23 Sep King Charles releases new EP ‘Live At RAK Studios’
The inimitable and flamboyant King Charles has today released his new EP ‘Live At RAK Studios’. It’s available to order from his official store on limited edition white label vinyl or as a digital download, and will be released on streaming services on November 25th.
Set to be previewed by the single ‘Melancholy Julia’ on October 7th, the EP follows the genre-expanding London musician’s third album, ‘Out Of My Mind’, which emerged back in April. Critical acclaim included Clash, who noted, “The album’s sonic palette is a canvas spattered with Pollock-like urgency.”
‘Live At RAK Studios’ extends King Charles’ ongoing musical evolution, with inventive new takes on five favourites from his back catalogue. Recorded late last year when Charles decided to commit his live sound to record, the session represents his final full band performance before Covid-19 and lockdown put his touring plans on hold.
King Charles commented, “It was getting to the end of a season of shows and I wanted to get some recordings of some new songs and some old ones. RAK is a cool place to be and it was the first time recording live with this band which felt good. There was no pressure, I always want to do more of this kind of thing. I’m now longing for a new season of touring to begin.”
The set opens with ‘Freak’, the first of three songs from ‘Out Of My Mind’. In contrast to the woozy, neo-soul of the original, ‘Freak’ swaggers with a Hendrix-meets-Motown groove, capped by Charles’ striking falsetto. The title track benefits from a similar approach, this time trading Prince-style funk for heavyweight blues which erupts into a dramatic crescendo. ‘Melancholy Julia’ stays true to the album version, an approach that pays dividends as the vulnerability in Charles’ voice takes centre-stage.
King Charles then takes it back to the very beginning with his early independent single ‘Time For Eternity’, a heady blend of baroque-folk and glam-pop. He then finishes on a high with a new take on his breakthrough hit ‘Love Blood’, which sounds just as joyous, sun-kissed and irresistible as it did when it was first released.
‘Live At RAK Studios’ brings the curtain down on the ‘Out Of My Mind’ album campaign. Yet it also looks ahead to a new era for King Charles, as he prepares to release a series of brand new EPs. His already eclectic musical style will be further expanded with new material on the EP series, each of which will find him delving into different genres, sonic approaches and instrumentation.
The EP also provides a taste of what to expect from King Charles’ upcoming UK headline tour that’s scheduled for February.
