When Kings of Leon performed in Cleveland earlier this year at the NFL Draft, live music had yet to really return. So for the band, the abbreviated concert provided a great opportunity to show off the songs from its latest album, When You See Yourself.
“We were excited to be out of the house and playing music,” says singer-guitarist Caleb Followill via phone from his Nashville home. “It was interesting. Obviously, a lot of those people weren’t there for us. They had other things on their minds. But we tried to write a set list that was fun. We wanted to get people moving and dancing. It was fun, and we had a good time. By the time it was over, we were sad. We wanted to keep playing.”
While only able to rehearse for just a few days, the band still sounded sharp as it delivered hits such as “Use Somebody” and “Sex on Fire.”
“We were slightly prepared but not as prepared as we would be for a real tour,” says Followill. “We were just trying to not get hit with nachos.”
Written before the pandemic, When You See Yourself comes off as a very introspective and contemplative album that’s suited to the tumultuous times. The shimmering “When You See Yourself, Are You Far Away,” for example, features an undulating guitar riff as Followill croons “one more night, will you stay here.”
Followill says he started writing the album’s new tunes while out at his farm in the dead of winter.
“We go out there after the holidays after the dust settles and all the presents have been opened,” he says. “It’s winter and depressing. That’s usually when the songs start to come to me. A lot of them were written around then. When we got into the studio, if we had ideas that we were excited about, I would let us work through them to the point that we had a clear path as to what the arrangement would be and then I would go in there and hammer away at the lyrics and make sure the story was deserving of the music we played.”
Townes Van Zandt and Willie Nelson inspired “The Bandit,” one of the album’s many highlights. The narrative-driven tune features a driving guitar riff.
“It’s guys like that that keep us writing songs,” says Followill when asked about how the two songwriters inspired the song. “They set such high bars. No matter how hard you work, you feel like you never quite get there, so you keep plugging away at it. There are few real poets out there who have come and gone. Those two are among them. And Willie hasn’t gone yet!”
“100,000 People” starts with a solemn guitar progression and a beefy bass riff before the chords dramatically change.
“As soon as I first played it, the first lyrics of the song were the first things that came out of my mouth,” says Followill when asked about the tune. “It was writing itself a little bit. It was almost time to record it, and I was doing a ‘do, do, do.’ (Guitarist) Matthew (Followill) said it would be impactful if I made that a lyric. I had to think about it, and I went home that night. I came back the next day, and I said, ‘I got it.’ I sang all the lines leading into the ‘you do.’ It kind of allowed me to go a little deeper into the story I was wanting to tell about dementia and what it does to people. It gave me a chance to tell a story.”
A song about the dangers of climate change, “Claire & Eddie” comes off as a compelling love song for the planet.
“I’m not a preacher or a guy who talks politics or pushes my beliefs on anyone,” says Followill. “I think it’s universal that we’re trying to save ourselves and our children for generations to come. I didn’t go too obvious with it.”
Followill says he thinks the moodier new numbers will mesh well with the band’s more uptempo older tunes. And ticket-holders will get a chance to experience the musical melding at their forthcoming performance with Cold War Kids in Cincinnati on Aug. 31, at Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center.
“(The new songs) feel great,” he says. “It’s a more modern sounding Kings, but when we playing together, it all sounds like Kings of Leon. (This tour) will be our first chance to see how much the fans have lived with the music and see what their reactions are and what goes over well and what they don’t like so much.”
Twenty years on, the group has remarkably survived at a time when bands come and go well before hitting the 10-year mark. That’s something that’s not lost on Followill.
“We’re still surprised every day that we’re still making music,” says Followill. “A lot of our friends who came up with us have nine to fives now. They don’t play music anymore. It’s something we all realize. The fact that we’re still pushing and striving to be better every time we go in the studio and every time we take the stage keeps us going. As far as the fans sticking around and new fans coming, I don’t know. I try not to think about that too much. I just keep my head down and keep going. When they tell me our moment is done, I guess our moment will be done.”
Kings of Leon play Riverbend Music Center Tuesday, Aug. 31 with Cold War Kids. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. More info and tickets at riverbend.org.
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This story was originally published by CityBeat sister paper Cleveland Scene.
This article appears in Aug 5-17, 2021.