Custom Kings www.customkings.com.au
Melbourne’s Custom Kings are not a band to be driven by fads or fashion. The Kings create music to challenge, captivate and to cleanse. We’d like to say ‘timeless’ but that kinda sounds contrived. Moreso, this critically acclaimed quintet have absorbed, and portray a vast array of infl uences – roots, hip hop, reggae and folk, whilst simultaneously charting their own musical waters.
The Merchant Songs EP is their much anticipated follow up to the band’s critically acclaimed debut EP ‘Where Do They Go’, which saw them glowingly compared to everyone from Jack Johnson to G Love & Special Sauce and Nick Drake. ‘Spin My Thread’ went on to become a Triple J staple, and afforded the Kings much peer acclaim resulting in national support slots with The Cat Empire, John Butler Trio, Ash Grunwald and Michael Franti. The EP was also released in Japan, while the band was invited to appear on numerous surf DVDs and compilations in Australia, Japan and Brazil.
One listen to the new EP clearly demonstrates the band’s songwriting has clearly developed since the last release. While the image drenched storytelling is as downright brilliant as ever, this selection of songs highlight the acts fi rst major writing effort as a solidifi ed ‘band’. More to the point, songwriter Nick Vorrath remains the Kings central creative force, but Merchant Songs showcases a greater array of instrumentation, and advanced
production techniques.
Lead radio track ‘Swimming in the Darkness’, a sublime blend of summery, tropical hooks, has already found its way onto high rotation on Triple J. ‘Number 1’ is a veritable pop song by the Kings usual standards, whilst ‘Green Mile’ ably recalls the gorgeous, fragile folk of their debut EP.
Merchant Songs sees the Custom Kings clearly moving up a gear, and you’d be hard pressed not to come along for the ride.
