Album Review: Space Heavy by King Krule

By Tyson Taylor

Music Journalist 

It has been three long years since the fans of King Krule have received any new music. However, that long wait is over as King Krule released his fourth studio album, Space Heavy, on June 9.

King Krule’s latter album, Man Alive!, was released in early 2020 right before COVID-19 took over the world. King Krule then took a break from recording and released a live album in 2021, but since then Archy Marshall has remained silent. That was until May 18 of 2023, when Marshall released the singles, “If Only It Was Warmth” and “Seaforth” which brought a lot of anticipation for Space Heavy.

In my opinion, Space Heavy was an exceptionally smooth, and pleasurable listen. The newly released album consists of 15 tracks with three of them being pre-released for an overall listening experience of 44 minutes. “Flimsier,” “If Only It Was Warmth” and “Seaforth” were released before the arrival of Space Heavy, giving listeners a preview of the album. The album is a consistent easy listen as the songs flow together and keeps a relaxed tempo. “Pink Shell” and “Hamburgerphobia,” are the most upbeat and fast-paced songs on the album, yet still have a lethargic and dreamy feel to them.

Space Heavy is more rock-focused than the artists’ previous albums. However, on several tracks, there are still moments of jazzy instruments such as an abundance of saxophone solos which are without a doubt beautiful. One of my favorite experiences from listening to the album was the transition from “Tortoise of Independency” to “Empty Stomach Space Cadet.” The digression and build-up of music between the two songs were none other than breathtaking.

My overall favorite track from the record would have to be “If Only It Was Warmth,” only because I am in love with the guitar chords and the soft drums. However, since that song was released prior to the album, I feel it has an advantage over the rest of the songs and will not include it in my list of favorite songs from the album. Therefore, here are my top three tracks from the album:

Coming in third place would have to be “That is My Life, That Is Yours.” King Krule’s infamous deep voice is very soothing in this track as he talks about looking for love. At about the 1:40 mark of the song, the track goes into a minute-long beautiful orchestra. The orchestra kicks off with a groovy tempo consisting of a saxophone, drums and electric guitar. Then transcends into a relaxing and warm sound. It is as if the transition represents the hopeful search for love going from club to club, only to find oneself back at square one.

My second favorite track from the album would be “Empty Stomach Space Cadet.” This song is one of the shorter ones, yet the meaning in this song is deep. The lyrics express how pointless life is without love and how people just sail through time. Toward the end of the track, you can hear the raw and compelling emotion from Marshall come to full effect.

Finally, the most notable track off Space Heavy is the song “Seagirl.”  Being the only song on the album with a feature, Raveena absolutely killed her part as she added angelic vocals and smooth adlibs to the track. I think King Krule and Raveena’s voices blended perfectly in this song and I would love to see them collaborate again.

While it was quite a time waiting, it was a wait that was worthwhile. King Krule has released yet another beautiful album with Space Heavy. Be sure to give this album a listen or two, you will not be disappointed!