The K’s slow things down with “Helen, Oh I,” a poignant ballad that’s raw just as much as it is beautiful. A taste of what’s to come on their long-awaited second album, “Pretty On The Internet,” due by June 27, this song invites us into a vulnerable space in frontman Jamie Boyle’s head, and it’s a part of him worth sitting with.
Produced by the Grammy winner Jim Lowe (Stereophonics, The Dandy Warhols) and mixed by Pete Hutchings (Royal Blood, Foals, Nothing But Thieves), “Helen Oh I” sounds polished and lived-in. The strings slide like ghosts across the track, imparting a cinematic depth that lifts the drama without eclipsing it. It’s a world apart from the upbeat punchiness that fans have come to know and love from The K’s, but it’s not a language or a tone that’s completely departed from their signature sound, but a refinement of it.
Jamie Boyle’s lyrics speak in the simplest soul. “Helen, Oh I” reflects on a chaotic, unbalanced period of his life, stuck between the thrill of life on the road and the gradual deterioration of life at home. You can hear his voice’s regret, confusion, and longing. It’s personal but never self-indulgent. Anyone who has tried to cling to love while the world moves too quickly for that will find themselves visible in these lines.
This is the sound of a band expanding musically and emotionally. The K’s are proving they’re more than just catchy hooks and festival-ready choruses. They’re storytellers with depth and are as comfortable moving through the quiet moments as the loud ones. As “Pretty On The Internet” approaches, “Helen, Oh I” provides a brazen, beautiful taster of evidence that The Ks are not just progressing but blossoming. And, if this track is anything to go by, the new record promises to be one of their most dynamic yet.
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