Leaving a band to go solo, setting out on your own to forge a career, is a daunting and no doubt emotional decision to make. It’s one that singer/songwriter Wes King was faced with when he realised he was creatively going in a different direction to that of his former band Tres Kings.
Indeed, having been featured on the likes of BBC Introducing, and shared festival bills with bands such as The Vaccines and Doves, it wasn’t an easy decision for King to come to. Though if his latest single ‘Living Strange’ is anything to go by, it was certainly the right one.
Three and a half minutes of soaring alt-rock, it was a track King penned originally for his band, before realising stripping it back would allow the track’s lyrical gravitas to really shine through. It was another decision he was right on.
Beginning with little more than just crisp keys and King’s gruff vocal delivery, ‘Living Strange’ mounts steadily; the addition of strings, percussion, and clean guitar fleshing out the chorus. Though recent lockdowns have certainly influenced lyricism somewhat, the pandemic isn’t what the track is hinged on. “To me, the song is about pushing yourself through hard times” King explains “I hope each listener will interpret the lyrics differently, on a personal level.”
It shouldn’t be hard to. Cathartic, anthem and uplifting in an understanding sense, ‘Living Strange’ could have been a very different beast was it not stripped back and allowed to really blossom vocally. A strong release is well worth spending some time with.