a brittle edge that suits its message. It’s not subtle, but it doesn’t need to be. This record isn’t here to hold your hand.
Shadow and The Soul That Lives Here dig deeper into the album’s emotional core. These tracks show Macpherson at his strongest lyrically, sounding like someone rummaging through old memories and finding both rot and gold. There’s a real sense of restraint here; he doesn’t oversing, doesn’t overplay.
Sometimes that restraint works beautifully, creating space and atmosphere. Other times, you wish he’d just let rip and trust the song to survive the impact.
When World On Fire arrives, the political themes that hover over the album finally step into the light. It’s blunt, but not thick. There’s no sloganeering, just weary observation, and that weariness feels earned. Still, musically it plays things a bit safe. The message lands, but the song doesn’t quite explode the way it threatens to, which feels like a missed opportunity given the weight of the subject.
Human Nature and Empire are where the album’s alt-rock backbone really shows its teeth. There’s a muscularity here that hints at the live performer who’s shared stages with Sea Sick Steve and Band of Skulls. You can almost hear these tracks breathing heavier, itching to be played loud in a sweaty room rather than confined to headphones. Empire is slower and more stripped back which is nice too, a cleansing of the pallette. That said, the production, while admirably DIY, occasionally feels boxed in. A bit more grit, a bit less polish, and these songs could properly snarl.
Then comes Hole, Dealing with dementia and family trauma, it’s handled with a rare honesty that doesn’t tip into melodrama. This is where King Colobus justifies the long wait for a debut album. It’s uncomfortable, raw, and genuinely moving. No bullshit, no grand gestures. If there’s one track that defines the album’s purpose, it’s this.
Wreckless closes things out on a reflective note, tying together the album’s themes of ageing, endurance, and stubborn survival. It doesn’t feel like an ending so much as a pause, which suits an artist who clearly isn’t finished yet.
If there’s a criticism to be made, it’s that Torn Between Age & Perseverance occasionally holds back when it should risk falling on its arse. The songwriting is strong, the themes are heavy, but sometimes the album plays too nicely with its own seriousness. A bit more danger wouldn’t hurt.
Still, this is a compelling, grown-up debut from someone who’s earned the right to be heard. King Colobus isn’t reinventing alt-rock, but he’s reminding us why it still fucking matters when it’s done with conviction.
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