The Kooks have completed work on their eighth studio album, and frontman Luke Pritchard has described the record as "dark and psychadelic," suggesting it could be their "most accomplished" work to date.
Speaking to Daily Star's Sam Huntley backstage before a special outdoor show at London's Old Royal Naval College, Pritchard revealed that the band recorded the album with producer Tony Berg, a collaboration he had long wanted to pursue.
A four-week residential recording process
"Yeah, I can tell you we've done it. We recorded it with Tony Berg, someone who's been on my list for a long time to work with. He's an unbelievable producer, and he pushed us," Pritchard said.
"He really pushed me, especially with the songwriting, you know. And I went there, pulled some stuff out, and yeah, I think it could be one of our best records. Maybe our best work, and that's amazing to say that. I know that everyone says that. Maybe not best, but like most accomplished."
The band came together for a four-week residential session, living and working in close quarters despite now residing in different parts of the country. "We did a residential. We all live in different corners of the country now. So we got together for four weeks and lived together and breathed together and made this record. It means a lot to me, this one. It took a lot for me to write it. That's for sure. Yeah," he added.
Celebrating 20 years of 'Inside In/Inside Out'
The Kooks are currently on the road marking two decades since their debut album, Inside In/Inside Out, with the London show featuring fireworks over the River Thames. Pritchard reflected on the band's longevity, which he attributes to maintaining a sense of fun and an inner child.
"You got to still have the inner child, I think, when you come into the rehearsal, when you go on stage. It's still got to be fun. I think that's what's really hard when you're on the hamster wheel, you're just playing shows all the time," he said.
"Humor as well, you know? Just like not taking it all too seriously helps a lot as well. I think we've done well. I think we've had a lot of hardships. You know, like to lose out, like to have Max [Rafferty] first leave the band or whatever, however you want to put it, and then Paul [Garred] the drummer on our second album."
New audiences and continued momentum
The band has seen a resurgence thanks to a new Gen Z audience discovering hits like Naive and Seaside on TikTok, following a year that included their biggest headline shows and a number five UK chart position for their seventh album.
Pritchard expressed pride in the band's perseverance, noting they never took a break or staged a fake split. "I feel really proud of us that we didn't, you know, we didn't even take a break. We didn't even go, 'okay we're gonna fake like breaking up and then come back like two years later'. But we we just love making music together. That is true."
Looking ahead, he remains focused on creative challenges: "My challenge now is like, how do you kind of use that and keep super creative and keep trying to challenge yourself, you know, because we have so many records now, and you keep pushing on, pushing on. So that's a challenge, but a good one. That's it."
