The wait is finally over for Kings of Leon fans: a new album is on the way. It’s called When You See Yourself and is due out in March. In anticipation of their first full-length in five years, the alt-rockers are sharing two new songs, “The Bandit” and “100,000 People”.
In the lead-up to today’s unveiling, the Nashville-bred group sent out 10 one-of-a-kind shirts to superfans, each representing a different song on the new album. “Only you, and no-one else, will ever have this collective piece,” read an accompanying note, as American Songwriter points out. “Printed inside of it are the full lyrics to a new song you may hear in a couple of days, a couple of weeks, or maybe even a month or so.” An 11th shirt, featuring “The Bandit” lyrics, will be available for purchase on Kings of Leon’s merch site.
Both “The Bandit” and “100,000 People” are promising previews of what’s to come from the veteran rock outfit. The former is a brisk yet still somewhat mournful return to form, and features lyrics bristling with frustration: “And they’re walking around with their heads in the cloud screaming/ Must catch the bandit/ Reckless abandon/ Rundown and stranded/ Must catch the bandit.”
The latter track, meanwhile, appears to be about quarantine and the relationships that have managed to survive it. “All gussied up with no place to go,” frontman Caleb Followill sings in the opening verse, a sentiment that’s all too familiar now. He later adds, “Wide awake encased in a dream/ Everything is not as it seems/ All your time is heaven sent/ Days and the nights all start to blend.”
Stream the two singles below; “The Bandit” is accompanied by a music video featuring the band members dressed up in fancy suits.
When You See Yourself is officially due out on March 5th. Earlier this year, they shared an acoustic ballad about lockdown titled “Going Nowhere”. Their last proper album, WALLS, dropped in 2016.
