King Krule: “The OOZ” (Album Review)

Genres: Art Rock, Trip Hop, Post-Punk

        “‘The ooz’ for me represents ... your sweat, your nails, the sleep that comes out of your eyes, your dead skin. All of those creations that you have to refine,” explains King Krule on his 2017 interview with NPR. The OOZ is Archy Marshall’s second and aptly named studio album under the King Krule moniker. The dripping expression of emotion creates a sludge filled depressive haze. Listening to The OOZ is listening to excretion itself, sinking into a pool of negativity and shifting sensations.

        The OOZ shows a drastic change from King Krule’s last album, 6 Feet Beneath The Moon, which heavily featured emotional ballads and more self contained tracks. Having a vastly different approach to this album succeeds in how organic this progression feels. Marshall’s reuse of lyrics and themes across his work doesn’t feel lazy on The OOZ, showing progression (or a lack of), and bringing a sense of unity to his music. Not being afraid to change his process of creation while staying true to himself as an artist is an incredible skill that makes this album feel uniquely “Archy Marshall”, while not repackaging the same sounds in different dressing. 

        From adrenaline-filled punk tracks like “Emergency Blimp” to somber and delicate pieces like “Czech One”, King Krule creates a breadth of sound to tackle the album’s themes. Depicting the sludge of a depressive state and a bitter life could have ended up being too stagnant and one-dimensional, but King Krule allows for a full range of self-expression by creating such a dynamic record. The different styles of music each song has are thematically fitting, and helps approach the main concept from various angles. Bitterness, melancholy, loneliness and other emotions are incorporated to paint the picture of a larger narrative. This variety makes for some awkward song transitions, but generally helps to avoid a shallow experience.

        Narratively, The OOZ focuses on emotional highs and especially lows, not afraid to plunge into the depths of grittiness. Gloomy, moody, and relentless, it’s an album that feels like ink on white paper: evoking feelings that expand outward. Songs like “Sublunary” and “A Slide In (New Drugs)” help to create the atmosphere of the album, and while they aren’t the strongest individually, they serve to provide context for the record. The atmospheric depth that’s created with each song does much to push forward themes while exploring creativity.   While more basic songs like “Bermondsey Bosom (Left)” and “Bermondsey Bosom (Right)” show that this can be overdone, the album is greatly enhanced by how detailed and colored it is.

        Mixing surreal lyrics with relatability to create scenes of an ordinary, yet impossible life makes The OOZsuch a vivid portrayal of lost humanity. It’s abstract and vague, but also clear enough that the line of thought present throughout the album can be traced. Not allowing self-expression to be restricted or restrained across the record makes for wild musical moments. Even the climax of the album’s eponymous track is an uninhibited scream. As The OOZ comes to a little over an hour long, with 19 songs, the messiness can get in its own way occasionally, and the lack of structure becomes a downside. Thankfully, this issue does not undermine how complete and dense The OOZ is as a work of art, though it does hurt it’s cohesion. More than just understanding King Krule’s emotions, the listener is made to truly feel them as well. Filled to the brim with anxiety, staggered movement, and rawness, pure expression from this record  oozes out into the hearts and headphones of listeners.

Favorite Tracks: Midnight 01 (Deep Sea Diver), The Ooz, Cadet Limbo, Lonely Blue, La Lune, Czech One, Emergency Blimp, Slush Puppy, Half Man Half Shark, Sublunary

Least Favorites: Bermondsey Bosom (Left), Bermondsey Bosom (Right), The Cadet Leaps, The Locomotive

Enjoyment: High 9

Critically: Mid 9

Arbitrary Number: 9.5/10