Formed in Portland, OR in late 2019, three musicians from a long list of bands throughout two decades came together to create music. The three piece consists of Brandon Whalen on guitar and vocals, bassist Aaron Blanchard who is also on vocals, and Nicholas Jones as drummer and vocalist. Their self titled album “Kinghorn” was recorded by Mike Vera at Brown Sound Studios in Portland, OR and mastered by Stephan Hawkes at Interlace Audio.
Have you ever stayed up until 1:30 AM…? Of course you have, everyone has, at some point in time you’ve had insomnia or maybe you got woken up around that time and just stayed up. Being up around that time can sometimes feel like an endless night and there is nothing you can do about that. “1:30 Am” from Kinghorn perfectly captures that feeling in a span of about 5 minutes. The guitar solo is how it can feel when you feel like the night will never end.
Kinghorn is a soft yet heavy hitting band, their post punk/hardcore vibes is what will bring in the true punk audience. They make you want to headbang yet you can also relax to their music, “Kinghorn” is very much a vibe setter. Continuing the album into “Sadless” brings out the heavier side of Kinghorn and a bit of an opposite effect than “1:30 Am”.
“Sadless” is for the punks who like to mosh instead of cry, as long as you let those emotions out, what does it matter. It can be hard to make music that hits heavy and can still mean something and make you feel something as well. Screaming about your sadness can be very cathartic.
“I Am Now” is two and a half minutes of pure bliss, it’s so easy to get lost in your own thoughts when listening to this particular song from Kinghorn. This is when you stand under the red light in the bar, close your eyes, and just vibe. “Death Secrets” brings out the more anthemic vibes of Kinghorn. This will be a song that you will turn up to no matter your mood, this is the song to get the mosh started.
It’s hard to not instantly fall in love with Kinghorn, they make such soothing music but it’s also music that you can rage to. The range of Kinghorn is something to be admired, the trio does an excellent job at really pulling you into their music. They make you feel it and not just hear it.
Have you ever done drugs? Any kind, even before certain ones were legal….it’s okay if you have, it’s even better if you have. You can then relate to “Drugs” more from Kinghorn, maybe you had a bad experience or maybe it was a good one, either way you can relate. “Drugs” sounds like an acid trip while watching the different stages of the Alice in Wonderland movies.
Kinghorn will be in your favorite bands list by the time you finish their album, you will probably also add a few songs to some playlists you might have. Kinghorn is making amazing music that every punk needs to hear, you don’t even need to be punk to listen….but they may just turn you punk.
Written by Jaye Maverick
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