Lately I’ve been digging the mod-city pop rock that’s been blowing up since Vampire Weekend’s latest album being a massive success…and the flop of the Arctic Monkey’s AM. So I turned to some tried and trues- one of those being The Kooks. They’ve never failed to make quality music that’s widely appealing but also just indie/alt enough to tickle the hipster’s fancy.
“Naive” is one of my favourite songs of theirs, with its’ sugary riffs and voice cracks, the upbeat drumbeat and classic Kooks guitar sound that’s so unique to them. It’s from ’08, which proves the band’s longevity because it can still be so addictive today and I could definitely hear it being on the radio and still played at clubs. However, because it’s from so long ago, the band looks so young and cute in the video.
They’re all adorable and the video is pretty interesting. A relationship on the rocks ending in disappointment, but the uplifting sense of “who cares I still have my friends”. It’s nice. Also goes to show that their videos have improved artistically as well, because the lighting in it is so poor and it’s not very well done at all- time changes a lot for the better.
Overall, the tune is ridiculously catchy. It’s one of those songs that you hear once and it gets stuck in your head for a week. The chorus especially; “and I know she knows that I’m not fond of asking. True or false, it may be, well, she’s still out to get me.” I love the way Pritchard’s voice has that lilt of higher notes, giving it a real gritty pop feel.
Check out the video and get addicted to the tune.