We are very ashamed to say that we had heard of To Kill A King for a whole year before we properly started listening to their music. We knew of their existence through Bastille, but didn’t get round to actually listening to them due to a Bad Blood binge. What were we thinking? Hearing one song soon led to another and another, and we have had the joy of discovering their music over the last few months. We think it is something that is really worth sharing.
The brainchild of lead singer Ralph Pelleymounter, To Kill A King was formed around 2010. Their first single, Fictional State, was released in 2011, followed by their first EP, My Crooked Saint. This was later followed by the Word Of Mouth EP the following year, and then their debut album Cannibals With Cutlery.
We first started listening to the My Crooked Saint EP, and were immediately drawn in by Bloody Shirt. With its catchy earworm riffs and haunting lyrics, it is clearly the standout song of the EP, though the poignant We Used To Protest/Gamble is also worth a mention.
Soon we couldn’t wait any longer, and bought the Deluxe Edition of Cannibals With Cutlery. We were not disappointed. We don’t think that it’s too much to say that every song seems like an individual masterpiece. We would love to write about each one, but sadly it would be best to keep this under 1000 words! From the opening hazy piano notes of I Work Nights And You Work Days to the life-affirming Funeral, the woeful Fictional State and the upbeat Rays, this is an album of which length is completely justified. Pelleymounter’s songwriting skill is evident, and Cannibals With Cutlery is quickly becoming one of our favourite LPs.
There is more to To Kill A King than just releases, though. Be sure to check out the Ralph’s Balcony sessions, which were a series of performances by Ralph and some of his musician friends (below is our favourite, a glorious version of Choices). Though these had come to a close, the series was revived during their recent US tour. Also worth a look is the To Kill A King website, which features their hilarious blog, telling of their recent adventures and goings-on, and downloadable chords and lyrics for many of their songs. See the links below for Facebook and Twitter. We are desperate to see this band live, so we will be keeping our eyes peeled and fingers crossed, as we truly believe that this band is worth following.
https://www.facebook.com/tokillaking
https://twitter.com/ToKillAKing
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