Kings Of | Leon - Can We Please Have Fun -2024- M...

The closing track. A six-minute epic that starts as a whisper and ends as a roar. Piano, strings, and then a volcanic guitar solo from Matthew. The lyrics feel like a benediction: “Ease me on / to the next world.” It’s peaceful, powerful, and perfect. The credits roll on Can We Please Have Fun with a sense of closure and openness at once.

The shortest track (1:59). A punk-rock burst of frustration and boredom. “I’ve got nothing to do / and I want to do it with you,” Caleb deadpans. It’s silly, raw, and infectious. Think The Ramones meets Southern rock. Pure fun.

Unlike the lush, atmospheric layers of When You See Yourself, Can We Please Have Fun is immediate and tactile. The guitars are cranked. The bass (Jared Followill) is fuzzy and driving. The drums (Nathan Followill) sound live and roomy, not quantized. Kings Of Leon - Can We Please Have Fun -2024- M...

The first taste of the album, "Rainwater," is a deceptive groove. It has a Talking Heads nervous energy. It’s not a stadium banger; it’s a basement dance party. The bassline is infectious, and the chorus—“I don’t mind the rainwater / If it washes off the pain”—shows the band leaning into melancholic optimism rather than outright despair.

Kid Harpoon’s influence cannot be overstated. His work with Harry Styles proved he understands how to make retro influences feel futuristic. On Can We Please Have Fun, he strips away the excessive reverb that plagued Mechanical Bull and the sterile highs of WALLS. The closing track

The drums crack. The bass sits forward in the mix. Caleb’s voice—often drowned in echo—is raw and up close. You can hear the rasp in his throat. This is an album that sounds expensive but feels cheap (in the best way), like a leather jacket you’ve worn for ten years.

Can We Please Have Fun is not just a great Kings of Leon album. It’s a great rock album. Period. The shortest track (1:59)

It captures a band that has nothing left to prove and therefore everything to gain. By shedding the weight of their own legacy, the Followills have made their most exciting record in over a decade.

Best tracks: “Mustang,” “Split Screen,” “Nowhere to Run,” “Seen” Skip? Honestly? Nothing. But “Nothing to Do” is deliberately slight—and that’s the point.

The title Can We Please Have Fun is not ironic. It is a mission statement. From the opening riff of the lead single, "Mustang," it is clear that the band is channeling the spirit of their early records—Youth and Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak—but with the confidence of seasoned veterans.

The production is noticeably rawer. Caleb Followill’s vocals, often layered and echoed in previous albums, sit dry and upfront in the mix. You can hear the grit in his throat and the breath between phrases. The guitars, played by Matthew Followill, are drenched in fuzz and reverb, echoing the swagger of 70s glam rock and the jangle of post-punk. There is a sense of urgency here that felt missing from their 2010s output.