Man Alive! review: King Krule delivers his most uplifting work yet

Archy Marshall preserves the essence of his music but provides a somewhat hopeful spin on it with a newfound perspective on the world.

Man Alive! is a stirring piece of work and, perhaps, Marshall’s most expressive yet. Struggling to come to terms with impending fatherhood, the album immerses you in the emotional journey Marshall went through. Feelings of despair and anguish are an ever-present feature of King Krule’s music, beginning with a teenage Marshall’s efforts as Zoo Kid, which immediately drew a fervently loyal, cult-like fan base. Having moved out of the South London urban sprawl and into the North West of England in anticipation of a child with his partner, Marshall appears to have found a new perspective.

Phillip Nguyen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

On Man Alive!, Marshall’s versatility has never been more apparent. There are flashes of punk, with moving, grunge-like guitar riffs coming to the fore on tracks like Stoned Again, Comet Face and Cellular, accompanied with a menacing bass flexing in the background. Perfecto Miserable assumes a much softer approach, setting the tone for the rest of the album. Introspective and consumed with self-examination, the second half of Man Alive! often places Marshall’s voice front and centre. It’s difficult not to be gravitated to his music and hang on to every word, even as the various sonic elements build up in a crescendo around him. Marshall exudes emotion with every snarl and scream. Whatever he feels, we feel.

Another prominent aspect of the album, appearing heavily throughout, are the warm and honeyed tones of long-time collaborator Ignacio Salvadores’ saxophone, which was often tinkered with by Marshall to fit the mood of the track, as Marshall is inclined to do on almost all his projects. Weaving together a tapestry of sounds, from jazzy saxophones intercut with dial tones to distorted bass lines and guitar slides, is something Marshall has seemingly perfected. Sometimes chaotic and in turmoil, other times mellow and dreamlike, the intricately woven labyrinth of sounds almost always reflects Marshall’s state of mind.

Henry Laurisch, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Marshall’s lyrics imbue his songs with a distinct personality. Stoned Again paints a picture of a younger King Krule, finding himself resorting to weed and other drugs constantly but unable to do so anymore. This is reinforced in Comet Face, which recounts a dangerous encounter in Peckham, almost inevitable in the depths of South London, a place Marshall has irretrievably attached himself to. His societal observations standout in these tracks as he alludes to the shine drug use can bring life in troubled times, but is often washed away as soon as the effects wear off, leaving you worse off than before. Marshall’s youthful energy brawls with his increased sense of responsibility at the arrival of a child, as his well-documented struggles with depression seem to finally be headed in the right direction. While earlier projects like The OOZ felt like Marshall was sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss, Man Alive! makes a point of portraying specks of light at the end of the tunnel. Please Complete Thee, the album’s final track, features a bright, cheerful guitar slide to top off the habitual desolation- the equivalent of the sun shining after the gloom of a rainy day.

Coming to grips with the prospect of fatherhood, the heightened accountability it brings and having to let go of some of the youthful energy, both positive and negative, has resulted in a King Krule that’s more accessible than ever before. Man Alive! has everything you’d expect, but also so much more.