20. May 2025
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Media Review

The Kooks – Never / Know

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

The Kooks - Never / Know

The Kooks - Never / Know
3.5

Rating

 3.5/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Characteristic, nostalgic style
  • Nice musical skills

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Second half too weak
  • Some too virtuous elements

The Kooks – especially if you are a 2000’s kid, this band name sounds really good. Despite the big success has faded in the meantime, the British band still has a very good reputation. On 9th May 2025, the released their seventh studio album overall. Here is my review of Never / Know.

 

The Kooks – About The Artists

The Kooks are a pop-rock and indie-rock band, which has been founded in Brighton in 2004. Nowadays, they are a duo consisting of Luke Pritchard (vocals, guitar) and Hugh Harris (bass, guitar, synth). Both are founding members of the band. The band originally started as a quartet. For touring, they add Johathan Harvey (bass) and drummer Alexis Nunez, who has been an ordinary member of The Kooks from 2012 to 2024.

The first two The Kooks albums were their biggest ones. The debut record Inside In/Inside Out is a five time platinum in Great Britain, even though it did not top the charts. This worked out with the 2008 release, Konk. The success of the debut album was driven by two singles, Naive and She Moves in Her Own Way, which have a total of nine platinum records in the U.K. only. However, these two songs also gained a total of six platinum records in New Zealand, for example. The Kooks’ most recent album release was the July 2022 10 Tracks To Echo in the Dark.

 

 

The Kooks – Never / Know – Track by Track

The eleven track album lasts 38 minutes

1. Never Know

The first two songs of Never/Know have been single releases already. The album starts with the title track. Especially the first tunes of the song remind me of surf pop and surf rock rather than a full rock sound. Overall, the opener comes with a very harmonic and melodic flow.

2. Sunny Baby

The happy, somehow summer-alike vibes continue with Sunny Baby. Luke Pritchard’s voice, together with the gentle, melodic background, lead to a somehow nostalgic feeling. It’ sunny, sunny baby – I feel some warmth while listening.

3. All Over The World

All Over The World presents a nice groove and has some more modern parts as well. Nonetheless, the song preserves its nostalgic touch and has some nice virtuous instrumental elements as well. Towards the end, the third track feels a bit of lengthy to me.

4. If They Could Only Know

If you take the first for songs of Never/Know, every song feels like a steps towards more modern sound. Nonetheless, I like the very present groove on the bass side, which feel to fit that nicely to the easy and light synth melodies. Another really nice track.

5. China Town

In the fifth track, The Kooks take us to China Town. The track is rather short, just less than three minutes. It is a very emotional song, which is full of being in love.

6. Compass Will Fracture

The sixth track feels like a brave rocker initially. There is maybe a slight indie touch. However, towards the end, Compass Will Fracture is taking a more harder route and even feels psychedelic. An interesting plot with a too virtuous ending in my point of view.

7. Tough At The Top

The groove of Tough At The Top is very present again – Hugh Harris is simply doing a very good job on the bass. The more quiet parts of the song could even be part of a calmer blues rocker, but in the catching chorus, The Kooks underline that they have a rock heart. Good one.

8. Arrow Through Me

In the context of the album, the slower Arrow Through Me almost feels a bit of kitschy. The Kooks nicely work with different vocals in some parts and develop a the plot of the song. A 1970’s music feeling is spread during the listen.

9. Echo Chamber

I don’t wanna loose you now – the ninth song continues with a rather romantic and emotional style. In the rather quiet instrumental setting, the distortion used on Pritchard’s vocals become very evident. The chorus reminds me of the beach and surf vibes at the beginning of Never/Know.

10. Let You Go

Sometimes, the sound of The Kooks feels a bit to shrill to me. This also applies to the repetitive chorus of Let You Go. In the first part of the song, I feel a bit of bored, the bridge at least adds some spice to this three minute track.

11. Talk About It

Talk About It is closing the record. The song starts with a darker, melancholic feeling. The high xylophone-alike sounds feel a bit too bothering me. The song does present another type of The Kooks music – but I don’t appreciate it that much.

 

The Kooks – Never / Know – Spotify

Here is Never / Know on Spotify:

 

The Kooks – Never / Know – My View

My feelings about Never/Know are mixed. The beginning is not too bad, I like the vibes, which are rather unusual nowadays and some songs offer nice instrumental elements. However, especially the second part of the album does not offer too many catching elements. Here and there, The Kooks also feel to push a bit too much in my point of view.  Thus, the album is just better average.

Favorite Song: If They Could Only Now

 

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