King of Foxes' Golden Armour shines as brightly as its title suggests. The Edmonton band's debut LP has a tough outer shell that glistens with a delicious combination of slick pop hooks and leader Olivia Street's captivating vocals. With the bulk of the record swinging to an energy reminiscent of the one that made early 2000s indie-pop bite so hard, Golden Armour risks being stale but avoids it by mixing Street's vocal and arrangement strengths.
On the first two tracks, "The Kick Inside" and "You Want More," King of Foxes match their escapist lyricism — Street warns, "Telling a lie is not a crime but living in one is doing time" on the former — with equally lively melodies and catchy choruses. This strong pop mentality keeps the album level through the rougher, guitar-heavy moments of "The Touch" and "Cinderella 1984." On the quieter "Cowards," the majority of the album's quick chord delivery is replaced by the gentler sounds of an acoustic guitar, but the undeniable melody charges the song with even more power than its louder partners.
If Golden Armour is any indication, the future looks bright for King of Foxes.
(Independent)On the first two tracks, "The Kick Inside" and "You Want More," King of Foxes match their escapist lyricism — Street warns, "Telling a lie is not a crime but living in one is doing time" on the former — with equally lively melodies and catchy choruses. This strong pop mentality keeps the album level through the rougher, guitar-heavy moments of "The Touch" and "Cinderella 1984." On the quieter "Cowards," the majority of the album's quick chord delivery is replaced by the gentler sounds of an acoustic guitar, but the undeniable melody charges the song with even more power than its louder partners.
If Golden Armour is any indication, the future looks bright for King of Foxes.