The Kooks play it safe with their third studio album, Junk of the Heart. The indie rock band from Sussex, best known for “She Moves in Her Own Ways” released their new album on September 12th.  The album doesn’t surprise anyone or push any boundaries, but still manages to deliver.

Most of the time, this album is comfortably predictable, with songs like “Junk of the Heart (Happy)”. The simple lyrics, “I wanna make you happy”—fit perfectly, and front man Luke Pritchard really does make listeners happy. This feel-good song even supplies the catchy beats The Kooks are known for and fans crave.

“Taking Pictures of You”, “Killing Me”, and “Petulia” are all slower and more dependent on vocals. Among these, “Petulia” stands out, reminiscent of the Beatles’ “Blackbird”, with calming instrumentals and smooth vocals.

But once in a while, they shake things up a bit.  “Rosie” has a catchy rhythm, but it has more of a more of a 60s Beatles sound. There’s more emotion and beat variation in this song; a nice break from the usual Kooks “happy”.

 “Fuck The World Off”, on the other hand, leaves much to be desired. The title springs some hope for a stark contrast to their normal sound, but the Kooks aren’t going there. It’s a slower track, like the previous songs, but though it does have some edge, the all-over-the-place rhythm and transitions make this song one of the weakest on the album.  

“Time Above The Earth” is the shortest song on the album, but it still shines.  The use of violin in this song is flawless, taking on more of classical tone, and the vocals match the kind of peaceful sentiment exactly.

In the end, the predictability in this album manages to pass off as a sense of nostalgia which makes this album nice. While it is true that they don’t make any real effort to expand into new musical territory, this album is very...Kooks. And that’s enough to make it worth the time. 

The Kooks are currently on their winter tour, stopping in LA on Dec 7th and 8th.